November 2025 General Election Poll Book Issue - FAQs

How many provisional ballots were cast, mainly because third-party voters were not included in the poll books?

The estimated number of provisional ballots received is more than 12,100. This is greater than the number of provisional ballots cast in recent presidential election years.

When will the provisional ballot review process begin?

According to the Pennsylvania Election Code, the Election Board must "publicly commence the computation and canvassing of the returns on the third day following the election [Friday] and continue from day to day until completed."

Therefore, no official computation may begin before Friday. However, research and organizational work related to the provisional ballots are already underway.

Voter Services will work daily from Friday, November 7 until the process is complete, including the weekend through to Veterans Day.

Provisional ballots will be presented for determination on whether they should be counted on a rolling basis.

Chester County's provisional ballot review and credit process is open to the public, however there are capacity limitations for safety reasons and preference must be given to those who are authorized by the PA Election Code to attend.

The provisional ballot review and credit process will take place at 313 W. Market Street, West Chester, PA on the 5th Floor. Attendees should follow the signs for Central Scan. Review is planned to begin at approximately 8:30 a.m. and continue for 12 hours each day. These hours are subject to change.

I had to vote provisionally. How can I track my ballot to make sure it was counted?

If you voted provisionally, you can track your ballot through the Pennsylvania Department of State's Provisional Ballot Search service.

Did any precincts run out of provisional ballots on Election Day?

Provisional ballots were available throughout Election Day at all 230 precincts for any registered voter who needed one.

A few precincts temporarily ran out of provisional ballot envelopes-not the ballots themselves. Voter Services provided supplemental materials to polling places that reported they were out of provisional ballot materials.

When will Chester County begin the review and investigation into the poll book error?

Preliminary review steps are already underway to gather information and assess the scope of the issue. However, the more detailed and comprehensive phase of the investigation will proceed after the certification of all election results, once every vote -- including provisional ballots -- has been fully reviewed and certified.

Who is responsible for this error happening?

The purpose of the upcoming review is to answer exactly that. Our goal is to understand what happened and why, identify any points of failure, and take corrective action to make sure that Chester County voters are never again affected by such an issue.