A provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there is some question in regards to a given voter's eligibility. A provisional ballot would be cast when:
- The voter refuses to show a photo ID (in regions that require one)
- The voter's name does not appear on the electoral roll for the given precinct.
- The voter's registration contains inaccurate or out-dated information such as the wrong address or a misspelled name.
- The voter's ballot has already been recorded
A provisional ballot is counted contingent upon the verification of that voter's eligibility. Arguments over the use and misuse of the criteria for determining the eligibility of provisional ballots were one of the greatest controversies of the 2004 US Presidential Election - many allege the discrepancies relating to these, particularly in Ohio, may have been a deciding factor in the outcome of the election. In these election, at least 1.9 million provisional ballots were cast. And 676,000 of them were never counted.[1] A guarantee that a voter could cast a provisional ballot if he or she believes that they are entitled to vote was one of the guarantees of the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
