Provisional Ballot Reduction Program

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

A Provisional Ballot is a valuable tool that can help to protect a voter’s right to vote when questions arise about that voter’s eligibility to vote on Election Day. However, overuse of Provisional Ballots can lead to instances where otherwise eligible voters are unable to cast votes on races that they are entitled to vote on. To reduce an overuse of Provisional Ballots that had taken place in San Bernardino County, the Elections Office of the Registrar of Voters implemented the Provisional Ballot Reduction Program in 2012. This multi-faceted program was designed to: 1) motivate voters to vote at their assigned polling place on Election Day, and 2) provide improved tools and train poll workers on new techniques that would help reduce the number of Provisional Ballots at the polling places. The program proved to be successful after a 4% decrease of provisional ballots was realized in the County between the 2008 and 2012 Presidential Elections. Comparatively, the use of provisional ballots increased an average of 35% throughout the rest of California. As a result, more voters were able to vote on all their correct races and measures and the County avoided additional costs had the program not been implemented.