Guidelines for Provisional Voting
If you are a registered voter, you have the right to cast a provisional ballot at your polling place for the following reasons:
- You were issued an vote-by-mail ballot that you are unable to surrender and you want to vote at the polls;
- Your name does not appear in the official roster of registered voters for the precinct and your voting eligibility cannot be verified by the pollworker;
- You have moved within San Francisco, but did not re-register to vote;
- You wish to vote a party ballot for a party that does not match your registration or that has not allowed unaffiliated voters to participate for this election;
- You are a first-time voter listed in the original roster with "ID Required" printed under your name and were unable to show acceptable identification. Acceptable identification includes any of the following: a valid California State Driver's License, a California State Identification Number or the last four digits of your Social Security number or other proof of identification listed in the roster.
How to cast a provisional vote
- You will receive a ballot and a provisional ballot envelope from a pollworker
- Complete the voter's section of the provisional envelope (Provide your name, date of birth, current address and previous address)
- Sign the declaration confirming that you are a resident of San Francisco and are eligible to vote in this election
Note: Remember to sign your name at the bottom of the envelope
Once you have marked your ballot cards, insert them into the provisional envelope, seal it and return it to the pollworker.
How do I know if my provisional ballot was counted?
To determine the status of your provisional ballot, call 1-866-325-9163 or visit the Department of Elections Web site (www.sfelections.org/pv/ ) no sooner than 41 days after the election. To verify your provisional ballot on-line, you will need to provide the six-digit number printed on your provisional voter receipt.
