Provisional Ballots Are Election Wild Card

Nov 3, 3:22 AM EST

Provisional Ballots Are Election Wild Card

Provisional ballots, a presidential wild card in battleground Ohio, are part of the national election reforms prompted by the election meltdown in Florida four years ago.

The ballots are a fail-safe for voters who come to the polls but find their names missing from the rolls, or whose qualifications to vote are somehow challenged. An estimated 1 million or more such voters were turned away from the polls because of clerical errors or other mistakes in 2000.

Provisional ballots are set aside and evaluated after the election to see which ones should be counted.

The ballots are required for the first time nationally this year, but some states already used them, and state rules for dealing with them vary. In Ohio, where provisional ballots were in use even before 2000, the ballots are not counted for 10 days.

(more)
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/ELN_PROVISIONAL_VOTING?SITE=SCCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

As the "Ya think???!!!" Department grows beyond Library of Congress size, achieves sentience, and begins lumbering toward Pennsylvania Avenue.