What you need to know about provisional ballots

There are ways to track your ballot & make sure your vote counts

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As everyone works to make sure each vote is counted, there are some scenarios that might require voters to fill out a provisional ballot.

First off, deep breath and don’t panic. It’s a process, but there are ways to track your ballot and make sure your vote counts.

Early voting will help rule out some of the potential problems, but even if you have to fill out a provisional ballot on Election Day, there’s still hope.

If you do not bring identification, you will be required to vote using a provisional ballot.

The local canvassing board will take over from there and compare your signature on the ballot to your signature in your voter registration record. That is typically pulled from your license. If it matches, your provisional ballot will be counted. If the signature does not match or there’s not one on file, the supervisor of elections office will try to contact you.

According to the Florida Division of Elections, you have until 5 p.m. the second day after the election to resolve any issues.

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The process to find out if your provisional ballot counts is different depending on your county. On the Duval County Supervisor of Elections website, you can input your provisional ballot ID number, so make sure you get a copy of it. But the St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections website says you need to call the supervisor of elections office at 904-823-2238.

You will also get a notice of rights pamphlet after you vote with a provisional ballot. It will tell you how to find out if your vote was counted. That information must be available no later than 30 days after the election.


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Anchor on The Morning Show team and reporter specializing on health issues.

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