Though the intricacies of the process vary state by state, it typically involves a small panel of people reviewing a ballot to determine either the voter's intent or whether the ballot can be counted at all based on whether the voter was eligible to cast it. "When these kinds of garden-variety problems arise, election boards or other bodies have to decide how to treat those ballots," he said. The adjudication process differs depending on the state and county. In North Carolina, provisional ballots are adjudicated to determine whether the voter was eligible to cast the ballot. Election results are not finalized until all provisional ballots that are eligible are counted," according to the state's Board of Elections website.

Source: The Nation November 05, 2020 20:37 UTC