Provisional
Voting
PROVISIONAL
BALLOTS
Provisional
voters may check their ballot status here.
Call our office if you have questions.
A provisional
ballot is issued to a voter if there is a question regarding his
or her registration status or eligibility to vote in the election.
A provisional
ballot is the same as a regular ballot, but it will only be counted
if the Election Authority’s office can verify after Election
Day that the voter is registered and qualified to vote in the
election.
Circumstances
where Provisional Ballots are used:
Your name
does not appear on the list of registered voters for this precinct.
Your voting status has been challenged by an election judge, pollwatcher
or another voter and a majority of the election judges agree.
A court order is issued instructing your polling place to remain
open after 7:00 p.m. (Everyone voting after 7:00 p.m. must cast
provisional ballots if this occurs.)
You are required to show identification because you registered
by mail, but you did not bring your ID to the polling place on
Election Day.
Polling place procedures:
Fill out and
sign the legal affidavit form. You will receive a copy of the
affidavit.
An election judge will note on the affidavit the reason(s) you
were issued a provisional ballot. The judge will place the original
affidavit and any documentation you provide in an envelope with
the clear plastic window.
After voting your ballot, place the provisional ballot inside
the security envelope, seal it and return it to the election judge.
If you make a mistake, ask an election judge for a new ballot.
Do not seal the spoiled ballot in the envelope.
After the polls close:
The Election
Authority’s office receives all provisional ballots and verifies
the registration information for each provisional voter within
two weeks after the election.
If the Election Authority’s office determines that you are
registered and eligible to vote in the precinct where the ballot
was cast, the envelope is opened and your ballot is counted.
If you are not registered, the envelope will not be opened and
the votes you cast will not count. However, the information you
supplied on the envelope will serve as a registration application.
Additional information:
If you have
any information, identification or documents (e.g. receipt from
the Secretary of State’s Office, copy from a deputy registration
form) to show that you are a registered voter or eligible to vote,
please:
Provide it to the election judges on Election Day.
Bring it to the Election Authority’s office.
The Election Authority’s office must receive all supporting
information before the close of business on the Thursday following
Election Day.
Find out if your vote counts:
Visit www.elections.state.il.us
or call (866) 513-1121, starting 2 weeks after the election.
If your ballot was not counted, you may also learn the reason
why it was not.