Defined term

Provisional Ballot

Provisional Ballot: A ballot cast by a voter who was not on the list of eligible voters, whose information was incomplete or not accurate, or who had already…

Also known as: affidavit ballot

Alternative names:
affidavit ballot
Verified
🏆 High Consensus
voting
Voting

Definition

A ballot cast by a voter who was not on the list of eligible voters, whose information was incomplete or not accurate, or who had already received a ballot in the mail and was allowed to vote. Fail-safe ballots are usually kept separate from the other ballots until an election official can determine if the voter is eligible to vote. These ballots are sometimes called fail-safe ballots.

Alternative Definitions

Definition 2

Ballot provided to individuals who claim they are eligible to vote but whose eligibility cannot be confirmed when they present themselves to vote. Once voted, such ballots are not included in the tabulation until after the voter’s eligibility is confirmed.

Source: NISTType: standard
Definition 3

A failsafe ballot provided to a voter whose eligibility for a regular ballot cannot be immediately determined.

Source: NIST WebType: semantic
Definition 4

A failsafe ballot provided to a voter whose eligibility for a regular ballot cannot be immediately determined. The ballot may be counted or further processed depending on state law.

Source: Pilot Implementation Study of Risk-Limiting Audit Methods in the State of Rhode IslandType: external
Definition 5

A “ BALLOT voted provisionally by a person: (a) whos e name is not listed on the official register at the polling place; or (b) whose legal right to vote is challenged.” Utah Code §20A- 1-102(51). HAVA requires that provisional ballots be offered to voters in elections for FEDERAL OFFICE. Voted provisional ballots are segr egated from other ballots until the eligibility of each provisional voter can be deci ded, in a manner similar to the handling of ABSENTEE BALLOTS. A “ BALLOT cast by a voter whose eligibility to vote is disputed by an ELECTION OFFICIAL. 2007 VVSG. See also AFFIDAVIT BALLOT, CHALLENGED BALLOT, ESCROW BALLOT.

Source: Electronic Voting GlossaryType: external

Sources

1
Glossary of Election Terms, U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
View Source
2
Glossary for Voting Systems, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
View Source
3
NIST Election Terminology Glossary, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
View Source
4
Pilot Implementation Study of Risk-Limiting Audit Methods in the State of Rhode Island
View Source
5
EAC Glossary of Terms
View Source
6
EAC Glossary of Election Terms
View Source
7
NIST Election Glossary
View Source
8
Electronic Voting Glossary
View Source

Continue Research

Browse the full glossary for adjacent terms, or subscribe for updates when definitions and sources are expanded.