HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — Despite the anxiety about voting issues in this election, widespread, systemic problems largely failed to materialize.
10 On Your Side was contacted by a small number of voters, however, who encountered obstacles and had to vote by provisional ballot yesterday.
In at least a couple instances, residents were told a ballot had already been cast in their name.
Andrea M. Gaines with the Virginia Department of Elections explained that there could be multiple causes.
“A voter could be told they already voted due to either a simple error, having requested an absentee ballot but then voting in person or having the same name as another person who already voted,” she said in an email.
Voters can also file complaints with the FBI, which investigates federal election crimes. A spokesperson for the Norfolk office explained in an email that those include incidents in which:
- The ballot includes one or more federal candidates
- The crime involves an election official abusing his duties
- The crime involves threats to election workers
- The crime pertains to fraudulent voter registration
- Voters are not U.S. citizens
The Norfolk field office can be reached at 757-455-0100, and the national office can be reached at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Still, many voters are eager to confirm their 2024 presidential election ballots have been processed. For those who cast mail-in or absentee ballots, multiple states offer online databases where citizens can enter personal information, such as their name, date of birth, and ZIP code, to see whether their ballot has been counted.
However, some states caution that it may take time for a mail-in ballot to appear in the system.
For voters who registered on Election Day and cast a provisional ballot, the process differs.
Provisional ballots are not immediately counted by a vote-counting machine. Instead, they require approval by the local electoral board before being counted. Certain states provide an online option for voters to track whether their provisional ballot has been counted by entering their personal information.
For those in states without this option, the national hotline 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) can help check the status of an in-person provisional ballot.
After voting with a provisional ballot, the local registrar’s office researches the ballot to verify whether the voter is qualified and eligible. The registrar’s office then forwards the ballot, along with any supporting information, to the electoral board for review. Voters will receive a notice with the date, time, and location of the local electoral board’s decision meeting regarding the provisional ballot. Attendance at this meeting is optional, and if the ballot is approved, it will be counted. If it is not approved, the general registrar will send a written notice to the voter.
For those voting by mail or ballot drop-off, many states offer tracking systems to follow the ballot from mailing to receipt and counting. Vote.org provides a state-by-state guide on how to track a ballot’s status. The return envelope for a mail-in ballot requires the voter’s signature, along with the last four digits of their social security number and their birth year. This affirmation is necessary to ensure the ballot is counted, and false statements are subject to felony penalties.