Provisional Ballots are a paper ballot issued by the staff at a polling location when more time is needed to determine the voter's eligibility to cast a ballot. Provisional Ballots are completed by the voter inside their polling location but are not scanned on the equipment at the polling location. Instead, the ballot is sealed into a secrecy envelope and placed into a large envelope. The voter & the Judge of Election must both complete the outer envelope with the voter's name, address, contact information & provide a reason for issuing the Provisional Ballot. Please note: provisional voters should not sign the poll book.
Provisional Ballots are brought back to the Voter Services Office on Election Day but cannot be evaluated until the Friday after the Election by Pennsylvania law. This gives the Voter Services staff time to update the voter records of everyone who casts a ballot on Election Day to determine if the provisional ballot is eligible to be counted.