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“You would think that as we go along, people would get it
straight,” she says. “We don’t want to have any provisional
ballots that don’t count but it is a necessary evil.”
So in order to eliminate such ballots, or at least minimize
their use, Kelly and her team at the Board of Directors are
launching a campaign to educate voters as to those steps
that will get them and keep them on the rolls. The first
such event, a brainstorming session for community
organizations, will take place at the Kent Branch Library on
Monday, June 30 at 5:30 p.m.
The purpose of the meeting will be to coordinate schedules
for community contacts, to devise a marketing campaign, to
recruit volunteers and to prepare handouts and displays. The
theme of the meeting is, appropriately enough, “how to avoid
being a provisional voter.”
So, what is the problem with provisional ballots and why are
they discarded in such great numbers?
As Kelly points out, they are, and probably always will be,
a “necessary evil.” If a voter goes to his or her polling
place, or at least the place where the voter believes he
should be but finds that his name is not on the list of
registered voters for that precinct, a provisional ballot
may be necessary if the correct polling place cannot be
located.
Typically, the reasons for a voter not being on the list of
those registered include: failure to register, a recent
household move without notifying the Board of Elections, a
deletion from the rolls because the voter has failed to vote
in recent elections, a change of names or error on the part
of Board of Elections workers.
In 2004, the overwhelming reason why a ballot was ruled
invalid is that the voter was not registered. Aside from the
fact that voters may not realize they do in fact have to
register is the fact that if a voter fails to vote in two
consecutive federal elections – which are held in
even-numbered years – her name is deleted and she has to
re-register.
The second major reason a ballot is invalidated is that the
voter has shown up at the wrong precinct.
As Kelly notes, a number of voters just get stubborn about
these matters. “A man or woman will say, ‘I have voted here
for the last 50 years.’” Even though the poll worker may
inform them that they need to vote where they live,
sometimes people, says Kelly, just insist on casting a
ballot where they have for years.
More often, however, the problem is merely a failure to
correct an address after a move, and as Kelly says, lower
income, or those in the central city, tend to move more
often than upper income citizens.
The Board of Elections advises those who move from one
precinct to another in the same Ohio county to go to the BOE
office in the 28 days immediately preceding the election and
submit a change of address, complete a provisional
affirmation statement and vote a provisional ballot for the
new voting address OR, on election day, go to the new
polling place for the new voting address, submit a change of
address and use a provisional ballot. The key is – a voter
must go to the new polling place not the old one.
Provisional ballots may also be used if proof of
identification cannot be supplied at the time of voting, if
signatures do not match or if eligibility has been
challenged by precinct workers.
As Kelly says, the provisional ballot is necessary but her
staff’s goal is to ensure that this alternative is used as
infrequently as possible.
If a voters have any questions about eligibility, they may
contact the Board of Elections at 419-213-2046 or
419-213-2047. |
