Santa Cruz County Election Department
Santa Cruz County Election Department
The law allows voters to cast a ballot "provisionally" in order to allow voters to vote when their eligibility cannot be determined at the polls, they have already received a Vote-by-Mail ballot and the provisional ballot is a second ballot, or they are unable to produce the appropriate identification because they are a new voter in Santa Cruz County.
The new federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) mandates:
To find out whether your provisional ballot was counted, and if not, why not, please call the week following the election:
Toll-Free: 1-866-282-5900
Regular Office Line: 831-454-2060
TDD: 831-454-2123
Or send an e-mail to:
You will be asked to provide your name and birth date, and an election official will be able to answer your questions regarding the status of your provisional ballot.
For all voters whose ballot is not counted because they are not registered to vote in Santa Cruz County, the elections official will send a voter registration card to you following the election and you must complete and return the card in order to be eligible to vote in future elections.
NOTICE TO VOTER: Elections Code Section 14310(c) says provisional ballots are counted during the official canvass only if (1) the elections official establishes the voter's right to vote the ballot, or (2) a superior court orders the ballot to be counted. A voter may seek a court order to require his or her ballot to be counted but must do so before the official canvass period ends. Judicial action involving provisional ballots has priority over other civil matters.
The law requires the canvass to be completed within 28 days following the election.