Ballots can’t get sick, but after an election many voters need to “cure” their ballots to make sure they get counted. If you voted by absentee or provisional ballot, election officials will inspect it to make sure it has all the necessary information − and they often find it doesn’t.
For example, a state election worker might find the signature on an absentee ballot doesn’t match the one the election office has on file. A voter who shows up the polls without the proper photo ID may fill out a provisional ballot that won’t be counted until you present the right ID to the elections office.
In the closely watched swing state of Nevada, on the Monday before the election, there were nearly 14,000 ballots that required signature cures, according to the office of Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar. In the county that surrounds Albequerque, New Mexico, hundreds of ballots were rejected, according to a local news station .
“It’s critically important that voters be aware of the potential need to cure their ballots, to make sure their voices are heard and votes are counted,” Aguilar said in a news release. “This is especially important for young voters who may not have a practiced signature or older voters whose signatures have changed over time.”