Why are Provisional Ballots necessary?
It was the intent of Congress to allow every citizen in the United States the right to cast a ballot. Sometimes, voters are legally entitled to vote even though their names might not appear on the poll book on Election Day at the polling place where they attempt to vote. For example, there might be a mistake in the poll book. Rather than turning away an eligible voter and denying them the right to cast a ballot, voting allows a potentially eligible voter to cast a ballot provisionally, and it may be determined after the election if the provisional ballot should be counted.
