Provisional ballots will not change election results

Published 12:00 am Thursday, June 3, 2004

What's happening between now and when the votes will be certified is on the minds of many people.

Right now the Board of Registrars is determining whether or not the 16 provisional votes that were cast in Tuesday's primary party election are valid or invalid. The board has a master voting list that will determine if the voter is a registered voter, voted in the right precinct, and they are who they say they are. The board has seven days to determine and research all the provisional ballots. Then they will take the ones that are valid to the canvassing board, which is made up of the probate judge, sheriff and circuit clerk

The Board of Registrars said they are in the process of waiting to hear back from the provisional voters.

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"We have sent them a letter saying we need proper identification before we can count their vote," the board said. "They have until Monday to send us their ID or we will not count their vote."

Their were only four provisional ballots cast at the precinct and the rest were cast in absentee.

Mattie Henry, absentee election manager, said there were 12 provisional ballots within the absentee.

"When I receive a absentee vote without proper identification I sent that voter a letter telling them I need proper identification," Henry said. "If I didn't

receive any identification then it becomes a provisional ballot."

Henry said she then gives the provisional votes to the Board of Registrars.

The bottom line is this said Evelyn Morgan, director of the Board of Registrars.

"No district has enough provisional ballots to possibly make a difference in the outcome," she said. "No one district has more than 4 provisional ballots."

The board is waiting for nine out of the 16 provisional ballots to send identification or they will not count their vote.