Erie County Election Board to hold public hearing on eligibility of 793 provisional ballots

Nearly 800 provisional ballots issued during the Nov. 5 election in Erie County are being challenged.

The Erie County Board of Elections will hold a public hearing Thursday to review those challenges.

The hearing will begin at 2 p.m. at the Erie County Courthouse, Room 114A, and is open to the public.

A full list of the voters affected, as well as the nature of each challenge, can be viewed at the Erie County Board of Elections website at eriecountypa.gov/departments/elections-voting.

Voters affected can participate in Thursday’s hearing.

What is a provisional ballot?

A provisional ballot is a safeguard that allows voters to cast their vote even if there are questions about their eligibility at the polling place. These ballots are set aside and only counted once election officials verify the voter’s eligibility.

How many provisional ballots were issued?

Roughly 2,729 voters in Erie County were issued provisional ballots for the Nov. 5 election, according to the Erie County Board of Elections.

When the county Voter Registration Department researched the eligibility of these voters, some were not registered to vote and their ballots were rejected. Others voted at the incorrect precinct and their ballots received either a full count or a partial count depending on where they voted.

On Friday, authorized representatives of candidates and political parties began to review the provisional ballots determined to be eligible for a full count or a partial count. They resumed their review on Tuesday.

As a result of these reviews, 793 provisional ballots now face challenges. The challenges largely involve ballots with no dates or signatures, or unsealed envelopes.

A.J. Rao can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @ETNRao.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie County Election Board to review challenges to provisional ballots