Early Voting -I Think I Voted but Does My Vote Count in Ohio?

You are a new Ohio voter and you've heard a few stories about purged voter registrations and crazy things happening on election day, so you made sure your registration got there on time. You're excited about the election and you wanted to make sure everything was in order when you showed up to vote. But after standing for an hour in the Early Voting line, the lady at the Hamilton County Board of Elections said they had no record of you. "But don't worry," she said, "You may vote anyway."

In Ohio, elections officials won't argue. They will give you a ballot anyway, allow you to mark your choices and like every other registered person, you may participate in this historic election. But as you walk away smiling at the privilege you have just exercised, you should realize you may have little to smile about if they gave you provisional ballot.

Election problems in Ohio have been so widespread, a photo accompanying a recent NYTimes.com article shows a woman flashing her 2004 "I Think I Voted" sticker.

So What's A Provisional Ballot?

To ease the complications of intra-county residence changes, Ohio devised their provisional ballot system in 1993; and as part of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, HAVA, the provisional ballot was detailed as a way for Congress to guarantee a citizen would not be turned away from the polls without casting a vote if they believed they had the right to do so. Except these ballots are handled differently depending on the states.

According to the Ohio Secretary Of State's website, the Board Of Elections issues a voter a provisional ballot when their right to participate in an election is at question due to address, name, identity issues or voter challenges. These ballots are also issued if there is a large voter turn out or broken voting machines necessitating extended voting hours. All ballots issued after hours are provisional.

Does My Ohio Provisional Ballot Count?-

Yes and No. Ballots that make it through the post election validation process are counted ten days after an election, long after the other votes have been tallied and the winners projected. During those ten days, there are several ways to clear up a ballot contested due to an improper ID or address problem, but if the election has already been called and there are no disputes, the provisional ballots cast have no effect on the election outcome.

Unfortunately, an article on nytimes.com cites Ohio's provisional ballots as "easy to disqualify." In 2006, of the 128,000 Ohio provisional ballots cast, 10,600 were rejected due to errors such as the wrong precinct, even though the error was traced in part to clerical errors or poll workers not providing correct information

After the ten day waiting period and in the event of a tie or a very close race, Ohio provisional ballots are counted and the totals added to the overall election count before it's certified. This can be good or bad depending on your candidate.

So That's Good Or Bad?-

For example, in 2004, Ohio was a necessary win to take the presidency and out of 5.7 million votes cast in the state that year, the difference from one candidate to the other came down to a slim 118,000 votes. With 158,000 provisional ballots cast that year, it's easy to see how they were a deciding factor, even ten days later when the election was certified in favor of.... well, you know.

On election day in 2004, many Ohio districts complained of purged voter records, broken machines and long lines which gave rise to extended voting hours. Many of these things were addressed by issuing provisional ballots.

According to the website Ohio.com, in 2008 officials anticipate a problem in dealing with large numbers of illegal voter purges from Ohio election records. These purged voters are subject to challenge when they show up to vote. The ballots they cast will be provisional and not counted until ten days after the election.

A Neverending Battle In The Battleground State-

A number of suits have already been filed in Ohio outlining alleged irregularities with registration, voting and Early Voting In Ohio. Some of these suits have been dismissed; but as Ohio is crucial and the problems real, the federal Election Assistance committee have decided to send commission members to several states, including Ohio, where large numbers of provisional ballots have been cast in the past. They will monitor elections as well as lawsuits filed. In the meantime, it is easy to see how the battle in this battleground state may go on long after the last vote is cast.