Provisional Ballots are evaluated by the Voter Services staff to verify three things before a provisional ballot can be counted:
o Confirm the voter is registered to vote in the district in which they cast a ballot
o Confirm the voter they did not cast a ballot in any other way
o Confirm the envelope was completed correctly
Provisional ballots are then given one of the following determinations:
Full Credit
o The voter is registered to vote in the precinct in which they reside and did not cast a ballot any other way.
o The voter cast the ballot for their precinct, which can now be opened and added into the Election Results.
Partial Credit
o The voter is registered to vote in the precinct in which they reside and did not cast a ballot any other way.
o The voter cast a ballot in the incorrect precinct, which means that we can only count the votes in races that they are eligible to vote in. For example, if the voter lives in Abington 8-2 but cast their ballot at the polling location in Green Lane; they may not be eligible to vote in all of the races that appear on Green Lane’s ballot. School Board is a good example – an Abington resident is not eligible to vote for the Upper Perkiomen School Board. We would only be able to count the votes in races that the voter is eligible to vote in.
No Credit
o The voter is not registered to vote
o The voter cast a ballot at another polling location or by mail.
These determinations are then evaluated by watchers from both parties. The watchers can lodge challenges if they disagree with the determination the Voter Services staff made. The challenges are presented to the Montgomery County Election Board during a public meeting where the final determination is made.
Once all challenges have been heard, Provisional Ballots can be opened and added into the count.