Track the Status of Your Provisional Ballot
If you voted a provisional ballot, you can check whether it was counted. Visit our Provisional Ballot Status page and enter the required information to see the Canvassing Board’s decision once the review is complete. Updates are posted as soon as your ballot is evaluated.
Provisional Ballots
Florida law allows you to vote a provisional ballot if there’s a question about your eligibility at the polling place. This may happen if your voter registration can’t be confirmed right away, or if an election worker believes you may not be eligible and a final determination has not yet been made.
A provisional ballot ensures that you can still cast a vote, and your ballot will be reviewed and counted if you are found eligible.
A provisional ballot may be issued for one of the following reasons:
- Voter’s name does not appear on the precinct register and voter’s eligibility is unverified
- Voter refutes the Supervisor of Elections office confirmation that they are not registered or eligible
- There is an indication on the precinct register that the voter has requested a vote-by-mail ballot and the voter does not have a ballot to submit – poll worker is unable to verify that the voter has not voted
- There is an indication on the precinct register that the voter has returned the vote- by-mail ballot or has voted in the office or at an early voting site, but the voter maintains that they have not voted, even after a call to the Supervisor of Elections office
- Voter did not provide photo/signature identification
- There is an indication on the precinct register that the voter has been challenged in this election
- Voter is challenged at the precinct
- Voter’s signature does not match signature on record and affidavit is refused
- Indication on precinct register that the voter’s Florida driver license, Florida identification card number, or social security number is not yet verified by the Department of State in conjunction with Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
How Provisional Ballots Are Handled
After you vote a provisional ballot, it is placed inside a secrecy envelope, which is then sealed inside a provisional ballot envelope. The sealed envelope is placed in a secure ballot box. All provisional ballots remain sealed until they are returned to the Supervisor of Elections for review.
Your Right to Provide Additional Information
If you cast a provisional ballot, you have the right to submit written evidence supporting your eligibility to vote. This information must be provided to the Supervisor of Elections no later than 5 p.m. on the second day after the election.
How Provisional Ballots Are Reviewed
If it is determined that you were registered and eligible to vote in the precinct where you cast your ballot, the Canvassing Board will review your information. They will compare the signature on your Provisional Ballot Voter’s Certificate and Affirmation, or on your provisional ballot cure affidavit, with the signature on your voter registration record or precinct register.
When a Provisional Ballot Can Be Counted
A provisional ballot can be counted only if one of the following is true:
Signature Match
The signature on your voter certificate or cure affidavit matches the signature in your voter registration record or precinct register. If a cure affidavit is used, the identification you provide must also confirm your identity.
Valid ID Provided with Cure Affidavit
If the signature on your cure affidavit does not match the signature on file, the ballot may still count if you submit a current and valid Tier 1 form of identification that confirms your identity.
Tier 1 Identification
Current and valid identification that includes your name and photograph (one of the following):
- Florida driver license
- Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
- United States passport
- Debit or credit card
- Military identification
- Student identification
- Retirement center identification
- Neighborhood association identification
- Public assistance identification
- State of Florida concealed weapon or firearm license
- Employee identification card issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the federal government, state, a county, or a municipality
- Veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
If you do not have a Tier 1 form of identification, you may provide a Tier 2 form of identification.
Tier 2 Identification
Tier 2 Identification
- Current utility bill
- Bank statement
- Government check
- Paycheck
- Government document (excluding voter information card)
Any provisional ballot not counted must remain in the envelope containing the Provisional Ballot Voter’s Certificate and Affirmation and the envelope shall be marked “Rejected as Illegal.”
Signature Cure (or Fix)
If you forgot to sign the provisional ballot envelope, or the signature on the provisional ballot envelope does not match the signature on record, Florida law allows you the opportunity to submit an affidavit to “cure” or fix your provisional ballot. The Provisional Ballot Cure Affidavit must be completed and submitted to our office along with a copy of your identification by 5 p.m. on the second day after the election.