Could Provisional Ballots Hurt The Democrats This Election?

Today reading the paper, i came across an article in the wall street journal discussing the treatment of provisional ballots in different states. Under the Help America Vote Act, states are required to give provisional ballots to voters who may or may not be eligible and then get to count or not count these votes under their own discretion. Considering that new voters are more likely to be given provisional ballots, and that newly registered voters are more likely to vote for Obama, as many of them are young, this practice could hurt the Democrats in this election. According to data from the Pew center some states counted up to as few as 29% of provisional ballots in the 2008 primaries. In such an important election, and especially after how close 2000's election was I hope that the government will come up with a solid, easily followable system, that will ensure that provisional ballots in every state are counted evenly in order to make sure that every citizen gets the right to vote.