WASHINGTON — QUESTION:
What are the top reasons absentee or mail-in ballots get rejected?
ANSWERS:
- Non-matching signatures
- Ballot not received on time / missed a deadline
- No voter signature
SOURCES:
D.C. Board of Elections
Maryland State Board of Elections
Virginia Department of Elections
PROCESS:
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission is an independent, bipartisan federal commission tasked with gathering information on election administration.
The EAC was established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). charged with developing guidance to meet voting requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration. EAC also accredits testing laboratories and certifies voting systems, as well as audits the use of HAVA funds.
According to the 2016 Election Administration and Voting Survey, here are the top 3 reasons absentee or mail ballots were rejected:
- Voter signatures didn’t match
- Ballots weren’t received on time
- Voters didn’t sign their ballot.
Since one of the primary reasons a ballot was rejected is due to voter signature issues, our Verify team reached out to election officials in Maryland, DC and Virginia to see how they handle signatures.
The answer is different for each jurisdiction.
Both Virginia and Maryland officials told us that you are required to sign the return envelope, but that signature isn’t compared to any signature on file.
According to the District's Board of Elections, you are also required to sign the mail-in ballot envelope and that signature should match your original voter registration signature.
If you live in Maryland, DC or Virginia, here's where you can track your ballot.