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Provisional Voting

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Check Provisional Voting Results

Provisional Voting General Information

Voting with a Provisional Ballot

Provisional voting is a fail‐safe method of voting that will permit the voter to cast a ballot during an election, and allow the Board of Elections to verify the voter’s eligibility after Election Day. If it can be confirmed that the voter is eligible to vote in the election, the provisional ballot will be counted before the results of the election are final.

Reasons for Voting with a Provisional Ballot

  1. No Record of Registration - Voter cannot be found in the pollbook and in the voter registration database.
  2. Previously Removed - It is determined that the voter was previously registered in the county but the registration was cancelled. A voter's registration may be cancelled ude to several reasons (moved within state; moved to another state; felony conviction; removed due to list maintenance; sustained challenge; deceased, etc.)
  3. Unrecognized Address - Precinct Official is unable to locate the address stated by the voter.
  4. Unreported Move - The voter provides an address wihthin the county of registration that is different from the voter's current registered address. The voter indicates that the move to the new address occurred 30 (or more) days prior to Election Day. However, they arrived at their new precinct before going ot their old precinct to retrive their ATV (Authorization to Vote form).
  5. Incorrect Precinct - A voter requests to vote at a polling place on Election Day that is not the voter's proper precinct. The voter's precinct is the precinct assigned to the voter based on their address 30 (or more) days prior to Election Day.
  6. Incorrect Party - (Only in a partisan primary) The voter insists upon voting a ballot for a party other than the party htye voter is affiliated with.
  7. Voter Already voted - The voter record indicates the voter who is presenting to vote has already cast a ballot in the election.
  8. Jurisdiction Dispute - The voter arrives to vote and has no eligible ballot style or the voter request to vote for an election contest that is not in the voter's assigned district based on their legal address.
  9. Voted during Extended Hours - The hours for voting are extended by the State Board of Elections or a court order. Voters who cast a ballot during extended hours must vote a provisional ballot.
  10. No Acceptable ID - first time voters who have not completed the voter registration process may be asked to provide ID. This is only applicable for first time voters under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) allows for any person voting a provisional ballot to be entitled to know the reason why their vote was counted, if it was not counted or if it was partially counted. If you voted a provisional ballot in an election, you were given a PIN number to check the status of your provisional ballot. You will be asked for the following information:
  • Your full name
  • Your date of birth
  • Your personal identification number (PIN)
If you have lost your PIN,you must contact the Board of Elections to determine if your ballot was counted.

Elections Director

Tim Tsujii, Elections Director

Useful Links

  • State Board of Elections
  • N.C. General Assembly
  • Federal Election Commission
  • U.S. Election Assistance Commission

Contact Us

Forsyth County Government Center
201 North Chestnut Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Phone: 336 703 2800
Fax: 336 727 2893
Email: Contact Us
Hours of operation: 8am-5pm Monday-Friday

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