Fla. Stat. § 101.048 : Electors And Elections — Voting Methods And Procedure — Provisional ballots

Current through Chapter 269 of the 2016 Legislative Session

(1) At all elections, a voter claiming to be properly registered in the state and eligible to vote at the precinct in the election but whose eligibility cannot be determined, a person whom an election official asserts is not eligible, and other persons specified in the code shall be entitled to vote a provisional ballot. Once voted, the provisional ballot shall be placed in a secrecy envelope and thereafter sealed in a provisional ballot envelope. The provisional ballot shall be deposited in a ballot box. All provisional ballots shall remain sealed in their envelopes for return to the supervisor of elections. The department shall prescribe the form of the provisional ballot envelope. A person casting a provisional ballot shall have the right to present written evidence supporting his or her eligibility to vote to the supervisor of elections by not later than 5 p.m. on the second day following the election.

(2)

(a) The county canvassing board shall examine each Provisional Ballot Voter's Certificate and Affirmation to determine if the person voting that ballot was entitled to vote at the precinct where the person cast a vote in the election and that the person had not already cast a ballot in the election. In determining whether a person casting a provisional ballot is entitled to vote, the county canvassing board shall review the information provided in the Voter's Certificate and Affirmation, written evidence provided by the person pursuant to subsection (1), any other evidence presented by the supervisor of elections, and, in the case of a challenge, any evidence presented by the challenger. A ballot of a person casting a provisional ballot shall be counted unless the canvassing board determines by a preponderance of the evidence that the person was not entitled to vote.

(b)

1. If it is determined that the person was registered and entitled to vote at the precinct where the person cast a vote in the election, the canvassing board shall compare the signature on the Provisional Ballot Voter's Certificate and Affirmation with the signature on the voter's registration and, if it matches, shall count the ballot.

2. If it is determined that the person voting the provisional ballot was not registered or entitled to vote at the precinct where the person cast a vote in the election, the provisional ballot shall not be counted and the ballot shall remain in the envelope containing the Provisional Ballot Voter's Certificate and Affirmation and the envelope shall be marked "Rejected as Illegal."

(3) The Provisional Ballot Voter's Certificate and Affirmation shall be in substantially the following form:

STATE OF FLORIDA

COUNTY OF ____

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that my name is ____; that my date of birth is ____; that I am registered and qualified to vote in ____ County, Florida; that I am registered in the ____ Party; that I am a qualified voter of the county; and that I have not voted in this election. I understand that if I commit any fraud in connection with voting, vote a fraudulent ballot, or vote more than once in an election, I can be convicted of a felony of the third degree and fined up to $5,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 5 years.

(Signature of Voter)

(Current Residence Address)

(Current Mailing Address)

(City, State, Zip Code)

(Driver's License Number or Last Four Digits of Social Security Number)

Sworn to and subscribed before me this ____ day of _______, (year).

(Election Official)

Precinct # ____ Ballot Style/Party Issued: ____

(4) Notwithstanding the requirements of subsections (1), (2), and (3), the supervisor of elections may, and for persons with disabilities shall, provide the appropriate provisional ballot to the voter by electronic means that meet the requirements of s. 101.56062, as provided for by the certified voting system. Each person casting a provisional ballot by electronic means shall, prior to casting his or her ballot, complete the Provisional Ballot Voter's Certificate and Affirmation as provided in subsection (3).

(5) Each person casting a provisional ballot shall be given written instructions regarding the person's right to provide the supervisor of elections with written evidence of his or her eligibility to vote and regarding the free access system established pursuant to subsection (6). The instructions shall contain information on how to access the system and the information the voter will need to provide to obtain information on his or her particular ballot. The instructions shall also include the following statement: "If this is a primary election, you should contact the supervisor of elections' office immediately to confirm that you are registered and can vote in the general election."

(6) Each supervisor of elections shall establish a free access system that allows each person who casts a provisional ballot to determine whether his or her provisional ballot was counted in the final canvass of votes and, if not, the reasons why. Information regarding provisional ballots shall be available no later than 30 days following the election. The system established must restrict information regarding an individual ballot to the person who cast the ballot.

Fla. Stat. § 101.048

s.35, ch. 2001-40; s.6, ch. 2002-17; s.15, ch. 2003-415; s.24, ch. 2005-277; s.32, ch. 2005-278; s.27, ch. 2007-30.