Voting Provisional to Change Party Gets You a Symbolic Vote

The confusion over the Board of Elections and Ethics rules continues at Precinct Five in Georgetown. Poll watchers left out this morning were eventually allowed in around 7:45 a.m. Now, however, the issue is pre-registered voters casting provisional ballots to change their parties. Same-day registrants can choose their party as they will and vote accordingly.

At least 11 people out of the 300 some odd who had voted by 11:30 a.m. had cast a provisional ballot to change their party affiliation. Gray supporters at the polls frantically called lawyers for clarification as Fenty supporters followed suit.

Representatives from the BOEE were on site and made a call to the headquarters office. They instructed poll workers that everyone gets a vote and provisional ballots were the way to allow everyone to do so.

However, Alysoun McLaughlin with the BOEE clarified how the provisional ballot would be considered. The BOEE spokesperson did not want to say people's votes will not count—though essentially that is the case. McLaughlin said the Board makes a determination in the week after the election as to whether or not a provisional ballot is valid.

A recent ruling made it clear that registered voters could not switch partyaffiliation after the 30 days prior to the election. Votes cast provisionally by voters seeking to switch parties will likely not count toward a vote in the primary, but will serve to change the voter's registration for the general election.

An exception might be if a voter alleges that BOEE's records are incorrect and that a party affiliation is listed improperly. McLaughlin said the agency would investigate any allegations of incorrect records and locate paper records to demonstrate a request in change in party or not.

Voters who change their registration today and vote provisionally are essentially making a symbolic vote.