Provisional ballot

[1] Some of the most common reasons to cast a provisional ballot include: Whether a provisional ballot is counted is contingent upon the verification of that voter's eligibility, which may involve local election officials reviewing government records or asking the voter for more information, such as a photo identification not presented at the polling place or proof of residence.

The Help America Vote Act brings a degree of uniformity to the array of various challenged ballot rules enacted by various states.

[5][6] After this determination, both valid and invalid provisional ballots—without enclosing envelopes—were mixed together, which provided no way for them to be separated for the recount.

[7] Computer scientist and election official Douglas W. Jones has criticized the offer of a provisional ballot as "a way to brush off troublesome voters by letting them think they have voted.

Some experts on voting have suggested that this shift could be misunderstood and lead to erroneous claims of electoral fraud or corruption.