I don't understand. Is 'early voting' the same thing as 'absentee voting'? If you're going to be out of town on election day, voting absentee is available, easy and essential. In Alaska one can do it beginning three weeks before Election Day.

Donuel, you say "...which left me having to fill out a worthless and uncounted provisional ballot."

Is a 'provisional ballot' the same thing as a ?Questioned Ballot'? A questioned ballot - which does sound like a provisional ballot - certainly DOES get counted- it is far from worthless. Questioned and Absentee votes have on occasion decided an election.

A Questioned Ballot simply means that it will be looked at separately. When you find yourself in state but out of your own district, you vote Questioned. In a Presidential Election, if you are out of your own state on Election Day but you are registered to vote in any state you can vote for President, Vice President and US Senators and Representatives and for Constitutional Amendments and Referendums and Measures but you are NOT allowed to vote for local ballot measures or for local candidates.

Questioned Ballots make a lot of sense to me.