If we are unable to confirm that you are eligible to vote, you will not be turned away from voting. Instead, election workers will give you the option to complete a provisional ballot.
The provisional ballot is a back-up voting option that protects your right to vote while also preventing fraud.
This option is available at both Early Voting sites and Election Day polling places.
Reasons for Voting a Provisional Ballot
You may be asked to complete a provisional ballot for any of these reasons:
- Your voter record cannot be located.
- You did not bring proper ID.
- Your eligibility to vote cannot be verified at the voting site.
- Your eligibility to vote has been challenged.
- You may be at the incorrect Election Day polling place.
- You may have already voted in the election.
Completing a Provisional Ballot
If you need to vote a provisional ballot, the clerk at the voting site will provide you with the ballot, a certificate, and a certificate ID number. After you fill out the ballot and certificate, the clerk will seal your ballot in an envelope.
In case you are not registered to vote, the clerk will also have you complete a Florida Voter Registration Application so that you are registered for future elections.
The clerk can help you and answer any questions you may have about the process.
Counting Provisional Ballots
After Election Day, election staff will research and review your provisional ballot certificate and voter registration information.
You can provide us with additional evidence to support your eligibility to vote. The deadline to provide evidence is 5 p.m. on the Thursday after Election Day.
The Canvassing Board will decide to accept or reject your provisional ballot based on the research and evidence, including any evidence you provide.
If you completed a provisional ballot because you forgot to bring ID to the polls, you do not need to provide additional evidence. Instead, we will compare your signature on the certificate to your signature in the voter registration system. If the signatures match, your ballot will count.
Missing or Mismatched Signature
If the signature on your provisional ballot certificate is missing or does not match the signature we have on file in the voter registration system, we will try to contact you to correct the problem. You will need to complete a Provisional Ballot Cure Affidavit - (PDF) and send the form to our office along with a photocopy of your ID. The deadline to fix the issue is 5 p.m. on the Thursday after Election Day.
Provisional Ballot Status
You can check on the status of your provisional ballot at our Provisional Ballot Status page. You will need the certificate ID number that was given to you by the clerk. If you do not have that information, contact our office for assistance at (850) 482-9652 or [email protected].