Rumor vs Reality

There is no proof that many ballots are lost or intentionally discarded, but, during the primaries, more than 550,000 mail in ballots were rejected. The most common reasons for rejecting ballots are: the ballot wasn’t signed, the signature doesn’t match the one on file, the ballot wasn’t received on time, or the voter didn’t follow other instructions. If you’re voting by mail, read your ballot carefully before sealing it and mail it as early as possible.

Most states have voter tracking so you can see the status of your ballot and know when it was counted or if it was rejected. Some states offer the chance to correct a rejected ballot. Look at your ballot instructions or on your state’s voter website to learn more.