A provisional ballot is a paper ballot that contains all the same candidates and issues as a regular ballot. After you have voted on your provisional ballot, it’s placed in a secrecy envelope. You must sign the ballot envelope, as you would an absentee ballot. The oath on the ballot envelope can, in limited instances, serve as an “emergency registration.”
An election judge will ensure that you’ve signed your ballot envelope. If you fail to sign your ballot envelope, your County Clerk’s office will contact you after the election and ask you to appear to sign your provisional ballot envelope.
After the election, your provisional ballot will be checked to ensure that you’re registered to vote. If you are registered to vote, your ballot will be counted just as if you had voted in any other way.