Provisional Envelope

Once you have given the voter their provisional notice, you and the voter will complete the provisional envelope. As you do so, it’s very important to remember the following:

• Virginia law requires both the voter AND the election officer to sign the provisional envelope. Not signing is the most common mistake we see with provisional ballots - don’t let that happen in your precinct! You should also make sure the voter fills out the envelope completely.

• If you have additional information about why the voter is voting provisionally, you should put it on the OUTSIDE of the envelope. You can write on the envelope or you can staple notes. This is because the Electoral Board cannot open an envelope until they have already decided to count it. If you or the voter put any notes inside, the Electoral Board will not see them until after they make their decision.

• Once someone has voted provisionally, they may NOT vote normally later that day. A provisional vote counts as their one vote for the day, by state law. And in Fairfax County, we do something funny - we follow the law!