**[Requirements for Serving as a Pollworker]{.underline}**

**[Rhode Island]{.underline}**

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| **[State Registration Requirement]{.underline}**                      |
|                                                                       |
| **[(Exceptions may be found in Student Election Assistant             |
| category)]{.underline}**                                              |
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| Must be qualified (registered) elector.                               |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 17-11-3; 17-11-4; 17-11-5; 17-11-6; § 17-11-7;     |
| 17-11-7.2; § 17-11-12; § 17-15-14(a) (Thomson/West 2006).*            |
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| **[Age Requirement]{.underline}**                                     |
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| 18 years.                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Const. Art. 2, § 1; R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-3 (Thomson/West       |
| 2006).*                                                               |
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| **[Residency Place and Term Required for Voter                        |
| Registration]{.underline}**                                           |
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| Town or city and voting district for at least 30 days prior to        |
| election.                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Const. Art. 2, § 1; R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-3 (Thomson/West       |
| 2006).*                                                               |
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| **[Residency Requirement for Service (State, County or                |
| Precinct)]{.underline}**                                              |
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| City, town, senatorial or representative district, or voting district |
| in which they are appointed to serve                                  |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-12 (Thomson/West 2006).*                      |
|                                                                       |
| Voting district residency is not required if the election official is |
| filling a vacancy. In the case where a vacancy needs to be filled,    |
| election officials shall come from a pool with the same training and  |
| duties as regular election officials, but shall not be restricted to  |
| being electors of the voting district to which they may be assigned,  |
| but must be electors of the state.                                    |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-7.1 (Thomson/West 2006).*                     |
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| **[Affiliation with Political Party Requirement]{.underline}**        |
|                                                                       |
| **[and Process for Nomination as Poll Worker]{.underline}**           |
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| Affiliation Considered                                                |
|                                                                       |
| Moderators and clerks for the towns of Smithfield, Narragansett,      |
| Barrington, Bristol, Lincoln, Middletown, Portsmouth, Warren,         |
| Westerly, West Warwick, and Johnston and any other city or town where |
| the moderators and clerks are not elected, shall be appointed by the  |
| local board at least thirty-five days prior to every primary or       |
| election. The moderator and clerk of a polling place shall not be     |
| affiliated with the same political party.                             |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 17-11-3; 17-11-7.2; § 17-11-7 § 17-11-6            |
| (Thomson/West 2006).*                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| Except in the towns of Barrington, Middletown, and Warren, moderators |
| and clerks of voting districts in towns not divided into senatorial   |
| or representative districts shall be elected at the election of town  |
| officers.                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-4 (Thomson/West 2006).*                       |
|                                                                       |
| Voting district moderators and clerks, and moderators and clerks of   |
| senatorial and representative districts in any city other than the    |
| cities of Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Warwick, Cranston,    |
| Woonsocket, and Newport, and in any town divided into senatorial or   |
| representative districts, shall be elected at the election of city or |
| town officers.                                                        |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-5 (Thomson/West 2006).*                       |
|                                                                       |
| For cities, at least thirty-five days before any election, the local  |
| board in each city shall appoint, using party lists submitted at      |
| least forty-five days before election, a warden and clerk from        |
| different parties.                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-11 (Thomson/West 2006).*                      |
|                                                                       |
| For Primaries involving only one major political party, warden and    |
| clerks are selected by local party committee.                         |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-13(a) (2) (Thomson/West 2006).*               |
|                                                                       |
| The local board of each city and town, at least thirty-five days      |
| before each election, shall appoint two pairs of supervisors from     |
| different parties. Supervisors shall, if possible, be appointed from  |
| a list of eligible voters in the same manner as provided for the      |
| appointment of wardens and clerks in cities.                          |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-13(a) (Thomson/West 2006).*                   |
|                                                                       |
| For Primaries, thirty-five days before election the local board       |
| appoints four supervisors from party lists submitted at least         |
| forty-five days before primary. If primary is for both major parties, |
| one supervisor is appointed for each party in the manner provided in  |
| § 17-11-11, and two supervisors (one from each party) are appointed   |
| from lists submitted by a majority of the party candidates, other     |
| than those endorsed by the party committee. If the primary only       |
| involves one major party, two supervisors shall be appointed from a   |
| list submitted by the involved party committee, and two supervisors   |
| shall be appointed from lists submitted by a majority of the party    |
| candidates, other than those endorsed by the party committee.         |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-13(b) (Thomson/West 2006).*                   |
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| **[Term Requirements]{.underline}**                                   |
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| Appointments and elective positions appear to be for each election.   |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-8; R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-12 (Thomson/West    |
| 2006).*                                                               |
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| **[Compensation and Hour Requirements]{.underline}**                  |
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| Cities and towns are authorized to compensate moderators, clerks,     |
| inspectors, supervisors and any other election official at a daily    |
| rate in excess of any statutory allowable amount. Any excess shall be |
| the responsibility of the authorizing city or town.                   |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-23.2; R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-15 (Thomson/West |
| 2006).*                                                               |
|                                                                       |
| Supervisors of elections are paid at the minimum rate of sixty        |
| dollars (\$60) per day.\                                              |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-13(d) (Thomson/West 2006).*                   |
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| **[Training, Certification and Oath Requirements]{.underline}**       |
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| Election officials receive instruction from the local board of        |
| elections and are issued a certificate that is valid for one year.    |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-7-5; R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-23.1(a)              |
| (Thomson/West 2006).*                                                 |
|                                                                       |
| Whenever it is practicable, election officials are appointed from     |
| lists of certificated persons. Those that attend and complete the     |
| training are paid \$25.00 upon performance of their election day      |
| duties.                                                               |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-23.1 (Thomson/West 2006).*                    |
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| **[Elected Public Officials Prohibited]{.underline}**                 |
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| For primaries, wardens, moderators and supervisors may not be         |
| officers or employee of the United States, of this state, or of any   |
| city or town of this state, but no person shall be disqualified       |
| solely because that person is a notary public or a teacher.           |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-14(c) (Thomson/West 2006).*                   |
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| **[Candidates Prohibited]{.underline}**                               |
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| No candidate for any office to be filled at any election shall be     |
| appointed at the election as an election official... \[but\] the      |
| provisions of this section shall not apply to moderators and town     |
| clerks.                                                               |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-15 (Thomson/West 2006).*                      |
|                                                                       |
| For primaries, wardens, moderators and supervisors are prohibited     |
| from seeking nomination or election.                                  |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-14(d) (Thomson/West 2006).*                   |
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| **[The Effect of Felon Status on Participation]{.underline}**         |
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| Felons prohibited until completion of sentence, served or suspended,  |
| and of parole or probation.                                           |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Const. Art. 2 § 1 (Thomson/West 2006).*                         |
|                                                                       |
| No person can serve as an election official who has been convicted,   |
| found guilty, pleaded guilty, or *nolo contendere*, or placed on a    |
| deferred or suspended sentence, or on probation, for any crime which  |
| involves moral turpitude or which constitutes a violation of any of   |
| the election or caucus laws of this or any state.                     |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-15; R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-14 (Thomson/West   |
| 2006).*                                                               |
|                                                                       |
| Note: Moderators and town clerks may be exempt from the               |
| disqualification provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-15. The statute |
| reads that "the provisions of this section shall not apply to         |
| moderators and town clerks."                                          |
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| **[The Effect of Mental Incapacitation on                             |
| Participation]{.underline}**                                          |
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| Prohibited if adjudicated to be *non compos mentis*.                  |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Const. Art. 2, § 1 (Thomson/West 2006).*                        |
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| **[English Fluency and Literacy Requirement]{.underline}**            |
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| Must be able to read the Constitution of the state in English, and    |
| write their names.                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-8; R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-12; R.I. Gen. Laws  |
| § 17-15-14(a) (Thomson/West 2006).*                                   |
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| **[Good Reputation Requirement]{.underline}**                         |
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| No Information Available.                                             |
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| **[Alternative Positions with Different Requirements]{.underline}**   |
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| Election Inspector.                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| The state board may appoint and issue commissions to qualified        |
| electors of this state to be election inspectors assigned to some or  |
| all election polling places. On the day before any election, the      |
| state board may assign an election inspector to one or more polling   |
| place as the state board may determine. Must be a qualified elector   |
| of the state, and may be required to attend a training session.       |
| Compensation for election day work will be fixed by the state board.  |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-16 (Thomson/West 2006).*                      |
|                                                                       |
| Translator                                                            |
|                                                                       |
| If a board determines that the ballots at a polling place be printed  |
| in a foreign language, the board must provide at least one person     |
| fluent in the foreign language who assists voters during all hours of |
| poll operations.                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-22.1 (Thomson/West 2006).*                    |
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| **[Student Election Assistant Statute]{.underline}**                  |
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| Can serve as a trainee election official in the municipality in which |
| the student resides, if:                                              |
|                                                                       |
| • Enrolled in high school in Rhode Island;                            |
|                                                                       |
| • 16 years of age;                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| • submit to the secretary of state a certificate by parent or         |
| guardian authorizing the appointment and allowing the student to be   |
| excused from school; and                                              |
|                                                                       |
| • submit to the secretary of state a certificate, signed by the       |
| principal, certifying that the student is performing at an academic   |
| level deemed acceptable.                                              |
|                                                                       |
| • Student trainees can be compensated at the same rate as election    |
| officials generally.                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| • Such student cannot work at a polling place in lieu of a regularly  |
| trained election official.                                            |
|                                                                       |
| *R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-23.3 (Thomson/West 2006).*                    |
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