Voters in Georgia may seek to 'cure' their ballots if initially rejected

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Voters in Georgia and other states have the opportunity to "cure" or restore their rejected ballots in the days after the election on Tuesday.

Georgia law requires that the state notify voters if it rejects their ballots, which can occur if the ballot isn't properly signed, according to Georgia's state website. They can also check the Secretary of State's My Voter Page for confirmation.

If contacted, voters are able to reach out to their county registrar to find out about the options available to them. To be cured, each of the ballots must have reached the county registrar's office before polls closed on Election Day, 11 Alive reports.

Voters in Georgia have a three-day window to complete this process after election day.

Outside of Georgia, at least 17 other states have ballot curing provisions. That includes Nevada, where votes are still being tallied in the contentious race between former Vice President Joe Biden and President Trump. In that state, voters can resolve issues with missing or mismatched signatures until the seventh day after the election. For Arizona, the limit is five days.

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Republicans have filed a series of lawsuits over the issue in Pennsylvania, where election officials have reportedly contacted voters about defective ballots.

"That's absolutely prohibited under Pennsylvania law, there's no way to do that," attorney Tom King said, according to WPVI. "The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania recognized that in the case, that's the leading case in Pennsylvania, that's now up in the U.S. Supreme Court."

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar, whom King is suing on behalf of Republican candidates, reportedly said she couldn't discuss active litigation. 

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However, Montgomery County issued a statement defending its practices. "We believe our process is sound and permissible under the Election Code," a county statement read, noting that 49 had cured their ballots.

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While it's unclear how many ballots will be cured, recent reporting has indicated that the number is relatively low. WJBF, a Georgia outlet, reported on Wednesday that only 50 ballots had been cured in Columbia County and 48 in Richmond County.

Nate Persily, a Stanford University professor of law and election administration expert, recently told The New York Times that historically about 1% of ballots "get bounced for one reason or another, mostly because of lateness." However, he added that "people are more attuned to the deadline this year, and voters are more aware of the criteria for casting absentee ballots."