Let’s say you decided to vote by mail.
How do I fix my ballot if it is tossed out?
Ballot curing, explained.
Ian Millhiser is a senior correspondent at Vox, where he focuses on the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and the decline of liberal democracy in the United States. He received a JD from Duke University and is the author of two books on the Supreme Court.
The bad news is if you make a mistake filling it out — even a small one — your ballot can be tossed out. Some voters in Nevada, for instance, are reportedly having their ballots rejected because the signature they used to sign their ballots does not resemble the signature the state has on file.
But there’s also good news: Often, a voter whose mailed-in ballot would otherwise not be counted can “cure” that ballot and then their vote will count. All “curing” means is that voters are given a chance to fix the disqualifying error. The rules vary by state, and if you want to know what the rules are in your home state, the National Conference of State Legislatures lists them here.
One important thing to keep in mind is that, if you did cast a ballot that needs to be cured, both state election officials and your political party may attempt to contact you by phone, text, or email. So, if you voted by mail and receive a call from an unfamiliar number in the next few days, it’s a good idea to answer it — it may be someone warning you that you are about to be disenfranchised if you don’t act.
Of the seven swing states, five allow ballots to be cured in at least some circumstances:
- Arizona: In Arizona, ballots can be tossed out if an election official determines that the signature on the envelope containing the ballot doesn’t match the signature in a voter’s registration record. State law, however, requires election officials to “make reasonable efforts to contact the voter, advise the voter of the inconsistent signature and allow the voter to correct.” The voter has until the fifth business day after the election to correct the signature.
- Georgia: In Georgia, a ballot can be rejected for a number of reasons, including if the voter incorrectly writes their driver’s license number when they submit their ballot. If a ballot is rejected, state law says election officials “shall promptly notify the elector of such rejection.” The voter then has three days to cure the ballot, although what they are required to do to cure it varies depending on what caused the ballot to be rejected.
- Michigan: In Michigan, ballots can also be rejected due to a signature matching problem. To cure the ballot, the voter must fill out a cure form and return it by 5 pm on the third day after the election.
- Nevada: Nevada also can reject ballots because of signature-matching problems. According to state law, if that happens, “the clerk shall contact the voter” and inform them of what they need to do to cure the ballot. The voter then must cure the ballot by 5 pm on the sixth day following the election.
- North Carolina: North Carolina ballots can be rejected for a variety of clerical errors. Should that happen, state law says “the county board of elections shall promptly notify the voter of the deficiency and the manner in which the voter may cure the deficiency.”
Again, if you cast a ballot that needs to be cured, you will likely be contacted either by election officials, by your political party, or both. For this reason, voters who cast their ballot by mail should be alert to phone calls from unfamiliar numbers, as the caller may be trying to inform them that their ballot needs to be cured. If you miss that call, and your ballot is disqualified, you could lose your chance to vote in this election.
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