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Provisional Ballot Information

At all elections, a voter who does not provide proper identification or who is claiming to be properly registered and eligible to vote in an election, but whose eligibility cannot be determined or a person whom an election official asserts is not eligible, shall be entitled to vote a provisional ballot.

IMPORTANT: Provisional Ballots must be cast in the voter's legally designated precinct.


Voting a Provisional Ballot:

The voter shall complete the Provisional Ballot Voter's Certificate and Affirmation on the provisional ballot envelope and a ballot will be issued. The voter will be escorted to the designated provisional ballot voting area. After marking the ballot, the voter will place it in the provisional ballot envelope and seal the envelope. The voter will then be escorted to the ballot box to deposit the envelope in the locked auxiliary bin.

Any voter that casts a provisional ballot will be given written instructions on how to find out if their ballot was counted in the final canvass of votes and, if not, the reasons why. The written instructions will inform the voter that he or she has the right to present written evidence supporting his or her eligibility to vote to the Supervisor of Elections not later than 5 PM on the second day following the election. The instructions will also include how to access the system and the information the voter will need to provide to obtain information on his or her particular ballot. Information regarding provisional ballots shall be available no later than 30 days following the election.

Written
 Instructions 
Ballot
 Status 

Voted provisional ballots are sealed and secured before delivering to the Elections Office on election night.

Information verified at the Elections Office:

       •   Is the person registered and what is the status of the registration? 

   •   Did the voter cast the ballot in the correct precinct?

   •   Did the voter previously cast a ballot in the election either by early
vote or by absentee/mail ballot?

   •   Does the signature on the Provisional Ballot Voter’s Certificate and 
Affidavit match the signature on the voter’s registration?

In determining whether a person casting a provisional ballot is entitled to vote, the Canvassing Board shall review the information provided in the Voter’s Certificate and Affirmation, written evidence provided by the voter, any other evidence presented by the Supervisor of Elections, and, in the case of a challenge, any evidence presented by the challenger.

If it is determined that the person was registered and entitled to vote at the precinct where the person cast a vote in the election, the Canvassing Board shall compare the signature on the Provisional Ballot Voter’s Certificate and Affirmation with the signature on the voter’s registration and, if it matches, shall open the provisional ballot envelope and count the ballot.

A ballot of a person casting a provisional ballot shall be counted unless the Canvassing Board determines by a preponderance of the evidence that the person was not entitled to vote.

If it is determined that the person voting the provisional ballot was not registered or entitled to vote at the precinct where the person cast a vote in the election, the provisional ballot shall not be counted and the ballot shall remain in the provisional ballot envelope containing the Provisional Ballot Voter’s Certificate and Affirmation and the envelope shall be marked “Rejected as Illegal.



 

Melissa Arnold, Okeechobee County Supervisor of Elections

304 NW 2nd Street, Room 144, Okeechobee, FL, 34972 (Historic Courthouse Building)

PHONE: (863) 763-4014 ● FAX: (863) 763-0152
EMAIL: Elections@voteokeechobee.gov

UNDER FLORIDA LAW, EMAIL ADDRESSES ARE CONSIDERED PUBLIC RECORD. IF YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS RELEASED IN RESPONSE TO A PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST, DO NOT SEND EMAIL TO THIS ENTITY. INSTEAD CONTACT THIS OFFICE BY PHONE OR WRITING. (F.S. 668.6067)