If you’ve registered to vote, but a poll worker can’t find your name when you show up, you don’t have to turn around and go home.
You can probably still cast a ballot.
Federal law requires the vast majority of states to offer a special type of paper ballot called a provisional ballot. This allows a voter to record their choices so an elections worker can later check that person’s eligibility.
Here’s what to know about how and when to cast a provisional ballot:
What is a provisional ballot?
Nearly all states must offer voters provisional ballots in federal elections if a poll worker calls into question their eligibility to vote, especially for administrative reasons, according to Joshua Douglas, an election law professor at the University of Kentucky.
These voters usually mark their choices on a paper ballot and put it in a physical envelope identifying it as a provisional ballot. Some states will call this an affidavit ballot or a challenge ballot. It stays separate from the rest of the ballots until election officials determine whether it should be counted.
Three states don’t use provisional ballots – Idaho, Minnesota, and New Hampshire – but offer same-day voter registration, so voters can fill out a form if their registration is questioned. Wisconsin and Wyoming use provisional ballots under state laws. A sixth, North Dakota, doesn’t have voter registration at all.
Follow along: 2026 U.S. House election results
Follow along: 2026 U.S. Senate election results
Who needs a provisional ballot?
The most common reasons to need a provisional ballot are if a voter says they are registered to vote but are not found on the rolls, or if a state has a voter ID requirement but the voter did not bring one, Douglas said.
Some states have a voter fill out a provisional ballot if they requested a mail ballot but didn’t return it, said Ben Hovland, a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank. This helps the state make sure people aren’t voting twice, Hovland said.
Some states offer provisional ballots if a person move and hasn’t updated their voter registration, he said. In that case, the election office will need to make sure that person didn’t cast your ballot in two different locations within the state before it is counted, he said. North Dakota uses them for ballots cast after a judge extends voting hours.
Each state will be different in the way they handle provisional ballots. Douglas, who is also serving as a poll worker in Kentucky this year, said he was trained to try to resolve the issue the voter is having before offering a provisional ballot as a last resort.
“It’s never anyone’s first choice to cast a provisional ballot, but it’s an important fail-safe,” Hovland said.
Provisional ballot box voting areas are typically set apart from the regular voting booths at each precinct, as it was on May 5, 2026.
Will my provisional ballot count?
That depends. After a voter casts a provisional ballot, an elections worker may check their eligibility to vote, or may require the voter to provide information to “cure” the ballot and ensure it is counted. State laws usually spell out how long after the election voters have to cure their ballot.
If proper ID is the issue, a voter may need to come back within a certain number of days with their identification. If a voter’s name is not on the registration list, the elections office will need the time to research the registration more thoroughly.
Federal law requires the elections official to provide the voter with written information describing how they can find out whether their vote was counted, according to Alysoun McLaughlin, the director of the Election Resilience Lab at the University of Maryland.
Luke Belant, a project manager for elections and redistricting at the National Conference of State Legislatures, added: “It’s always good advice for a voter who receives a provisional ballot to get clear information from their local jurisdiction on what actions, if any, they need to take to ensure the provisional ballot is counted.”
Lake Wales City Clerk Jennifer Nanek pulls out provisional ballots to be counted at the Polk Supervisor of Elections Office in Winter Haven Florida. Friday April 5, 2024. Ernst Peters/The Ledger
Will provisional ballots affect the election?
They could. In a very close race, if there are more unprocessed provisional ballots than there are counted votes separating the candidates, the race will hinge on how many of those provisional ballots are counted toward the vote total.
“(Election workers) have to individually go through those and assess whether the individual was eligible or not,” Hovland said. “That is part of the reason you see the official certification taking days or weeks.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Problem at the polls? You may need to vote with a provisional ballot
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