R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-28-9 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-28 / Section 17-28-9
§ 17-28-9. Voting by participant in the address confidentiality program.
Status: in_force

(a) A participant in the address confidentiality program established by chapter 164 of title 42 who is qualified to vote may apply for a mail ballot for all elections in the city or town in which that individual resides in the same manner as mail ballot voters who qualify under chapter 20 of this title. The program participant may use his or her substitute address on the mail ballot application. The board of canvassers shall transmit the ballot to the program participant at the address designated in the application.

(b) No election official shall release a program participants actual address. Neither the name nor the address of a program participant shall be included in any list of registered voters available to the public.

(c) The secretary of state and the board of elections may adopt any rules or regulations deemed necessary to facilitate administration of this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-23 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-23
§ 17-10-23. Certified copies of registration records.
Status: in_force

Every clerk of a local board shall, upon payment or tender, furnish to any person demanding it a certified copy of any registration of voters, and every town clerk shall also, upon request of any person and tender of legal fees, and without any unreasonable delay, examine the records and certify to the estate of any person, and shall furnish copies of any instrument or writing which may be on record or in the files of his or her office.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-24 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-24
§ 17-19-24. Procedure for voting.
Status: in_force

(a) Each person desiring to vote shall provide proof of identification as required by § 17-19-24.2 and state his or her name and residence, including that persons street address, if he or she has any, to the pair of bi-partisan supervisors, who shall then announce the name and residence in a loud and distinct voice, clear and audible.

(b) A bipartisan pair shall locate the voters name on the certified voting list for the voting district. Upon finding the voters name on the certified voting list for the district, the voter shall sign their name on the line next to their printed name on the certified voter list, and the bipartisan pair shall initial the certified voter list in the place provided next to the voters signature entered on the certified list of voters. The bipartisan pair shall also make a proper notation on the certified voter list that the applicant has voted in the election. If the bipartisan pair cannot locate the voters name on the certified voting list for the voting district the bipartisan pair shall direct the voter to the clerk who shall review the certified list for the city or town and determine if the voter is registered to vote and in which voting district they are eligible to vote. The bipartisan pair of supervisors shall provide the voter with the appropriate computer ballot and security sleeve. The warden shall direct the voter to the voting booth which the voter shall use, and unless the voter needs instruction or assistance as provided in this chapter, the voter shall cast his or her vote, and if he or she desires place the voted computer ballot in a security sleeve, and shall proceed to the optical scan precinct count unit and shall personally place his or her voted ballot into the designated ballot slot on the unit, and after doing so, shall leave the enclosure at once. No voter shall remain within the voting booth longer than ten (10) minutes, and if the voter refuses to leave after the lapse of ten (10) minutes, the voter shall be removed from the voting booth by order of the warden. Except for the election officials and the election inspector, not more than two (2) voters in excess of the number of voting booths shall be permitted within the enclosed space at any time.

(c) The optical scan precinct count unit shall be programmed to return a ballot to the voter if the voter has cast votes for more persons than which he or she is entitled to cast. The warden, by reading the message given on the optical scan precinct count unit, must advise the voter of the fact that the ballot has been over-voted. The voter will be instructed by the warden to remove his or her own ballot from the optical scan precinct count unit ballot slot. The warden will then ask the voter to surrender the ballot as void and receive a new ballot. If the voter agrees, the voter will make additional marks on the ballot so as not to identify the actual votes intended by the voter for the ballot. The ballot will be marked void by the warden and deposited in the receptacle for void ballots provided at the polling place. If the voter insists on casting the over-voted ballot, he or she will be advised that all races, other than the over-voted race, will be counted by the optical scan precinct count unit, and if he or she still insists, the warden will manually override the appropriate control on the unit and allow for the ballot to be entered and counted for all races other than the over-voted race.

(d) In the event a voter incorrectly marks a ballot by indicating his or her choices other than in the spaces provided for them, the ballot will be returned to the voter. The warden, by reading the message given on the optical scan precinct count unit, must advise the voter of the fact that the ballot has been marked incorrectly. The voter will be instructed by the warden to remove his or her own ballot from the optical scan precinct unit ballot slot. The warden will then advise the voter to surrender the ballot as void and receive a new ballot. If the voter agrees, the voter will make additional marks on the ballot so as not to identify the actual votes intended by the voter for the ballot. The ballot will be marked void by the warden and deposited in the receptacle for void ballots provided at the polling place. The warden will then provide for the instruction of the voter on the correct manner of marking his or her vote and the voter will be issued a new ballot. If the voter insists on casting the incorrectly marked ballot, the warden will manually override the appropriate control on the optical scan precinct count unit and allow for the ballot to be accepted.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-14 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-14
§ 17-15-14. Qualifications of primary officials  Affidavit.
Status: in_force

(a) Each warden or moderator and each primary supervisor appointed under the provisions of §§ 17-15-13 and 17-15-16 shall be able to read the Constitution of the state in the English language, and to write his or her name, and shall, whenever possible, be a voter of the senatorial district, representative district, or town, ward, or voting district from which he or she is appointed.

(b) No person shall be appointed to serve as a primary 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 that involved moral turpitude or a violation of any of the election, caucus, or primary laws of this or any other state.

(c) No person serving as a primary official may serve in such capacity in the city or town in which they are a municipal employee.

(d) No person who is seeking nomination or election at any primary election shall act as a primary official at that primary.

(e) Every primary official shall make an affidavit before the proper local board or some member of the board to the effect that the official is not disqualified by reason of the provisions of this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-7.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-7.2
§ 17-25-7.2. Personal use of campaign funds prohibited.
Status: in_force

(a) The personal use by any elected public office holder or by any candidate for public office, as defined in § 17-25-3, of campaign funds contributed after April 29, 1992, is prohibited. For the purposes of this section, personal use is defined as any use other than expenditures related to gaining or holding public office and for which the candidate for public office or elected public official would be required to treat the amount of the expenditure as gross income under § 61 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. § 61, or any subsequent corresponding Internal Revenue Code of the United States, as from time to time amended.

(b) Expenditures that are specifically prohibited under this chapter include:

(1) Any residential or household items, supplies, or expenditures, including mortgage, rent, or utility payments for any part of any personal residence of a candidate or officeholder or a member of the candidates or officeholders family;

(2) Mortgage, rent, or utility payments for any part of any nonresidential property that is owned by a candidate or officeholder or a member of a candidates or officeholders family and used for campaign purposes, to the extent the payments exceed the fair-market value of the property usage;

(3) Funeral, cremation, or burial expenses, including any expenses related to deaths within a candidates or officeholders family;

(4) Clothing, other than items of de minimis value that are used in the campaign;

(5) Tuition payments;

(6) Dues, fees, or gratuities at a country club, health club, recreational facility or other nonpolitical organization, unless they are part of a specific fundraising event that takes place on the organizations premises;

(7) Salary payments to a member of a candidates family, unless the family member is providing bona fide services to the campaign. If a family member provides bona fide services to a campaign, any salary payments in excess of the fair-market value of the services provided is personal use;

(8) Admission to a sporting event, concert, theater, or other form of entertainment, unless part of a specific campaign or officeholder activity;

(9) Payment of any fines, fees, or penalties assessed pursuant to this chapter.

(c) Any expense that results from campaign or officeholder activity is permitted use of campaign funds. Such expenditures may include:

(1) The defrayal of ordinary and necessary expenses of a candidate or officeholder;

(2) Office expenses and equipment, provided the expenditures and the use of the equipment can be directly attributable to the campaign or the officeholders duties and responsibilities;

(3) Donations to charitable organizations, provided the candidate or officeholder does not personally benefit from the donation or receive compensation from the recipient organization;

(4) Travel expenses for an officeholder, provided that the travel is undertaken as an ordinary and necessary expense of seeking, holding, or maintaining public office, or seeking, holding, or maintaining a position within the legislature or other publicly elected body. If a candidate or officeholder uses campaign funds to pay expenses associated with travel that involves both personal activities and campaign or officeholder activities, the incremental expenses that result from the personal activities are personal use, unless the person(s) benefiting from this use reimburse(s) the campaign account within thirty (30) days for the amount of the incremental expenses;

(5) Gifts of nominal value and donations of a nominal amount made on a special occasion such as a holiday, graduation, marriage, retirement, or death, unless made to a member of the candidates or officeholders family;

(6) Meal expenses that are incurred as part of a campaign activity or as a part of a function that is related to the candidates or officeholders responsibilities, including meals between and among candidates and/or officeholders that are incurred as an ordinary and necessary expense of seeking, holding, or maintaining public office, or seeking, holding, or maintaining a position within the legislature or other publicly elected body;

(7) Food and beverages that are purchased as part of a campaign or officeholder activity;

(8) Communication access expenses that are incurred as part of a campaign activity and operation to ensure that deaf and hard-of-hearing citizens are fully participating, are volunteers, and/or are otherwise maintaining a position with the campaign committee. Examples of communication access expenses include, but are not limited to, the following: captioning on television advertisements; video clips; sign language interpreters; computer-aided real-time (CART) services; and assistive listening devices;

(9) Childcare expenses that are incurred as a result of campaign activity or the officeholders responsibilities.

(d) Any campaign funds not used to pay for the expenses of gaining or holding public office may:

(1) Be maintained in a campaign account(s);

(2) Be donated to a candidate for public office, to a political organization, or to a political action committee, subject to the limitation on contributions in § 17-25-10.1;

(3) Be transferred, in whole or in part, into a newly established political action committee or ballot question advocate;

(4) Be donated to a tax-exempt charitable organization as that term is used in § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. § 501, or any subsequent, corresponding internal revenue code of the United States as from time to time amended;

(5) Be donated to the state of Rhode Island; or

(6) Be returned to the donor; provided, however:

(e) Any funds remaining in a campaign account(s) of a candidate or officeholder, or former candidate or former officeholder, who dies, after repayment of loans and accounts payable, shall be disposed, in accordance with the instructions in writing, on a form prescribed by the board of elections, which funds may:

(1) Be donated to a candidate for public office, to a political organization, or to a political action committee, subject to the limitation on contributions in § 17-25-10.1;

(2) Be transferred, in whole or in part, into a newly established political action committee or ballot question advocate;

(3) Be donated to a tax-exempt charitable organization as that term is used in § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. § 501, or any subsequent, corresponding internal revenue code of the United States as from time to time amended; or

(4) Be returned to the donor.

(5) The candidates or officeholders, or former candidates or former officeholders, campaign account(s) shall be dissolved by the board of elections;

(6) Any penalties assessed to the candidate or officeholder, or former candidate or former officeholder, that are outstanding at the time of their death shall be waived by the board of elections.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-4.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-14 / Section 17-14-4.1
§ 17-14-4.1. Party committees  Nomination papers unnecessary.
Status: in_force

In the case of endorsed candidates for membership on all party committees, including state, town, city, district, or ward committees, nomination papers shall not be necessary. In this case, the filing of the endorsed slate of candidates by the particular committee shall be sufficient to nominate the candidates. All nonendorsed candidates for membership on party committees shall be required to file declarations of candidacy and to obtain and file nomination papers in the same manner as other candidates for primary election.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-6
§ 17-10-6. Evidence given at final canvass.
Status: in_force

Any qualified elector shall have the right to appear before the local board on the date set for final canvass and give evidence concerning the correctness of the preliminary registration list. Upon the basis of all the evidence, the local board shall make any further corrections in the registration records that it may find necessary. A stenographic record or electronic audio recording shall be taken at the proceedings and maintained as a permanent record of the board of canvassers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-32 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-32
§ 17-19-32. Recording and signing of returns.
Status: in_force

Immediately upon the close of the polls the warden shall, in the presence of the other election or primary election officers and the election inspector, follow the procedure for the closing of the unit set forth by the vendor of the optical scan precinct count unit. The warden and clerk shall sign the first copy of the tape containing the votes cast and shall remove the tape from the optical scan precinct count unit. The warden shall then obtain three (3) additional copies of the tape containing the vote totals from the optical scan precinct count unit, and the warden shall proceed to read off in a clear and loud voice the vote for each candidate, and upon each question as indicated by the vote totals on the printed tape and the number of votes cast for persons not nominated.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-3-5 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-3 / Section 17-3-5
§ 17-3-5. Death, refusal, or incapacity of senator or representative elect.
Status: in_force

(a) Whenever any person elected a senator or representative in the general assembly, at any time between the day of his or her election and the beginning of his or her term of office, refuses to serve and so declares to the secretary of state, or dies, becomes insane, removes from the state, or is otherwise incapacitated, the secretary of state shall immediately cause a warrant to be issued ordering a new election of senator or representative, as the case may be, to be held in that district at least seventy (70) but not more than ninety (90) days from the occurrence of the refusal or incapacity.

(b) Every person elected pursuant to the provisions of this section shall hold his or her office for the full term or for the remainder of the term, as the case may be, of the office that person is elected to fill, and until that persons successor is elected and qualified.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-7-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-7 / Section 17-7-6
§ 17-7-6. Secretary and assistants  Salaries.
Status: in_force

The state board is authorized to appoint a secretary and necessary assistants who shall perform any duties that the board shall designate. The board shall fix the salaries of the secretary and assistants within the amount appropriated for those salaries by the general assembly, and the general assembly shall annually appropriate the sum or sums that it deems necessary for the payment of the salaries of the members of the board, its appointees and assistants, and for other necessary expenses in connection with their duties; and the controller is authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of this sum or as much of it that may be required from time to time, upon the receipt by the controller of proper vouchers approved by the chairperson, and in the absence of the chairperson, a member of the board designated by the chairperson in writing. The members of the state board, its secretary, assistants, and appointees, shall not be subject to the provisions relating to the state merit system, but shall be in the unclassified service and shall come under the regulations of the unclassified pay plan board.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-18-5.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-18 / Section 17-18-5.1
§ 17-18-5.1. Elections falling on religious holiday.
Status: in_force

In the event that the date for the holding of any state or municipal election, other than the general election held on the first Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in even numbered years, falls upon the day of a religious holiday on which the doctrines of a faith would prohibit its followers from voting, the election shall be held upon the next business day other than Saturday then following; provided, that nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to invalidate any election once it has been held.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-13-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-13 / Section 17-13-3
§ 17-13-3. Procedure in primaries for special elections.
Status: in_force

The same procedure and sequence shall be followed in the case of a primary for a special election, but the state board shall fix and publish the various dates and periods in the sequence.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-22 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-22
§ 17-20-22. Certification envelopes for mail ballots of persons intimately connected with military service and persons employed outside of the United States.
Status: in_force

The distinctively colored certification envelope for persons intimately connected with military service and persons employed outside of the United States shall be printed in substantially the following form:
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-8-10 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-8 / Section 17-8-10
§ 17-8-10. Publication of local questions to be submitted to voters.
Status: in_force

(a) Prior to each local election at which public questions are to be submitted, the local board shall cause to be prominently posted in at least three (3) local public locations and advertised at least once in a newspaper of local circulation, or in lieu of the requirement to place the advertisement in a newspaper of local circulation, the City of Pawtucket may mail to the household of each registered voter prior to the election the full text of each legislative act to be acted upon and the election date, or the local board may substitute a description of the text of each act in lieu of the full text, together with the following information:

(1) The designated number of the question;

(2) A brief caption of the question;

(3) A brief explanation of the measure that is the subject matter of the question; and

(4) A notice that voter fraud is a felony and the penalty for voter fraud. This notice shall be in conspicuous lettering and shall contain the following language: You must be registered to vote from your actual place of residence.

(b) If the public question involves the issuance of bonds or other evidence of indebtedness or any other long-term financial obligation such as a lease, the notice required by subsection (a) of this section shall also include at least the following information to be provided:

(1) The estimated total cost of the project or program, including financing (using a reasonable assumed rate of interest), legal, and other costs.

(2) The estimated useful life of the project, and the term of the bonds, other indebtedness, or other obligation.

(3) A reasonably detailed description of the project or program, its purposes, and a project timetable.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-18-10 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-18 / Section 17-18-10
§ 17-18-10. Time of opening of polls.
Status: in_force

(a) Elective meetings in the cities and towns named in this section shall be opened for the purpose of voting at the hours specified for each particular city or town as designated in the specific time as follows:

(b) [Deleted by P.L. 2019, ch. 201, §1 and P.L. 2019, ch. 268, § 1.]

(c) In all presidential preference primaries in the town of New Shoreham, polls shall open at 12:00 p.m.

(d) Notice shall be given and posted by the local board.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-8-8 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-8 / Section 17-8-8
§ 17-8-8. General penalty clause.
Status: in_force

Every person who violates any provision of this chapter, unless another penalty is provided in this chapter, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-18 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-18
§ 17-19-18. Examination of voting equipment prior to opening of polls.
Status: in_force

The warden shall, in company with the clerk and supervisors, before the opening of the polls, unlock each compartment of the optical scan precinct count unit to assure that no computer ballots are contained in any compartment. The warden shall also examine the computer ballot and compare it with the sample ballot. The warden shall determine, as far as he or she may do so without operating the optical scan precinct count unit, that the unit is in good order and ready for the use of the voters. He or she shall then close and lock each compartment of the optical scan precinct count unit. The warden shall open the polling place by following the instructions provided with the optical scan precinct count unit and carefully examine each vote total on the printed tape obtained from the optical scan precinct count unit and determine that no vote is registered on the tape for any candidate or question. The warden shall then declare the polls open.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-5-5 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-5 / Section 17-5-5
§ 17-5-5. Language contained on computer ballots.
Status: in_force

(a) Notwithstanding the authority of the secretary of state to determine the design and content of the computer ballots by rules and regulations, all computer ballots shall contain a clear and concise statement of the nature of each question stated in plain language reasonably calculated to be understood by persons with an eighth-grade reading level, presented without the necessity of repeating the full text of the question as adopted by the general assembly; provided, that in the case of proposed amendments to the Constitution of the state of Rhode Island, the full text as adopted by the general assembly shall be reprinted on the computer ballots. The secretary of state shall cause each question appearing on the computer ballot prepared by the secretary to be designated by number, the first question to be designated by the number I, and additional questions shall be submitted with numbers in consecutive order.

(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the general election to be held on November 2, 2004, in order to avoid a two-sheet statewide ballot, given the number of public questions to be submitted to the electors at such general election, the secretary of state may prepare the ballot in such manner that the statewide public questions involving the issuance of bonds or other evidence of indebtedness, or other long-term financial obligation, shall appear on the ballot with only a caption and the amount of financial obligation to be incurred, but without the clear and concise statement of each question, as otherwise required. Provided, however, that such clear and concise statement of such question shall instead appear in a conspicuous location within each privacy voting booth at each polling place with additional copies thereof available at each polling place; and for mail ballot voters, each such ballot sent to a mail ballot voter shall be accompanied by a clear and concise statement of each question printed on a separate sheet of paper.

(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the general election to be held on November 4, 2014, in order to avoid a multiple-page statewide ballot, given the number of public questions to be submitted to the electors at such general election, the secretary of state may prepare the ballot in such manner that the statewide public questions involving the issuance of bonds or other evidence of indebtedness, or other long-term financial obligation, shall appear on the ballot with only a caption and the amount of financial obligation to be incurred, but without the clear and concise statement of each question, as otherwise required; provided, however, that such clear and concise statement of such question shall instead appear in a conspicuous location within each privacy voting booth at each polling place with additional copies thereof available at each polling place; and for mail ballot voters, each such ballot sent to a mail ballot voter shall be accompanied by a clear and concise statement of each question printed on a separate sheet of paper.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-52 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-52
§ 17-19-52. Priority for disabled voters.
Status: in_force

Whenever a voter appears at a polling place and that voter has: (1) an obvious medical disability which, in the opinion of the warden, would cause the voter to experience severe discomfort by standing in line, or (2) a certificate from a licensed physician or Christian Science practitioner attesting that the voter has a disability which makes his or her standing in line inadvisable, then that voter may be allowed a priority position for complying with requirements of § 17-19-24 and in each polling place one voting booth shall be designated for priority use by these electors. Other voters may use the voting booth when there are no disabled voters waiting to vote.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-12 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-12
§ 17-23-12. Qualification of person obtaining signatures.
Status: in_force

(a) No person, except one qualified to sign a petition for the adoption of a home rule charter as provided in § 6 of article XIII of the Constitution of this state, shall circulate any petition, or obtain signatures on any petition, and any petition circulated, or any signature obtained, by any unqualified person shall be null and void for all purposes.

(b) Nor shall any person not qualified as provided in subsection (a) of this section, obtain signatures on nomination papers of any elector seeking to be a candidate at any election held for the purpose of selecting the members of a charter commission, and any signature appearing on any nomination paper which has been obtained by one not qualified shall be null and void for all purposes.

(c) Any person who knowingly and willfully violates the provisions of this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor; and any person who, knowing that he or she is not qualified pursuant to the Constitution, willfully signs any petition for the adoption of a home rule charter, or the nomination papers of any candidate for a position on a charter commission, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-3
§ 17-25-3. Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in this chapter, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:

(1) Accounts payable means credit extended to a candidate or political committee, for campaign expenditures; provided that, the credit extended is in the ordinary course of the vendors business, and the terms are substantially similar, in risk and amount, to extensions of credit to nonpolitical customers.

(2) Business entity means any corporation, whether for profit or not for profit, domestic corporation or foreign corporation, as defined in § 7-1.2-106, financial institution, cooperative, association, receivership, trust, holding company, firm, joint stock company, public utility, sole proprietorship, partnership, limited partnership, or any other entity recognized by the laws of the United States and/or the state of Rhode Island for the purpose of doing business. The term business entity shall not include a political action committee organized pursuant to this chapter or a political party committee or an authorized campaign committee of a candidate or office holder. The term business entity shall not include any exempt nonprofit as defined herein or any organization described in § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, for the purposes of chapter 25.3 of this title.

(3) Candidate means any individual who undertakes any action, whether preliminary or final, which is necessary under the law to qualify for nomination for election or election to public office, and/or any individual who receives a contribution or makes an expenditure, or gives their consent for any other person to receive a contribution or make an expenditure, with a view to bringing about their nomination or election to any public office, whether or not the specific public office for which they will seek nomination or election is known at the time the contribution is received or the expenditure is made and whether or not they have announced their candidacy or filed a declaration of candidacy at that time.

(4) Conduit or intermediary means any person who receives and forwards an earmarked contribution to a candidate or a candidates authorized committee, except as otherwise limited in this chapter.

(5) Contributions and expenditures include all transfers of money, credit or debit card transactions, on-line or electronic payment systems such as pay pal, paid personal services, or other thing of value to or by any candidate, committee of a political party, or political action committee or ballot question advocate. A loan shall be considered a contribution of money until it is repaid.

(6) Covered transfer means any transfer or payment of funds by any person, business entity, or political action committee to another person, business entity, or political action committee if the person, business entity, or political action committee making the transfer: (i) Designates, requests, or suggests that the amounts be used for independent expenditures or electioneering communications or making a transfer to another person for the purpose of making or paying for such independent expenditures or electioneering communications; (ii) Made such transfer or payment in response to a solicitation or other request for a transfer or payment for the making of or paying for independent expenditures or electioneering communications or making a transfer to another person for the purpose of making or paying for such independent expenditures or electioneering communications; (iii) Engaged in discussions with the recipient of the transfer or payment regarding independent expenditures or electioneering communications or making a transfer to another person for the purpose of making or paying for such independent expenditures or electioneering communications; or (iv) Made independent expenditures or electioneering communications in an aggregate amount of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or more during the two-year (2) period ending on the date of the transfer or payment, or knew or had reason to know that the person receiving the transfer or payment made such independent expenditures or electioneering communications in such an aggregate amount during that two-year (2) period.

(A) Exceptions: The term covered transfer does not include:

(I) A transfer or payment made by a person, business entity, or political action committee in the ordinary course of any trade or business conducted by the person, business entity, or political action committee or in the form of investments made by the person, business entity, or political action committee; or

(II) A transfer or payment made by a person, business entity, or political action committee if the person, business entity, or political action committee making the transfer prohibited, in writing, the use of such transfer or payment for independent expenditures, electioneering communications, or covered transfers and the recipient of the transfer or payment agreed to follow the prohibition and deposited the transfer or payment in an account that is segregated from any account used to make independent expenditures, electioneering communications, or covered transfers.

(7) For the purposes of chapter 25.3 of this title, donation means all transfers of money, credit or debit card transactions, on-line or electronic payment systems such as pay pal, paid personal services, or other thing of value to or by any person, business entity, or political action committee. A loan shall be considered a donation of money until it is repaid.

(8) For the purposes of chapter 25.3 of this title, donor means a person, business entity, or political action committee that makes a donation.

(9) Earmarked means a designation, instruction, or encumbrance, whether direct or indirect, express or implied, oral or written, that results in all or any part of a contribution or expenditure being made to, or expended on behalf of, a clearly identified candidate or a candidates authorized committee.

(10) Election means any primary, general, or special election or town meeting for any public office of the state, municipality, or district, or for the determination of any question submitted to the voters of the state, municipality, or district.

(11) Election cycle means the twenty-four month (24) period commencing on January 1 of odd number years and ending on December 31 of even number years; provided, with respect to the public financing of election campaigns of general officers under §§ 17-25-19, 17-25-20, and 17-25-25, election cycle means the forty-eight month (48) period commencing on January 1 of odd numbered years and ending December 31 of even numbered years.

(12) Electioneering communication means any print, broadcast, cable, satellite, or electronic media communication not coordinated, as set forth in § 17-25-23, with any candidate, authorized candidate campaign committee, or political party committee and that unambiguously identifies a candidate or referendum and is made either within sixty (60) days before a general or special election or town meeting for the office sought by the candidate or referendum; or thirty (30) days before a primary election, for the office sought by the candidate; and is targeted to the relevant electorate.

(i) A communication that refers to a clearly identified candidate or referendum is targeted to the relevant electorate if the communication can be received by two thousand (2,000) or more persons in the district the candidate seeks to represent or the constituency voting on the referendum.

(ii) Exceptions: The term electioneering communication does not include:

(A) A communication appearing in a news story, commentary, or editorial distributed through the facilities of any broadcasting station, unless such facilities are owned or controlled by any political party, political committee, or candidate;

(B) A communication that constitutes a candidate debate or forum conducted pursuant to regulations adopted by the board of elections or that solely promotes such a debate or forum and is made by or on behalf of the person sponsoring the debate or forum;

(C) A communication made by any business entity to its members, owners, stockholders, or employees;

(D) A communication over the internet, except for (I) Communications placed for a fee on the website of another person, business entity, or political action committee; and (II) Websites formed primarily for the purpose, or whose primary purpose is, to expressly advocate the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate or the passage or defeat of a referendum; or

(E) Any other communication exempted under such regulations as the board of elections may promulgate (consistent with the requirements of this paragraph) to ensure the appropriate implementation of this paragraph.

(13) Exempt nonprofit means any organization described in § 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that spends an aggregate annual amount of no more than ten percent (10%) of its annual expenses or no more than fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000), whichever is less, on independent expenditures, electioneering communications, and covered transfers as defined herein and certifies the same to the board of elections seven (7) days before and after a primary election and seven (7) days before and after a general or special election.

(14) Fair market value means the usual and normal charge for goods and services as determined by the marketplace from which they ordinarily would have been purchased at a usual and normal charge in an arms length transaction.

(i) For purposes of this subsection, usual and normal charge for goods means the price of those goods in the market from which they ordinarily would have been purchased at the time of the contribution. Usual and normal charge for services, other than those provided by an unpaid volunteer, means the hourly or piecework charge for the services at a commercially reasonable rate prevailing at the time the services are rendered.

(15) Independent expenditure means an expenditure that, when taken as a whole, expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, or the passage or defeat of a referendum, or amounts to the functional equivalent of such express advocacy, and is in no way coordinated, as set forth in § 17-25-23, with any candidates campaign, authorized candidate committee, or political party committee. An expenditure amounts to the functional equivalent of express advocacy if it can only be interpreted by a reasonable person as advocating the election, passage, or defeat of a candidate or referendum, taking into account whether the communication mentions a candidate or referendum and takes a position on a candidates character, qualifications, or fitness for office. An independent expenditure is not a contribution to that candidate or committee.

(i) Exceptions: The term independent expenditure does not include:

(A) A communication appearing in a news story, commentary, or editorial distributed through the facilities of any broadcasting station, unless such facilities are owned or controlled by any political party, political committee, or candidate;

(B) A communication that constitutes a candidate debate or forum conducted pursuant to regulations adopted by the board of elections or that solely promotes such a debate or forum and is made by or on behalf of the person sponsoring the debate or forum;

(C) A communication made by any business entity to its members, owners, stockholders, or employees;

(D) A communication over the internet, except for (I) Communications placed for a fee on the website of another person, business entity, or political action committee; and (II) Websites formed primarily for the purpose, or whose primary purpose is, to expressly advocate the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate or the passage or defeat of a referendum; or

(E) Any other communication exempted under such regulations as the board of elections may promulgate (consistent with the requirements of this paragraph) to ensure the appropriate implementation of this paragraph.

(16) In-kind contributions means the monetary value of other things of value or paid personal services donated to, or benefiting, any person required to file reports with the board of elections.

(17) Other thing of value means any item of tangible real or personal property of a fair-market value in excess of one hundred dollars ($100).

(18) Paid personal services means personal services of every kind and nature, the cost or consideration for which is paid or provided by someone other than the committee or candidate for whom the services are rendered, but shall not include personal services provided without compensation by persons volunteering their time.

(19) Person means an individual, partnership, committee, association, corporation, union, charity, and/or any other organization. The term person shall not include any exempt nonprofit as defined herein or any organization described in § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as amended from time to time, for the purposes of chapter 25.3 of this title only.

(20) Political action committee means any group of two (2) or more persons that accepts any contributions to be used for advocating the election or defeat of any candidate or candidates. Only political action committees that have accepted contributions from fifteen (15) or more persons in amounts of ten dollars ($10.00) or more within an election cycle shall be permitted to make contributions, and those committees must make contributions to at least five (5) candidates for state or local office within an election cycle.

(21) Public office means any state, municipal, school, or district office or other position that is filled by popular election, except political party offices. Political party offices means any state, city, town, ward, or representative or senatorial district committee office of a political party or delegate to a political party convention, or any similar office.

(22) For purposes of chapter 25.3 of this title, referendum means the same as the definition set forth in § 17-5-1.

(23) State means state of Rhode Island.

(24) Testimonial affair means an affair of any kind or nature including, but not limited to, cocktail parties, breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, dances, picnics, or similar affairs expressly and directly intended to raise campaign funds in behalf of a candidate to be used for nomination or election to a public office in this state, or expressly and directly intended to raise funds in behalf of any state or municipal committee of a political party, or expressly and directly intended to raise funds in behalf of any political action committee.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-15 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-15
§ 17-12-15. Qualifying as a political party through independent candidacy.
Status: in_force

An independent candidate for governor or president of the United States in a general election shall not be entitled to establish a political party, notwithstanding that the candidate shall receive five percent (5%) of the votes cast as provided in § 17-1-2(9), unless the candidate shall, at the time of filing a declaration of candidacy, simultaneously indicate, on a form provided by the secretary of state, the candidates intent to establish a political party, together with the name of the political organization which the candidate represents and the names and addresses of the chairperson and secretary of the organization.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-1
§ 17-12-1. Selection of state committees.
Status: in_force

Party state committees shall be selected in the manner provided by statute or party rule. Any party may, by a duly enacted party rule, elect to choose the members of its party state committee pursuant to the provisions of chapter 15 of this title or by any other method agreeable to the party state committee; provided, that where the method of selecting party state committee now in force is by caucus, selection shall subsequently be made at a primary election pursuant to the provisions of chapter 15 of this title until another method of selection is adopted by the party state committee.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-5 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-1 / Section 17-1-5
§ 17-1-5. Effect of special statutes.
Status: repealed

The provisions of any chapter or section under this title are subject to the provisions of any special statutes or charters respecting any particular town or city, none of which are repealed by this title; provided, that insofar as any special statute or charters adapted prior to April 22, 1935, conflicts with the provisions of chapter 19 of this title, the provisions of chapter 19 shall prevail; and provided, further, that insofar as any special statute or charter provision conflicts with the provisions of § 17-14-7, 17-14-9, or 17-19-7.1, the provisions of § 17-14-7, 17-14-9, or 17-19-7.1 shall prevail. Notwithstanding any charter provision of any city or town to the contrary, all local elections and special elections, as these terms are defined under §§ 17-1-2(6) and 17-1-2(14), shall be held on the first Tuesday next after the first Monday in any month.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-17 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-17
§ 17-11-17. Telephone  Polling place.
Status: in_force

If there is a telephone within a polling place, then the owner of the building in which the polling place is located shall allow use of the telephone for official business by the warden, clerk, and state inspector during the period beginning one hour before the opening of the polling place and ending one hour after the closing of the polling place. The local board of canvassers shall be required to reimburse the owner of the building for that portion of any telephone bill resulting from the use of the telephone by any of the election officials mentioned in this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-11 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-11
§ 17-20-11. Safekeeping of lists of applicants.
Status: in_force

The copies of certified applications and the certified lists returned to the several local boards shall be safely kept in the custody of the boards until the first day of September in the second (2nd) year after the boards have received the lists.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-46 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-46
§ 17-19-46. False instructions as to marking a computer ballot and the operation of optical scan precinct count units.
Status: in_force

Whoever, with intent to defraud a voter of his or her vote, or to cause a voter to lose his or her vote, gives in any way, or prints, writes, circulates, or causes to be written, printed, or circulated, any improper, false, misleading, or incorrect instructions or advice or suggestions of how to vote by computer ballot in conjunction with the optical scan precinct count unit, the following of which would cause any voter to lose his or her votes or would cause him or her to fail to register or record the votes on the optical scan precinct count unit for any candidate or question according to his or her choice, shall be guilty of a felony.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-18-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-18 / Section 17-18-2
§ 17-18-2. Warning and organization of ward elective meetings.
Status: in_force

Ward meetings in cities for purposes of election shall be warned and organized as is or may be provided by law or by the charters of the cities, and all meetings shall be held at the times appointed by law; provided, that in the cities of Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Newport, Cranston, Woonsocket, and Warwick, the meetings shall be warned by the local boards.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-11 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-14 / Section 17-14-11
§ 17-14-11. Checking and certification of nomination papers  Challenge.
Status: in_force

(a) Each nomination paper for party and independent candidates shall be submitted before four oclock (4:00) p.m. on the sixtieth (60th) day before the primary to the local board of the city or town where the signers appear to be voters or, in the case of special elections for state and local office, on the twenty-eighth (28th) day before the primary, or in the case of special elections for federal office, on the fifty-third (53rd) day before the primary. Nomination papers for independent presidential candidates and presidential candidates of political parties, other than those defined in § 17-1-2(9), shall be filed not later than sixty (60) days prior to the general election. Each local board shall immediately proceed to check signatures on each nomination paper filed with it against the voting list as last canvassed or published according to law.

(b) The local boards shall certify a sufficient number of names appearing on the nomination papers that are in conformity with the requirements of § 17-14-8 to qualify the candidate for a position on the ballot, and after considering any challenge under this section and, if necessary, certifying any additional valid names, shall immediately file nomination papers for statewide office, general assembly, and state and district committee candidates with the secretary of state; provided, that nomination papers for local candidates shall be retained by the local board.

(c) If any candidate or an individual presenting written authorization from the candidate, or the chairperson of any party committee questions the validity or authenticity of any signature on the nomination paper, the local board shall immediately and summarily decide the question, and for this purpose, shall have the same powers as are conferred upon the board by the provisions of § 17-14-14.

(d) If any challenged signature is found to be invalid, for any reason in law, or forged, then the signature shall not be counted.

(e) The local canvassing clerk shall immediately notify the state board in writing and via electronic mail if the local canvassing clerk suspects a consistent pattern of forgery as prescribed by § 17-23-17 on the nomination papers of a local, state, or federal candidate.

(1) The state board, upon notification of allegations of any consistent pattern of suspected forged signatures on nomination papers of a local, state, or federal candidate, shall review the allegations and, if determined to be with reasonable cause, shall, as soon as feasible notify all corresponding local canvassing clerks of the allegations of suspected forgery.

(2) The state board, if it deems necessary, shall order a review of all nomination papers of a local, state, or federal candidate whose nomination papers include a consistent pattern of suspected forged signatures as prescribed in this subsection. The state board, in consultation with the Elections Committee of the Rhode Island Town and City Clerks Association, shall promulgate rules and regulations on the process to review nomination papers of a local, state, or federal candidate whose nomination papers include a consistent pattern of suspected forged signatures as prescribed in this subsection.

(3) The state board shall explicitly determine and deliver, in writing and via electronic mail to the secretary of state, the findings of the review of the local, state, or federal candidate whose nomination papers include suspected forged signatures as prescribed in this subsection, and whether the determination affects a candidates qualification for a position on the ballot.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-9 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-9
§ 17-10-9. Record of vote on adding or striking names.
Status: in_force

The clerk of the local board shall record the votes of the members of the board on adding or striking the name of any person from the list of voters whenever requested to do so by any member of the board or by any qualified elector of the city or town present at the time of canvassing, a certified copy of this record shall be evidence of the facts stated in it; and for any willful neglect on the part of the clerk to make a record, whenever requested as provided in this section, the clerk shall be guilty of a petty misdemeanor.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-23 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-23
§ 17-25-23. Funds expended by person, committee of a political party, or political action committee  Private expenditure.
Status: in_force

For the purposes of §§ 17-25-19 and 17-25-20, any funds expended by a person, committee of a political party, or political action committee to directly influence the outcome of the electoral contest involving the candidate shall be considered a contribution received by or an expenditure made by the candidate for general office, if one or more of the following relationships between the candidate and the person, committee of a political party, or political action committee is present:

(1) There is any arrangement, coordination, or direction with respect to the expenditure between the candidate or the candidates agent and the person making the expenditure;

(2) In the same election cycle, the person making the expenditure, including any officer, director, employee, or agent of the person, is or has been authorized to raise or expend funds on behalf of the candidate or the candidates authorized committees, or is or has been an officer of the candidates authorized committees, or is or has been receiving any form of compensation or reimbursement from the candidate, the candidates authorized committees, or the candidates agent;

(3) The person making the expenditure, including any officer, director, employee, or agent of the person, has communicated with, advised, or counseled the candidate or the candidates agents at any time on the candidates plans, projects, or needs relating to the candidates pursuit of election to general office in the same election cycle, including any advice relating to the candidates decision to seek election to general office;

(4) The person making the expenditure retains the professional services of any individual or other person also providing those services to the candidate in connection with the candidates pursuit of election to general office in the same election cycle, including any services relating to the candidates decision to seek election to general office;

(5) The person making the expenditure, including any officer, director, employer, or agent of the person, has communicated or consulted at any time during the same election cycle about the candidates plans, projects, or needs relating to the candidates pursuit of election to general office, with:

(i) Any officer, director, employee, or agent of a party committee that has made or intends to make expenditures or contributions, in connection with the candidates campaign; or

(ii) Any person whose professional services have been retained by a political party committee that has made or intends to make expenditures or contributions;

(6) The expenditure is based on information provided to the person making the expenditure directly or indirectly by the candidate or the candidates agents about the candidates plans, projects, or needs; provided, that the candidate or the candidates agents are aware that the other person has made or is planning to make expenditures expressly advocating the candidates election; or

(7) The expenditure is made by a person with the intention of seeking or obtaining any governmental benefit or consideration from the candidate by reason of the expenditure.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-2-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-2 / Section 17-2-2
§ 17-2-2. Death or incapacity of governor elect.
Status: in_force

When the governor elect dies, removes from the state, refuses to serve, becomes insane, or is otherwise incapacitated, the lieutenant governor elect shall be qualified as governor at the beginning of the term for which he or she was elected.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-22-9 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-22 / Section 17-22-9
§ 17-22-9. Oath of members and assistants  Penalty for violations.
Status: in_force

The members, secretary, and assistants of the state board shall be sworn to the faithful and impartial performance of their duties, and any member, secretary, or assistant who willfully neglects to perform the duties devolved upon him or her by this chapter at the times provided, or who makes any fraudulent count, tabulation, certificate, or statement, or in any way willfully performs his or her duties to defeat the obtaining of a correct count and tabulation of the votes cast, shall be guilty of a felony.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-13 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-13
§ 17-23-13. Sound equipment.
Status: in_force

No sound equipment advocating the election or defeat of any candidate or the approval or disapproval of any referenda shall be allowed within five hundred (500) feet of any polling place.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-12 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-12
§ 17-25-12. Prohibited contributions.
Status: in_force

No contributions shall be made, and no expenditure shall be made or incurred, whether anonymously, in a fictitious name, or by one person or group in the name of another, to support or defeat a candidate in a primary, general, or special election. No treasurer or candidate shall solicit or knowingly accept any contribution contrary to the provisions of this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-47 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-47
§ 17-19-47. Improper possession of voting equipment keys or duplicates.
Status: in_force

Any unauthorized person who makes a duplicate of, or has in his or her possession, a key to any voting equipment used at any election, or any election officer who keeps one or more keys to the voting equipment and fails or refuses to return them immediately after the election to the officer charged by law with the duty of caring for the keys, and any custodian who keeps one or more of the keys after he or she has prepared the voting equipment for election and refuses to turn the keys over to the officer charged by law with the care of the keys, and any officer charged by law with the care of the keys who keeps the keys and refuses to deliver them over to the officers successor in office, shall be guilty of a felony.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-26-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-26 / Section 17-26-2
§ 17-26-2. Misdemeanors.
Status: in_force

Every person who is convicted of any offense under this title which has been classified by the general assembly as a misdemeanor shall be imprisoned for a term not exceeding one year, or fined not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-13 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-13
§ 17-25-13. Penalties.
Status: in_force

(a) Any person who willfully and knowingly violates the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) per violation.

(b) The state board may fine any person or entity who violates the provisions of this chapter in an amount not more than one hundred dollars ($100) per violation.

(c) Fines, fees, and penalties imposed by the state board for violations of this chapter shall be paid for by the candidate, officeholder, or entity against whose campaign the fines, fees, or penalties have been levied. Fines, fees, and penalties levied by the state board pursuant to this chapter shall not be paid for from contributions or funds available in a campaign account.

(d) An elected official or candidate for office convicted of violating § 11-41-1, § 11-41-2, § 11-41-3, or § 11-41-4 where the theft is from a campaign account created, pursuant to this title, for the benefit of the person so convicted, all restitution shall be deposited into the Rhode Island crime victim compensation program fund and not into the campaign account of that person convicted of the offense.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-4-11 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-4 / Section 17-4-11
§ 17-4-11. Meeting of electors  Vacancies.
Status: in_force

Presidential electors elected pursuant to this chapter shall meet in the state house in the city of Providence on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December after their election, at the hour of 12 oclock noon of that day, and if there is any vacancy in the office of electors, occasioned by death, refusal to act, neglect to attend, or other cause, the electors present shall immediately proceed to fill, by roll call and by a plurality of votes, the vacancy in the electoral college; and when the electors appear, or the vacancy is filled as provided in this section, they shall proceed to perform the duties required of electors by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-3-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-3 / Section 17-3-3
§ 17-3-3. Adjourned elections on failure to elect.
Status: in_force

If it appears by the count of the state board that no election has been made of any one or more of the senators or representatives in the general assembly, at any election held for those officers, the board shall, immediately after the count, notify the secretary of state of the failure to elect; the secretary of state shall, immediately after the notification, direct the local boards in the senatorial or representative districts to issue their warrants to the moderators of the district, districts, or voting districts, as the case may be, directing the election to proceed on the tenth (10th) day from the date of the warrant, unless the day is a legal holiday, in which case the secretary of state shall direct the election to proceed on the next day after the tenth (10th) day not a legal holiday, for the officer or officers for which there was no choice, which warrant shall be served on the day of its issue by the several city or town sergeants or constables; provided, there shall be no election held on Saturday, and if the tenth (10th) day falls on Saturday, the election shall proceed on the Monday next following, unless that Monday is a legal or religious holiday, in which case the election shall proceed on the next following day which is not a legal or religious holiday.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-7.3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-7.3
§ 17-25-7.3. Testimonial proceeds intended for personal use prohibited.
Status: in_force

It is unlawful for any candidate for public office, as defined in § 17-25-3, or any elected public office holder to accept the proceeds of any testimonial, as defined in § 17-25-3, for personal use, as defined in § 17-25-7.2, which were received after April 29, 1992. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the use of testimonials for the lawful purpose of raising campaign funds.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-20 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-20
§ 17-20-20. Instructions for voting procedure.
Status: in_force

The secretary of state shall also cause to be prepared and printed an adequate number of copies of instructions for voting procedure in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, or the secretary may cause the instructions to be printed in an appropriate place on the official mail ballots.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-30 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-30
§ 17-15-30. Tabulation of local returns  Certificate of nomination or election.
Status: in_force

(a) The local board shall meet on the day following the primary election and shall tabulate the city or town primary returns, as the case may be, and announce the results, but shall issue no certificates of nomination or election to party office until the expiration of the period in which a recount may be requested as provided in § 17-15-34, and if a request has been filed, the result shall be finally determined by the local board. Following the expiration of this period and the final determination by the local board, if any request for a recount is made, the local board shall issue certificates of nomination or election to party offices to the candidates so nominated or elected.

(b) When a local election is held in conjunction with a statewide election, the state board shall tabulate local mail ballots and immediately forward the results to the appropriate local board; when a local election is not held in conjunction with a statewide election, the local board shall tabulate their local mail ballots.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-6-14 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-6 / Section 17-6-14
§ 17-6-14. Cybersecurity training for local boards of canvassers.
Status: in_force

The secretary of state shall offer training annually regarding cybersecurity best practices to local boards of canvassers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-27 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-27
§ 17-15-27. Impartiality of officials  Sound equipment.
Status: in_force

The primary officials shall treat all candidates with absolute impartiality. No sound equipment advocating the election or defeat of any candidate or the approval or disapproval of any referenda shall be allowed within five hundred (500) feet of any polling place.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-5 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-5
§ 17-20-5. Residence of person in service or employed outside of the United States.
Status: in_force

The residence, as defined in § 17-1-3.1, of any person immediately prior to the commencement of that persons active service as a member of the armed forces or of the merchant marine of the United States, or immediately prior to his or her absence from the state in the performance of services intimately connected with military operations as defined in § 17-20-3(d), or immediately prior to his or her employment outside of the United States as defined in § 17-20-3(c), shall, for the purposes of this chapter, continue to be that persons residence during the time of his or her service and for a period of two (2) years thereafter, unless the person changes his or her residence by registering or by taking other appropriate action to qualify to vote in another city or town within this state or in another state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-7 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-7
§ 17-20-7. Duplication of votes  Methods preferred.
Status: in_force

(a) In no event shall more than one vote be cast by any individual for any one office or proposition.

(b) In the event that any person votes in person and also attempts to vote by mail ballot or by an official state blank ballot or an official federal absentee ballot, as the case may be, the mail and the official state blank ballot and the official federal absentee ballot, as the case may be, shall be destroyed and not counted.

(c) In the event that any person casts a mail ballot and an official federal absentee ballot and/or official state blank ballot, the mail ballot shall be counted, but the official federal absentee and/or the official state blank ballot shall be destroyed and not counted.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-38 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-38
§ 17-15-38. Vacancies among nominees.
Status: in_force

(a) Whenever the nominee of a party for a particular office dies after the primary, or removes him or herself from the jurisdiction of or as a candidate for the office for which the nominee seeks election, or becomes physically or mentally disabled, the state committee of that party or a duly authorized subcommittee of the state committee in the case of state officers, and the appropriate city, town, ward, or district committee or any duly authorized subcommittee of them in the case of candidates for the other offices covered by § 17-15-7, may file with the appropriate authority the name of its nominee for the office; provided, that except in the case of death, the appropriate committee shall file the name with the appropriate authority no later than four oclock (4:00) p.m. of the third (3rd) day following the last day for the holding of the party primaries; and provided, further, that any appointed nominee shall have been eligible for the nomination on the dates as required by and pursuant to the requirements of §§ 17-14-1.1, 17-14-2, and 17-14-2.1. The person so named shall be the nominee of the party for the office, and if in case of the death of a nominee time will permit, the secretary of state shall place the name of the nominee upon the election ballot. When the withdrawal or death occurs after the third (3rd) day after the last day for holding primaries, the secretary of state shall not be required to remove from any computer ballot or mail ballot which has already been printed the name of any person who is no longer the nominee of a party for a particular office as provided in this subsection, and any votes cast in any election for that person shall not be counted.

(b) The provisions of this section shall not be construed to permit the state committee of the party, or a duly authorized subcommittee of the state committee in the case of state officers, or the appropriate city, town, ward, or district committee or any duly authorized subcommittee of them in the case of candidates for the other offices covered by § 17-15-7, to file the name of a nominee for a vacant office if the vacancy is the result of the failure of candidate(s) of the party to qualify for the public office through the timely filing of sufficient nomination papers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-50 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-50
§ 17-19-50. Candidates listing on ballot.
Status: in_force

No candidate for any public office shall be permitted to have his or her name appear in more than one place on the ballot for the same office.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-18-7 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-18 / Section 17-18-7
§ 17-18-7. Place and time of district elective meetings  Moderator and clerks as quorum.
Status: in_force

Voting district meetings shall be held by the electors of the district at the times appointed by law and at the places designated by the local board of the respective cities and towns; and the moderator and clerk, when present, shall constitute a quorum of electors for the opening of the polls for voting for all civil officers, except for moderator and clerk.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-7.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-7.1
§ 17-11-7.1. Pool of election officials.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding any other general law to the contrary, local boards are authorized to create a pool of election officials who shall be available to fill vacancies wherever needed. These election officials shall have 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 § 17-7-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-7 / Section 17-7-1
§ 17-7-1. Legislative intent.
Status: in_force

It is the intent of the general assembly that the board of elections be a board on which all the qualified electors of the state, regardless of their political identification or the lack of it, will be eligible to serve. The governor, in making these appointments, and the senate, in confirming them, shall consider the abilities and integrity of the qualified electors under consideration and their knowledge of and/or experience in the working of the election laws of the state. They shall strive to select a board whose membership shall be representative of all citizens of the state and of their diverse points of view.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-12 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-12
§ 17-12-12. Vacancies in district committees.
Status: in_force

(a) In the event that the candidates elected to a district committee from a district do not equal the number of party committee members to which the district is entitled to be represented under provisions of § 17-12-7, a vacancy or vacancies exist to the extent of the difference between the number of elected members and the number of members by which the district is entitled to be represented. When the vacancy or vacancies exist, they shall be filled by the committee to which insufficient members were elected, in the manner provided for in this section.

(b) In the event of the appointment or election to a committee of an ineligible person, or whenever any member of the committee dies, resigns, or becomes incapacitated to act, or removes from the jurisdiction of the committee, or ceases to be a member of the political party, a vacancy exists which shall be filled by appointment by the committee in which the ineligibility or vacancy occurs. The removal of residence by an elected or appointment member of a committee from the district from which he or she has been elected or appointed a member of that committee shall constitute his or her resignation from the committee.

(c) Any vacancy occurring in any of the officers and/or membership of the district committees shall be filled by the remaining members of the committee. A statement of that action by any committee shall be filed with the secretary of state and with the local board.

(d) If any vacancy occurs with respect to the membership of a district committee, and the vacancy is not filled within forty-five (45) days of the date of notice of the vacancy to the remaining members of the committee, the vacancy shall be filled by the state committee of the political party involved, the executive committee of the state committee or any duly elected subcommittee of the executive committee or by the state chairperson of the political party if so authorized. A statement of that action shall be filed with the secretary of state and with the local board.

(e) In the event a district committee shall not organize or reorganize pursuant to § 17-12-9, the incumbent senator or representative, or the state committee chairperson in the case of the party not affiliated with the senator or representative, shall appoint a district committee which shall be the lawful district committee.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-7 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-7
§ 17-25-7. Contents of reports to be filed by treasurers of candidates and committees.
Status: in_force

(a) Each campaign treasurer of a candidate, each state and municipal committee of a political party, and each political action committee shall keep accurate records and make a full report, upon a form prescribed by the board of elections, of all contributions received, and expenditures made, by it in excess of a total of two hundred dollars ($200), from any one source within a calendar year, in furtherance of the nomination, election, or defeat of any candidate or the approval or rejection of any question submitted to the voters, or at any financial town meeting, financial town referendum, or other election at which amendments to a city or town charter are proposed, during the period from the date of the last report, or in the case of the initial report, beginning on the date of the appointment of the campaign treasurer for state and municipal committees and political action committees and on the date a person becomes a candidate as defined in § 17-25-3 for individual candidates. The report shall contain the name, address, and place of employment of each person or source from whom the contributions and expenditures in excess of two hundred dollars ($200), were received or made and the amount contributed or expended by each person or source. The report shall be filed with the board of elections on the dates designated in § 17-25-11. The campaign treasurer of the candidate or committee reporting shall certify to the correctness of each report. Notwithstanding any other provisions contained in this title, this subsection shall apply to any person or entity advocating the approval or rejection of any question presented to voters at any financial town meeting, financial town referendum, or other election at which amendments to a city or town charter are proposed, which shall file reports of contributions or expenditures in accordance with the filing schedule established by § 17-25-11 if the total of the money so expended exceeds two hundred dollars ($200), in a calendar year. As used in this subsection, the word entity means any political action committee, political party committee, authorized campaign committee of a candidate or officer holder, corporation, whether for profit, not-for-profit, or exempt nonprofit pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, domestic corporation or foreign corporation, as defined in § 7-1.2-106, financial institution, cooperative, association, receivership, partnership, committee, union, charity, trust, holding company, firm, joint stock company, public utility, sole proprietorship, limited partnership, or any other entity recognized by the laws of the United States and/or the state of Rhode Island.

(b) Each state and municipal committee of a political party shall also file with the board of elections, not later than March 1 of each year, an annual report setting forth in the aggregate all contributions received and all expenditures made during the previous calendar year, whether or not these expenditures were made, incurred, or authorized in furtherance of the election or defeat of any candidate. The treasurer of the committee or organization reporting shall certify to the correctness of each report.

(c) Any report filed pursuant to the provisions of this section shall include contributions received from any testimonial affair, as defined in § 17-25-3, held since the date of the most recent report filed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-7.6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-7.6
§ 17-25-7.6. Electronic reporting.
Status: in_force

(a) The filing of campaign finance reports to the board of elections shall commence in accordance with the following schedule:

(1) Candidates for general office shall commence filing campaign finance reports electronically beginning with the report required to be filed for the first quarterly reporting period in 2002.

(2) All other candidates for public office and political parties, other than state political parties, who raise or expend more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) annually, or whose report shows a balance of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or more in their campaign fund shall commence filing campaign finance reports electronically beginning with the second quarterly reporting period in 2008; provided, that all candidates may commence filing campaign finance reports electronically beginning with the first report required to be filed for the first quarterly reporting period in 2002.

(3) State political parties, political action committees and vendors required to file campaign finance reports and who raise or expend more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) annually, or whose report shows a balance of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or more in their campaign fund shall do so commencing with the first report required to be filed for the first quarterly reporting period in 2002.

(b) The board of elections shall have the authority to adopt regulations to implement and administer the provisions of this section.

(c) Notwithstanding anything else in this section and subject to the implementation of an electronic reporting and tracking system, the board of elections shall have the authority to delay implementation of the requirements of this section by up to ninety (90) days.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-26.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-26.1
§ 17-19-26.1. Voting assistance.
Status: in_force

(a) Any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may be given assistance by a person of the voters choice, other than the voters employer or agent of that employer, or an officer or agent of the voters union.

(b) Every voter who requires assistance pursuant to this section, and every person furnishing assistance to a voter pursuant to this section, shall make and file with the warden an affidavit in substantially the following form:

(c) An affidavit will be made available only upon request by the voter to the warden in the polling place.

(d) Every person who makes a false affidavit under this section shall be guilty of a felony.

(e) Under the penalty prescribed by law, the assistant is prohibited from marking a vote on the computer ballot, unless otherwise requested by the voter who, due to a physical disability, is unable to mark his or her ballot.

(f) No person may approach a voter and ask if he or she needs assistance, once the voter is within the voting place or waiting in line to vote or within fifty (50) feet of the entrance or entrances to the building as prescribed in §17-19-49.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-41 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-41
§ 17-15-41. School committee caucuses unaffected.
Status: in_force

All nonpartisan school district caucuses, specially provided for by statute, shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter. Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to exempt any caucuses for nomination of members of school committees from the provisions of chapter 19 of this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-8 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-8
§ 17-10-8. Notice of striking of names.
Status: in_force

In each city and town the local board shall, within one hundred and twenty (120) hours after striking the name of any person from any registration or voting list, cause to be mailed to the person, postage prepaid, at that persons last address in the registration records, a notice of the striking of his or her name, and the reason for the striking; except that the notice provided for in this section shall not be required where the voter has requested the action, or has died.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-28 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-28
§ 17-25-28. Board of elections  Regulation and auditing of matching fund program.
Status: in_force

In addition to all other powers and duties established by law, the board of elections is empowered to adopt and enforce rules, regulations, and auditing procedures required to fulfill the mandates of §§17-25-19  17-25-27. The board is empowered, among other things, to:

(1) Ascertain whether any contributions to or expenditures for candidates for general office have exceeded limits prescribed by §§17-25-18  17-25-27. Ascertain the amount and source of contributions received and expenditures made by all candidates for general offices, whether or not the candidate chose to participate in public financing.

(2) Issue advisory opinions upon its own initiative or upon application of any candidate.

(3)(i) Conduct investigations and/or hearings relative to alleged violations of §§17-25-18  17-25-27, either on its own initiative or upon receipt of a verified written complaint, which complaint shall, under pain and penalty of perjury, be based upon actual knowledge and not merely on information and belief.

(ii) Upon receipt of a verified written complaint, or upon receipt of evidence which is deemed sufficient by the board, the board may initiate a preliminary investigation into any alleged violation of §§17-25-18  17-25-27. All board proceedings and records relating to a preliminary investigation shall be confidential, except that the board may turn over to the attorney general evidence that may be used in a criminal proceeding. The board shall notify any person who is the subject of the preliminary investigation of the existence of the investigation and the general nature of the alleged violation by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, within seven (7) days of the commencement of the investigation.

(iii) If a preliminary investigation fails to indicate reasonable cause for belief that §§17-25-18  17-25-27 have been violated, the board shall immediately terminate the investigation and notify, in writing, the complainant, if any, and the person who had been the subject of the investigation.

(iv) If a preliminary investigation indicates reasonable cause for belief that §§17-25-18  17-25-27 have been violated, the board may, upon a majority vote, initiate a full investigation and appropriate proceedings to determine whether there has been a violation.

(v) All testimony in board proceedings shall be under oath. All parties shall have the right to call and examine witnesses, to introduce exhibits, to cross-examine witnesses who testify, to submit evidence, and to be represented by counsel. Before testifying, all witnesses shall be given a copy of the regulations governing board proceedings. All witnesses shall be entitled to be represented by counsel.

(vi) Any person whose name is mentioned during a proceeding of the board and who may be adversely affected by it may appear personally before the board on his or her own behalf or file a written statement for incorporation into the record of the proceeding.

(vii) Within fourteen (14) days after the end of proceedings, the board shall meet in executive session for the purpose of reviewing the evidence before it. Within thirty (30) days after completion of deliberations, the board shall publish a written report of its findings and conclusions.

(viii)(A) Upon a finding that there has been a violation of §§17-25-18  17-25-27 or any other campaign finance law, the board may issue an order requiring the violator to:

(I) Cease and desist from the violation;

(II) File any report, statements or other information as required by this chapter; and/or

(III) Pay a civil fine for each violation of any section of this chapter in an amount authorized by that section or, if no authorization exists, in amount not to exceed the greater of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or three (3) times the amount the violator failed to properly report or unlawfully contributed, expended, gave, or received.

(B) The board may turn over to the attorney general any evidence that may be used in a subsequent criminal proceeding against any violator.

(ix) The board may file a civil action in superior court to enforce an order issued by it pursuant to this section.

(x) Any final action by the board made pursuant to this chapter shall be subject to review in superior court upon petition of any interested person filed within thirty (30) days after the action for which review is sought. The court shall enter a judgment enforcing, modifying, or setting aside the order of the board, or it may remand the proceeding to the board for any further action that the court may decide.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-13 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-13
§ 17-19-13. Exhibition of machines for instructional purposes.
Status: in_force

The local board may designate suitable and adequate times and places where optical scan voting equipment and sample ballots showing titles of offices to be filled and, so far as practicable, the names of candidates to be voted for at the next election shall be exhibited for the purpose of giving instructions as to the manner of casting a vote to all voters who apply. No optical scan precinct count unit that is to be used in an election shall be used for the instruction after it has been prepared and sealed for the election.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-19 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-19
§ 17-19-19. Custody of machines during voting.
Status: in_force

During the time that the polls are open, and until the optical scan precinct count unit and voted computer ballots are finally locked and sealed and the removable keys thereof sealed up for transmission to the state board as provided in this chapter, the optical scan precinct count units, memory cartridges, and voted computer ballots shall remain in the care and custody of the warden, who shall see that the voting equipment is not defaced or injured by any voter or any other person. During the entire time in which the polls are open for voting, the ballot compartments shall be kept closed and locked; provided, that the emergency bin compartment slot shall be opened as provided in § 17-19-20. The vote totals are not to be printed under any circumstances during the time the polls are open for voting.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-17 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-17
§ 17-25-17. Severability.
Status: in_force

(a) If the provisions of this chapter or their application to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the chapter which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of the chapter are declared to be severable.

(b) Without limiting the generality of subsection (a) of this section, if the application of any provision of this chapter to contributions and/or expenditures made in regard to ballot questions is held invalid, the provision shall remain applicable to contributions and/or expenditures made in regard to candidates.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-7.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-1 / Section 17-1-7.1
§ 17-1-7.1. Filings to be originals.
Status: in_force

Filings made under this title at the secretary of states office shall be considered valid only if they bear original signatures and shall not include any telegram, cablegram, telephone call, electronically transmitted documents, or similar communications.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-6
§ 17-11-6. Appointment of district moderators and clerks in cities or towns.
Status: in_force

(a) All district clerks and district moderators in each of Rhode Islands towns shall be appointed by the local canvassing authority of each municipality at least thirty-five (35) days before any election or district or town meeting.

The appointment of the district clerks and moderators shall be from a list of not less than ten (10) registered voters submitted by the chairpersons of the local political town committees. Each town committee chairperson shall submit said names at least fifteen (15) days prior to the appointment date as set by the local canvassing board.

If the local chairpersons fail to submit a list of names as provided herein, the appointments shall be made by the local board of canvassers from the voting list of the town.

The appointed district clerk and district moderator of a polling place shall not be of the same political party.

(b) Any district moderator or district clerk elected to office in the 2008 general election shall continue to serve in his/her position through the conclusion of his/her term, but in no event later than December 31, 2010.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-22-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-22 / Section 17-22-3
§ 17-22-3. Deputy sheriffs attending sessions  Disturbance of proceedings.
Status: in_force

The sheriff of Providence County shall assign as many of the sheriffs deputies as the state board may request to attend upon the board during its sessions to preserve order. The orders of the presiding officer of the board at the meetings shall be obeyed by the deputies, and they shall, at the direction of the presiding officer, remove from the room where any session is being held any person not a member of the board. Any person who disturbs or interferes with the proceedings of any session shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-17 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-17
§ 17-23-17. Violations with respect to elections.
Status: in_force

(a) Any person is guilty of a felony who:

(1) Makes a declaration of candidacy or obtains, circulates, or causes to be circulated his or her nomination papers for an office, knowing or with good reason to know that he or she is not qualified as provided in this title to be his or her partys candidate for the office;

(2) Knowingly or without reasonable and proper investigation makes any substantial misstatement in any declaration of candidacy, nomination paper, or affidavit provided for in this title;

(3) Signs a nomination paper when he or she knows that he or she is not qualified to sign;

(4) Votes or attempts to vote at any election when he or she knows or should know that he or she is not qualified to vote;

(5) Votes or attempts to vote more than once at any election, or votes or attempts to vote in more than one political partys primary on the same day;

(6) Votes or attempts to vote at any election under the name of any other person;

(7) Willfully hinders the orderly conduct of any election;

(8) Gives a false answer to any election official relative to his or her right to vote at the election;

(9) Aids or abets a person not entitled to vote at any election in voting or attempting to vote under a name other than the voters name or in voting twice upon the voters name;

(10) Willfully alters or makes any change, erasure, or additional check upon the voting list used or to be used at any election; or

(11) Willfully violates any provisions of chapters 12  15 of this title for which violation a specific penalty is not provided.

(b) Any person who unlawfully and knowingly signs the name of any other person on any nomination papers shall be guilty of a felony.

(c) Any public officer or officer of a political party who willfully violates any of the provisions of chapters 12  15 of this title, or refuses or willfully neglects and omits to perform, in the manner and within the time prescribed, any duty imposed upon the officer by these chapters, or suffers or permits any alteration, erasure, or additional check to be made upon a voting list in the officers custody or control, shall be guilty of a felony.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-8.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-8.2
§ 17-19-8.2. State-of-the-art voting technology.
Status: in_force

The office of the secretary of state when implementing the provisions of § 17-19-3 shall specify to the extent reasonably available state-of-the-art voting equipment that can accommodate voters who are blind, visually impaired, or are otherwise disabled, in order to afford all voters, regardless of abilities, an opportunity to cast their ballot privately and independently.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-27-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-27 / Section 17-27-3
§ 17-27-3. Filing of affidavits.
Status: in_force

(a) The affidavit required by § 17-27-2 shall be filed, together with a copy of the contract or a written summary of the principal terms of the contract, with the board of elections. If the contract is in writing, then the affidavit shall be filed within sixty (60) days of the execution of the contract; if the contract is not in writing, then the affidavit shall be filed within sixty (60) days of the date when the state vendor first is notified that they have reached the five thousand dollar ($5,000) threshold established by § 17-27-2.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, any state vendor who has a reasonable belief that it would be required to make two (2) or more filings in any calendar year pursuant to this section will be deemed to have satisfied its obligations under this section if it files a notice certifying that belief with the board of elections and subsequently files an affidavit meeting the requirements of this section on or before July 31 with respect to the preceding six (6) months ending on June 30 and on or before January 31 for the six (6) month period of the preceding year ending December 31.

(c) Parent, affiliate, or subsidiary entities of a state vendor which are required to report pursuant to this chapter may do so in the form of a consolidated report which contains the required information for both the vendor, its parent, subsidiary, or affiliated entity. All affidavits filed by state vendors pursuant to this chapter shall be public documents.

(d) The board of elections shall maintain on its website a report of all vendors submitting affidavits as required under this chapter which report shall include: the name of the vendor, a summary description of the vendor contract, if written, or the services performed or goods purchased and their cost, and the amount of reportable contributions pursuant to chapter 25 of this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-18-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-18 / Section 17-18-3
§ 17-18-3. Warning and organization of senatorial district, representative district, and voting district meetings.
Status: in_force

Senatorial district meetings, representative district meetings, and voting district meetings for the purposes of election shall be warned and organized as is or may be provided by law, and notice of all these meetings shall be given by the city or town clerk issuing his or her warrant, directed to the town sergeant or one of the constables of that city or town, or in the event that the town sergeant or a constable is not available, to any member of the town or city clerks office or member of the board of canvassers, directing him or her to post, at least seven (7) days before the day appointed for these meetings, written notifications in one or more public places in each voting district, and in each senatorial and representative district not divided into voting districts, of the time when, and place where, each meeting is to be held, and of the business required by law to be transacted in the meeting, and stating in the warrant the time of the opening and closing of the polls at each elective meeting to be held in that city or town; provided, that the local boards may, at their discretion, substitute notification by publication in a newspaper having local circulation for notification by posting in public places; and further provided, that in the cities of Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Newport, Cranston, Warwick, and Woonsocket, the notice shall be given and posted by the local board.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-14 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-14
§ 17-12-14. Election of delegates to national conventions.
Status: in_force

The local boards of the several cities and towns of the state are authorized and directed to furnish for the use of any political party in this state, upon written request of the chairperson of the state central committee, acting under a resolution of the committee, voting places in which primary meetings may be held to elect delegates to the national convention of the political party. The boards shall have the voting places open on the date and during the hours requested by the chairperson of the committee, so long as that election of delegates is scheduled on the first Tuesday next after the first Monday of any month, and shall furnish to the officers appointed to act at the primary meetings any paraphernalia, including check lists, that are generally required and used in elective meetings; provided, that the political party first requesting the use of the voting places on and for a certain date shall be entitled to the use of them on that date; and if the date is one requested by some other political party, the other political party, through the chairperson of the committee, may request another date. In cities a voting place and paraphernalia for voting shall be furnished and provided for each ward into which the cities may be divided; and in each of the towns of Burrillville, Cumberland, and Lincoln, at least two (2) voting places and the paraphernalia for voting, and in every other town at least one voting place and the paraphernalia for voting, shall be furnished and provided. The local boards shall not be required to provide for the compensation for services of the officers appointed to act at the primary meetings, nor shall anything contained in this section be held to affect the method of holding elections already provided for by law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-4
§ 17-12-4. Endorsements by state committee.
Status: in_force

The state committee or the executive committee or any duly selected subcommittee of the executive committee acting under delegated authority may, when the town or district committee has failed or neglected to do so, within twenty-four (24) weekday hours of the failure, endorse and notify the local board of endorsement, if any, of the local candidates to be voted on in the primary. It shall also notify the secretary of state of the endorsement, if any, of any candidate to be voted for by the state at large; provided, that the endorsement of any candidate for representative in congress shall be by the members of the state committee who shall be from that particular congressional district. It shall also notify the secretary of state of the endorsement, if any, of any candidate for state senator or state representative. The endorsement shall be filed with the secretary of state not later than four oclock (4:00) p.m. on the second day after the final day for filing declarations of candidacy. In the event the state committee, or the executive committee or any duly selected subcommittee of the executive committee acting under delegated authority, fails or neglects to endorse, then all party candidates shall be issued nomination papers without endorsement.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-2-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-2 / Section 17-2-3
§ 17-2-3. Elections by general assembly on failure to elect or incapacity of person elected.
Status: in_force

When both the governor and lieutenant governor elect, or one among the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, or general treasurer elect, are incapacitated, or when there has been a failure to elect one or more of the officers mentioned in this section, the general assembly shall, upon its organization, meet in grand committee and elect some person or persons to fill the office or offices, as the case may be, for which the incapacity exists or as to which the failure to elect occurred. When the general assembly elects any of the officers because of the failure of any person to receive a plurality of the votes cast, the election in each case shall be made from the persons who received the same and largest number of votes.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-8-5 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-8 / Section 17-8-5
§ 17-8-5. Local boards  Powers and duties  Quorum.
Status: in_force

(a) Each canvassing authority shall have and exercise the functions, powers, and duties provided for local boards by this title or by any law not inconsistent with this title. It shall:

(1) Select one of its members as presiding officer and another as clerk of the board; provided, that nothing in this title shall be deemed to affect the powers and duties of the town clerk who shall be ex officio the clerk of the respective town canvassing authorities; and provided, further, that in the cities of Pawtucket, Central Falls, Newport, Woonsocket, Cranston, and Warwick, the clerk shall be designated at the time of his or her election or appointment;

(2) Have and discharge all of the functions, powers, and duties of the town council concerning nominations, elections, registration of voters and canvassing rights, the preparing and correcting of voting lists, and other related matters, which powers are transferred to the local board;

(3) Make or furnish all returns or other things required by law to be made or furnished to or by city clerks, boards of canvassers, and district clerks, relative to any matter within the purview of this title;

(4) Appoint and employ all its necessary clerical and technical assistants and fix the compensation of each person appointed, within the limits of funds available to it pursuant to law; provided, that in the cities of Cranston and Woonsocket and the town of Coventry the employment and compensation shall be subject to the approval of the respective city or town councils.

(b) A quorum of a local board for the purpose of receiving registrations shall be comprised of one member of the board, and for all other purposes a quorum shall be comprised of two (2) members.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-8-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-8 / Section 17-8-1
§ 17-8-1. Appointment of bipartisan authority.
Status: in_force

The legislative body of each city and town shall appoint a bipartisan canvassing authority of three (3) qualified electors of the city or town, not more than two (2) of whom shall belong to the same political party, and may appoint two (2) alternate members, not more than one of whom shall belong to the same political party. At any meeting of the canvassing authority at which a member is to be absent, the member may request that an alternate replace him or her for that meeting; provided, that the alternate member must be of the same political party as the member. The mayor or the president of the town council shall nominate the members of the canvassing authority from lists of party voters submitted by the respective chairpersons of the city or town political committee, which lists shall contain the names of five (5) times the number of persons to be appointed. If the legislative body refuses to approve the nomination of any person to the canvassing authority, the mayor or the president shall submit to the legislative body another person named on one of the lists, and so on until a person is appointed. If the chairperson of the city or town committee of a political party entitled to an appointment fails or refuses to submit a list, the mayor or the president shall nominate any party voter of the political party entitled to the appointment.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-14 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-14
§ 17-11-14. Supervision of all elections on same day.
Status: in_force

Whenever any city or town elections occur on the same day as an election for national or state officers in any city or town, the supervisors appointed pursuant to § 17-11-13 shall be the supervisors for all of the elections.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-13-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-13 / Section 17-13-1
§ 17-13-1. Preparation and posting of preliminary lists.
Status: in_force

(a) In conformity with the requirements of chapter 10 of this title relating to preliminary lists generally, preceding the next primary election of a political party prior to a general election, each local board shall, for the party, prepare and post in the local board of canvassers a separate list of voters with their addresses in the districts who are eligible to participate in the primary of the respective party in accordance with the provisions of chapter 15 of this title. Each list shall be plainly marked with the name of the party for which it is prepared.

(b) In the preparation of any preliminary list, the names of all persons who are ineligible by reason of the provisions of § 17-15-24 shall be stricken from the list, and those persons are debarred from participating in the primary.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-7-5 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-7 / Section 17-7-5
§ 17-7-5. Powers and duties  Quorum.
Status: in_force

(a) The state board shall have those functions, powers, and duties that are prescribed by this title or otherwise pursuant to law. In the exercise of these functions, powers, and duties, but without limitation to them, the board shall:

(1) Exercise general supervision of the administration of the election law by local boards;

(2) Furnish all binders, forms, cabinets, and other supplies required for the operation of the system of permanent registration of voters throughout the state, as provided by this title;

(3) Require the correction of voting lists by any local board whenever the state board has information or cause to believe that any error exists in the lists and shall immediately notify the secretary of state of any corrections;

(4) Prepare, package, and deliver election supplies to the various cities and towns for each voting district, except for supplies listed in this title for delivery by the office of the secretary of state;

(5)(i) Appoint, qualify, and assign all state inspectors of elections. The state board of elections shall formulate programs of instruction and shall determine the method and manner of instruction that shall be provided to the local boards and to the vendor providing training pursuant to any agreement between the state and the vendor for the training of election officials. The program of instruction shall include familiarization with the election laws and duties of various election officials, together with the exercise of sample situations that may be encountered in the process of voting; geographical boundaries of the voting district to which the official may be assigned; offices and questions that may be on the ballot; and any other information that the board of elections may deem appropriate. The availability of these programs of instruction for local boards shall be pursuant to the procedures, rules, and regulations adopted by the board of elections.

(ii) The board of elections shall also formulate and provide an informational pamphlet containing detailed instructions regarding the duties of elections officials and the operation of polling places. All informational pamphlets shall be distributed to the local boards that shall, in turn, see to their distribution to all election officials prior to any election.

(6) Canvass and tabulate all votes cast at each state election and count, canvass, and tabulate the votes cast by mail voters as provided in this title;

(7) Select dates for off-year and special election primaries, except the dates for any primaries for local elections that require fixing by the local board pursuant to chapter 15 of this title;

(8) Furnish each elected candidate for all state or national offices a certificate of election;

(9) Furnish the secretary of state with a certified statement of the number of votes cast in each voting district for all state and national candidates, the votes cast for and against all state questions that appeared on the ballot, and a certificate of election for each national candidate who is elected in this state, and furnish the governor with a certified list of the general officers elected at each general election;

(10) Hold hearings relating to recounts or other protests of the results or conduct of an election;

(11) Maintain any books and records of the votes cast and publish any statements and reports that it may deem to be in the public interest;

(12) Arrange and make provisions for the registration of voters pursuant to the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993, 52 U.S.C. § 20501 et seq. The state board shall formulate programs to assist those persons or organizations desiring to register voters and shall provide, pursuant to procedures, rules, and regulations it shall adopt, voter registrations services that may include training sessions, registration materials, manuals, and other services for the purpose of registering to vote eligible Rhode Island citizens;

(13) Annually conduct a voter registration drive at each institution of higher education at the level of junior college or above in the state; and

(14) Establish and maintain an administrative complaint procedure in accordance with Section 402 of the Help America Vote Act (P.L. 107-252) [52 U.S.C. § 21112].

(b) The state board shall also have all of the powers and duties formerly conferred or imposed by existing law upon the division of elections and the election board, and whenever in any other general law, public law, act, or resolution of the general assembly, or any document, record, or proceeding authorized by the general assembly, the phrase division of elections or election board or any other word or words used in reference to or descriptive of the division, board, or any member or employee of the division or board, or to their respective activities or appointees, or any of them, the word, phrase, or reference shall, unless the context otherwise requires, be deemed to refer to and describe the state board, its members, appointees, and activities, as the context may require.

(c) The state board shall have power to make any rules, regulations, and directives that it deems necessary to carry out the objects and purposes of this title not inconsistent with law.

(d) The state board shall also have jurisdiction over all election matters on appeal from any local board and over any other matters pertinent and necessary to the proper supervision of the election laws.

(e) Four (4) members of the state board shall constitute a quorum.

(f) Notwithstanding the provisions of § 42-35-18(b)(7), all rules and regulations implementing and enforcing the provisions of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-252) [52 U.S.C. § 20901 et seq.] shall be promulgated in accordance with the rule-making provisions contained in §§ 42-35-1  42-35-8.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-6-9 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-6 / Section 17-6-9
§ 17-6-9. Public record.
Status: in_force

All requests for registration lists, and the action taken on those requests by the secretary of state, shall be deemed to be public records and shall be open for inspection during regular business hours.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-14 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-14
§ 17-10-14. Final list  Certification.
Status: in_force

The registration, as finally corrected pursuant to this chapter, shall constitute the voting list to be used at the election for which it has been canvassed, and shall be certified for use pursuant to chapter 19 of this title. Only the original of the list needs to be signed by the board of canvassers, and copies of the list may be certified by a duly placed stamp on the copy. The voting list shall be deemed a public record; and a copy of the list shall be made available, upon request, to any elector within the city or town upon payment of no more than the actual cost of reproduction. Notwithstanding certification of the results of the final canvass, persons who subsequently become ineligible to vote for failure to comply with the provisions of § 17-9.1-25 shall not be permitted to vote in the election unless and until their residency is established pursuant to that section. The names of those persons shall be placed on the inactive list.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-14 / Section 17-14-2
§ 17-14-2. Candidate required to be a qualified voter in the primary.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall be eligible to file a declaration of candidacy, or be eligible to be a candidate or be eligible to be voted for or to be nominated or elected in a party primary unless the person, at the time of filing the declaration, is qualified to vote in a primary within the district for the office which he or she seeks.

(b) No person shall be eligible to file a declaration of candidacy, or be eligible to be a candidate or eligible to be voted for or to be nominated or elected in any party primary or general election if that person has declared to be a candidate for another elected public office, either state, local or both.

(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, individuals residing in state senate districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 17 may file a declaration of candidacy for state senator and/or senatorial district committee member for those senate districts for the 2004 election pursuant to § 17-14-1, provided they were registered to vote in the election for that district on or before June 16, 2004.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-2
§ 17-20-2. Eligibility for mail ballots.
Status: in_force

Any otherwise qualified elector may vote by mail ballot in the following circumstances:

(1) An elector, within the State of Rhode Island who is incapacitated to the extent that it would be an undue hardship to vote at the polls because of illness, or mental or physical disability, blindness, or serious impairment of mobility;

(2) An elector who is confined in any hospital, convalescent home, nursing home, rest home, or similar institution, public or private, within the State of Rhode Island;

(3) An elector who will be temporarily absent from the state because of employment or service intimately connected with military operations or who is a spouse or legal dependent residing with that person, or a United States citizen who will be outside of the United States;

(4) An elector who chooses to vote by mail for any reason.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-27-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-27 / Section 17-27-4
§ 17-27-4. Notification and enforcement.
Status: in_force

(a) The board of elections shall prepare a form affidavit for use by state vendors in compliance with the requirements of § 17-27-2.

(b) Each state agency which solicits or contracts with state vendors shall establish procedures for informing state vendors and potential state vendors of the requirements of this chapter.

(c) The board of elections shall be responsible for the enforcement of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-10 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-10
§ 17-20-10. Certification of applications  Issuance of ballots  Marking of lists  Mailing address.
Status: in_force

(a) Upon receipt of the application, the local board shall immediately examine it and determine whether it complies with each of the requirements set forth by this chapter and compare the signature on the ballot application with the signature contained on the original registration card or on the central voter registration system, except as may be otherwise provided by law, to satisfy itself that the applicant is a qualified voter. Upon determining that it does meet each requirement of this chapter and that the signature appears to be the same, the local board shall mark the application accepted and record in the space provided on the ballot application the senatorial, representative, and voting district in which the applicant should vote.

(b) The local board shall also record the city or town code and district information in the mailing label section of the mail ballot application. The local board shall also print or type the name of the elector and the complete mailing address in that section. If the local board does not accept the application, the local board shall return the application to the elector, together with a form prescribed by the secretary of state, specifying the reason or reasons for the return of the application.

(c) Not later than 4:00 p.m. on the eighteenth (18th) day before the day of any election referred to in this chapter or within seven (7) days of receipt by the local board, whichever occurs first, the local board shall certify the applications to the secretary of state through the central voter registration system as this procedure is prescribed by the secretary of state. Upon the certification of a mail ballot application to the secretary of state, the local board shall enter on the voting list the fact that a mail ballot application for the voter has been certified and, upon order by the state board, shall cause the delivery of the certified mail ballot applications together with the signed certified listing thereof in sealed packages to the state board of elections.

(d)(1) Upon the ballots becoming available, the secretary of state shall immediately issue and mail, by first-class mail, postage prepaid, a mail ballot to each eligible voter who has been certified. With respect to voters who have applied for these mail ballots under the provisions of § 17-20-2(1), the secretary of state shall include with the mail ballots a stamped, return envelope addressed to the board of elections.

(2) The secretary of state shall include on the mail ballot envelope a numerical or alphabetical code designating the city or town where the voter resides. The secretary of state shall immediately thereafter indicate on the voters record that the secretary of state has sent mail ballots; provided that this mark shall serve solely to indicate that a mail ballot has been issued and shall not be construed as voting in the election.

(e) Prior to each election, the secretary of state shall also furnish to the chairperson of the state committee of each political party a list of the names and residence addresses of all persons to whom mail ballots have been issued. The secretary of state shall also furnish to a candidate for political office, upon request, a list of the names and residence addresses of all persons to whom mail ballots have been issued within their district.

(f) If a ballot is returned to the secretary of state by the postal service as undeliverable, the secretary of state shall consult with the appropriate local board to determine the accuracy of the mailing address, and the secretary of state shall be required to remail the ballot to the voter using the corrected address provided by the local board. If the local board is unable to provide a different address than that to which the ballot was originally mailed, the ballot shall be reissued by the secretary of state to the board of canvassers in the city or town where the voter resides utilizing the numerical or alphabetical code established in subsection (d) of this section. The board shall then attempt to notify the voter at the voters place of residence that the ballot has been returned as undeliverable. The ballot must be voted in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

(g) The acceptance of a mail ballot application by the board of canvassers and the issuance of a mail ballot by the secretary of state shall not create any presumption as to the accuracy of the information provided by the applicant or as to the applicants compliance with the provisions of this chapter. Any inaccuracy in the provided information or irregularity in the application may be raised as a challenge to the ballot before the board of elections at the time of certification. If the challenge raised at that time is meritorious, the ballot shall be voided.

(h) Within two (2) business days of receipt by the local board, the board shall certify emergency mail ballot applications and, when directed by the state board or its staff, shall cause the delivery of the emergency mail ballot applications, and certification sheet in sealed packages to the state board of elections.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-9 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-14 / Section 17-14-9
§ 17-14-9. Number of papers signed by same voter.
Status: in_force

A voter may sign any number of nomination papers for any office the voter may lawfully vote for at the general election.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-22-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-22 / Section 17-22-6
§ 17-22-6. Certification of results to governor and secretary of state  Failure to elect to general assembly.
Status: in_force

The state board shall, immediately after completing the counting, canvass, and tabulating of the votes cast for general officers and senators and representatives in the general assembly and declaring the result, furnish the governor a certificate of the names of the persons who have been elected general officers for the ensuing year, and shall also furnish to the secretary of state a certificate of the names of the persons elected as senators and representatives in the general assembly. Whenever the count, canvass, and tabulation of the board shows that there has been a failure to elect a senator or representative or any of them in any district, the board shall immediately certify the fact to the secretary of state, specifying which of the officers were not elected.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-10.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-10.1
§ 17-19-10.1. Training and community outreach.
Status: in_force

In furtherance of the termination of the option of straight-party voting by means of a single mark in non-primary elections, the secretary of state shall, no later than thirty (30) days after the effective date of this section, conduct appropriate training and consultations with the state board of elections and local boards of canvassers as he or she may deem necessary in order for the proper administration of voting in the absence of the option of straight-party voting by means of a single mark. The secretary of state shall also conduct community outreach programs throughout the state, including, without limitation, the distribution of applicable materials to state and local libraries, in order to educate the public, including the elderly, with respect to the foregoing.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-10 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-10
§ 17-23-10. Violations by public officers generally.
Status: in_force

Any public officer, upon whom a duty is imposed by this title, who willfully neglects to perform his or her duty, or who performs it in a way that hinders the objects of this title, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-27 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-27
§ 17-19-27. Challenge of identity as to right to vote.
Status: in_force

Whenever the identity of any person offering to vote is challenged at the polling place, that person shall be permitted to vote only using a provisional ballot as defined in § 17-19-24.1.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-25 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-25
§ 17-25-25. Surplus campaign funds.
Status: in_force

Any candidate receiving public funds during any election cycle under the provisions of this chapter shall, within ninety (90) days after the completion of the election cycle, transfer to the general treasurer for deposit in the general fund fifty percent (50%) of any amount of the candidates total campaign funds unexpended as of the last day of the election cycle. The candidate may convert the remaining fifty percent (50%) of the amount to use for any political purposes not otherwise prohibited by law. The remaining fifty percent (50%) of that amount may not be converted to personal use by the candidate.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-3-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-3 / Section 17-3-6
§ 17-3-6. Vacancy in general assembly  Special elections.
Status: in_force

(a) Whenever from any cause a vacancy occurs in the representation of any senatorial or representative district in the general assembly while the general assembly is in session, the secretary of state shall cause the local board of the city or town to issue a warrant ordering an election to fill the vacancy, to be held in that district at least seventy (70) but not more than ninety (90) days from the occurrence of the vacancy; provided, that if the general assembly has nearly completed its January session so that it is doubtful whether the person to be chosen can serve as a member at that session, the election shall not be ordered within that time limit, but may be held at any later date within that calendar year, if that year is the first year of the biennial period for which a general assembly has been chosen. And, provided further, the election to fill the vacancy shall be held on a Tuesday that falls between the seventieth and ninetieth day of the vacancy. If the vacancy occurs after the first Monday in February in the second year of the biennial period for which a general assembly was chosen, no warrant shall be issued for a special election to fill the vacancy. If the vacancy occurs or exists at any other time when the general assembly is not in session, the secretary of state shall cause to be issued a warrant for an election to be held to fill the vacancy.

(b) Every person elected pursuant to the provisions of this section shall hold his or her office for the remainder of the term that person is elected to fill, and until his or her successor is elected and qualified.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-6-1.3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-6 / Section 17-6-1.3
§ 17-6-1.3. Designation of Chief State Election Official under the National Voter Registration Act.
Status: in_force

The secretary of state is designated as the chief state election official under section 10 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg-8) to be responsible for the coordination of the State of Rhode Islands responsibilities under that Act.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-15 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-15
§ 17-15-15. Powers and duties of primary officials  Compensation.
Status: in_force

Primary wardens, moderators, clerks, and supervisors shall have the same powers and duties in the conduct of primary elections as are conferred and imposed by law upon general election officials, and they shall receive the same compensation as general election officials.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-11 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-11
§ 17-12-11. Endorsement by local committees.
Status: in_force

(a)(1) Each town, ward, and city committee shall file with the appropriate local board the list of candidates in the town, ward, or city which have the endorsement of the committees.

(2) Endorsements by town, ward, and city committees shall be signed by three (3) officers of the committee.

(b)(1) Each district committee shall file with the board of canvassers of the city or town of residence of the senatorial or representative candidate endorsed, except that if the candidate is a resident of Providence the endorsement shall be filed with the secretary of state, the list of candidates in the district which have the endorsement of the committee.

(2) Endorsements by district committees shall be signed by a majority of those members presently on the committee.

(c) Endorsements shall be filed with the appropriate local board or the secretary of state, as the case may be, not later than four oclock (4:00) p.m. of the day after the last day for filing declarations of candidacy.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-23 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-23
§ 17-20-23. Marking and certification of ballot.
Status: in_force

(a) A voter may vote for the candidates of the voters choice by making a mark in the space provided opposite their respective names.

(b) In case a voter desires to vote upon a question submitted to the vote of the electors of the state, the voter shall mark in the appropriate space associated with the answer that the voter desires to give.

(c) The voter shall enclose and seal the ballot in the envelope provided for it. The voter shall then enclose and seal the certified envelope with the ballot in the envelope addressed to the state board and cause the envelope to be delivered to the state board on or before election day.

(d) These ballots shall be counted only if received within the time limited by this chapter.

(e) There shall be a space provided on the general election ballot to allow the voter to write in the names of persons not in nomination by any party as provided for in §§ 17-19-31 and 17-20- 24.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-3.3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-3.3
§ 17-19-3.3. Telephones at polling places.
Status: in_force

Every polling place shall have a telephone available for the use of any election official for the purpose of carrying out his or her official functions and duties.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-12 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-12
§ 17-11-12. Qualifications of election officials  Vacancies.
Status: in_force

Election officials shall, whenever possible, be qualified electors in the city, town, senatorial or representative district, or voting district in which they are appointed to serve, and shall severally be able to read the Constitution of the state in the English language and to write their names. Every person appointed as a warden, clerk, moderator, or supervisor shall, within forty-eight (48) hours thereafter, be notified in writing by the clerk of the local board of the appointment; and the person appointed shall, within five (5) days of his or her appointment, notify the clerk in writing of that persons acceptance or declination of the appointment, and any vacancy occurring among these election officials, whether by declination or refusal to serve or by failure to notify the clerk, or by failure from any cause to appear at or remain during the time when they are required to perform their duties, shall be immediately filled by the local board, or by its presiding officer if the board is not in session, from the lists provided for in § 17-11-10. Each of these election officials shall be sworn to the faithful discharge of his or her duties before entering upon the performance of his duties.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-17 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-17
§ 17-12-17. Names of political parties.
Status: in_force

No political party may use or adopt a name which is similar to the name of another political party or which contains the name of another political party.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-9.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-9.1
§ 17-12-9.1. Members of ward committees for the city of East Providence.
Status: in_force

The chairperson of the East Providence city committee for each political party shall appoint the members of a ward committee for each of the several wards of the city of East Providence. These appointed ward committee members shall hold office until their successors shall have been duly elected, qualified, and organized.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-8-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-8 / Section 17-8-4
§ 17-8-4. Oath of office of members.
Status: in_force

Each person appointed as a member of a local board shall, before entering upon his or her duties, be sworn to the faithful performance of those duties, and a record of the oath shall be kept by the clerk of the board.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-22-8 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-22 / Section 17-22-8
§ 17-22-8. Lists of absentee voters.
Status: in_force

The state board, not later than thirty (30) days after any election day at which voting by mail ballot is permitted by chapter 20 of this title, shall prepare and mail to the local board of each city and town a list of names of every voter of the city or town who has voted by mail ballot.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-5 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-5
§ 17-15-5. Combination of voting districts.
Status: in_force

Local boards shall have the power to combine two (2) or more voting districts within the same ward, and senatorial or representative district, if applicable. The local board may by unanimous vote make such designation for any primary, special primary, or presidential preference primary, but only upon the approval of the board of elections.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-3
§ 17-10-3. Publication of preliminary lists.
Status: in_force

(a) Immediately after the close of registration for each general election and each primary election for a general election, the local board shall publish and post a preliminary list of all persons who appear from the registration cards to be duly registered to vote at the next ensuing election. The preliminary list for a primary election shall be subject to the requirements of chapter 13 of this title. The preliminary list shall contain the names and addresses of registered voters arranged in the same order as the file of original registration cards. The preliminary list shall be computer generated from the statewide central voter registry system. The list shall be available for public inspection at the local board of canvassers, where the list shall be open to examination at all reasonable times. The local board shall, upon request, furnish without charge and without unreasonable delay, five (5) copies of the preliminary list to the state, city, or town chairperson of any political party.

(b) The preliminary list shall be deemed a public record; and any elector of the city or town, upon request, shall be given a copy of the list upon payment of no more than the actual cost of reproduction.

(c) The preliminary list shall contain the following language in bold print:

(c) You must be registered to vote from your actual place of residence.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-6
§ 17-20-6. Alternative methods of voting.
Status: in_force

Any qualified elector who is a member of the armed forces or of the merchant marine of the United States, or who is absent from the state in the performance of services intimately connected with military operations as defined in § 17-20-3(c), and any qualified elector of this state exempt from registration under § 17-20-4, shall have the right to vote at his or her option during the period of his or her service and for two (2) years thereafter by any one of the following methods:

(1) If the person is present within the state on the day of any election, that person shall have the right to vote in the manner prescribed in chapter 19 of this title, subject to any other provisions of this chapter.

(2) If the person is absent from the state on the day of any election, that person has the right to vote by absentee ballot in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, upon compliance with its provisions.

(3)(i) The elector may cast an official federal absentee ballot federal write-in absentee ballot FWAB in accordance with the laws of the United States.

(ii) The elector may use the FWAB to cast a vote for each federal, state and local office for which he or she is entitled to vote in a general, primary or special election.

(4) The elector may also cast an official state blank ballot issued by the office of the secretary of state in accordance with this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-11.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-11.2
§ 17-25-11.2. Requirements for appointment of a treasurer or deputy treasurer  Examination and certification of accounts.
Status: in_force

(a) Appointment of treasurer or deputy treasurer. Whenever a campaign account containing campaign funds received and expended by a candidate, office holder, or treasurer, subject to the provisions of this chapter, receives or expends at least ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in any year, the account shall require the appointment of a treasurer or deputy treasurer, who shall be a person other than the candidate. For such accounts, a candidate may remain as either a treasurer or deputy treasurer on his or her campaign account; provided, the treasurer or deputy treasurer who is not the candidate shall examine all campaign account records and shall certify to the substantial accuracy of the campaign finance report at the time of filing with the board of elections, on a form to be prepared by the board of elections.

(b) Applicability to political action committees. The provisions of this section as to examination and certification shall be applicable to political action committees.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-22-7 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-22 / Section 17-22-7
§ 17-22-7. Books of record of votes  Contents.
Status: in_force

(a) The board shall keep separate books of record of the votes cast for the different classes of officers which it is its duty to count, canvass, and tabulate, as follows:

(1) A book of record of votes cast for electors of president and vice-president;

(2) A book of record of votes cast for senators and representatives in congress;

(3) A book of record of votes cast for general officers; and

(4) A book of record of the votes cast for each class of officers that may by law subsequently be required to be counted, canvassed, and tabulated by the board.

(b) Each of the respective books shall contain:

(1) A record of the number of votes cast in each voting district for each candidate according to the counting, canvassing, and tabulating of the board;

(2) The number cast in each voting district for each candidate according to the certificates of the moderators or wardens and clerks;

(3) The total number cast for each candidate in each town and city according to the counting and to the certificates;

(4) The total number cast for each candidate in the state or congressional district, as the case may be, according to the counting and the certificates;

(5) A statement of which candidates are elected; and

(6) Any other pertinent facts that the board deems proper.

(c) The board shall also keep a book of record of the votes cast for and against any proposition of amendment of the Constitution and a book of record of the votes cast for and against all questions submitted to the electors of the state, with like detail as provided in this section in relation to votes cast for officers.

(d) Notwithstanding the above, the state board shall report all write-in votes received by persons, not otherwise qualifying to appear on the ballot and receiving less than five (5) votes in a race, as a composite total of all write-in votes cast for said office.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-3
§ 17-15-3. Special election primaries.
Status: in_force

Party primary elections shall also be held for the purpose of nominating candidates for an office or offices to be elected at any special election. In the event of a special election, the state board shall fix the date or dates on which the various party primary elections shall be held; provided, that all the party primary elections shall have been held by the first Tuesday after the first Monday in the month preceding the date fixed for the special election; and provided, further, that the date or dates fixed by the state board shall not be a religious holiday and shall be held on the first Tuesday next after the first Monday of any month.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-24 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-24
§ 17-20-24. Irregularities not impairing validity of ballots.
Status: in_force

(a) No ballot transmitted under the provisions of this chapter shall be rejected for any immaterial addition, omission, or irregularity in the preparation or execution of the computer ballot, nor for failure of the voter to affix sufficient postage. No ballot shall be invalid by reason of mistake or omission in writing in the name of any candidate where the candidate intended by the voter is plainly identifiable. Where, because of any defect in marking, a ballot is held invalid as to any particular candidate for office, it shall remain valid as to the candidates for other offices. No ballot shall be invalid by reason of the voter writing upon the inner envelope the name of a community within a town in place of the name of the town. No defect in the marking of the appropriate space associated with casting a vote shall invalidate any ballot or a vote for any candidate, where the intention of the voter is clearly indicated.

(b) No ballot shall be rejected if the intention of the voter is clear unless it contains clear evidence of the identity of the voter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-14 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-14
§ 17-20-14. Voting from hospitals, convalescent homes, nursing homes, rest homes or similar institutions, public or private, within the State of Rhode Island  Penalty for interference.
Status: in_force

(a) The state board of elections shall appoint as many bipartisan pairs of supervisors as are necessary whose duty it shall be to attend each hospital, rest home, nursing home and convalescent home, or similar types of personal care facility in the state within twenty (20) days prior to the election. They shall supervise the casting of votes by persons using mail ballots at a place that preserves their secrecy and shall take acknowledgments, and jointly provide assistance, if requested, to assure proper marking, sealing, and mailing of ballots as voted. It shall be the duty of the person or persons in charge of hospitals, rest homes, nursing homes and convalescent homes, or similar types of personal care facility to allow the state supervisors to perform their duties as set forth in this section at all reasonable times. Every person who willfully hinders the state supervisors in performing their duties as set forth in this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

(b) It shall be the responsibility of the state board of elections to provide all bipartisan pairs of supervisors with an official identification card. All bipartisan pairs of supervisors will be required to have in their possession their identification card when conducting official business.

(c) Any person who deliberately misrepresents themselves as an official of the board of elections, or who deceives, coerces, or interferes with a voter casting a ballot, shall be subject to prosecution under § 17-20-30.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-7.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-7.1
§ 17-19-7.1. Listing of at-large candidates.
Status: in_force

(a) In case of a vote for members of the council or school committee of any city or town, in which the office or offices to be filled are to be elected on an at-large basis, and whether the election is a partisan, nonpartisan, primary, general, or special election, the names for the office or offices shall be listed on the ballot in such fashion that no more than one name for an office shall be displayed on the same horizontal line; provided, that candidates for nonpartisan election in the cities of Newport, Pawtucket, and Woonsocket, and candidates for partisan election in the town of North Providence, may be listed on the same horizontal line.

(b) In no event shall the voting equipment be prepared to prevent further voting for an office or officer until the elector has cast as many votes as there are separate offices to be filled.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-22-5.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-22 / Section 17-22-5.1
§ 17-22-5.1. Investigation by board of elections prior to certification.
Status: in_force

At any time prior to the certification of the results of a particular election, the state board of elections may, upon its own motion, investigate any allegation of error, irregularity, or impropriety in the conduct of any facet of the election which comes to its attention and may, upon its own motion, take appropriate action based upon the findings of the investigation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-15 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-15
§ 17-23-15. Polling or surveying of voter opinion.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall conduct any form of poll or survey of voter opinion or voter conduct within a building or within fifty (50) feet of the entrance or entrances to a building in which voting is being conducted at any primary or election; provided, that nothing in this section shall be deemed to apply to or to affect the activities of election officials or election inspectors, or checkers, runners, and watchers as defined in § 17-19-22.

(b) Notice of this section shall be posted in a conspicuous place at all polling places.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-22-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-22 / Section 17-22-4
§ 17-22-4. Investigation of returns of local boards.
Status: in_force

In case the return made to the state board by any election officer or officers of any town or district meeting contains any statement or information which makes it desirable or proper, in the opinion of the board, to investigate the conduct of the election in the town or district, the board may investigate the truth of the allegations contained in the returns, and of all the circumstances connected with the holding of the election, and shall use in its count, canvass, and tabulation, as the result of the voting at the meeting, the number of votes for the respective candidates and for and against the propositions or questions voted for or on that the investigation, in the state boards opinion, proves to be correct.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-17 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-17
§ 17-19-17. Custody of optical scan precinct count units and voting booths  Duties of local boards  Posting of sample ballots.
Status: in_force

Each local board shall be responsible for safeguarding the optical scan precinct count units and voting booths delivered to it, and shall properly and safely locate the optical scan precinct count units in the polling places where they are to be used. The local board shall also be responsible for the storage of all voting booths assigned to them, and shall cause the voting booths to be delivered and picked up at the polling places in which they are to be used. The local board shall cause the keys of the voting equipment to be delivered to the warden of the elective meeting at which optical scan precinct count units are to be used at least half an hour before the opening of the polls. The key or keys of each optical scan precinct count unit shall be placed in a sealed envelope upon which shall be written or printed the number and location of the optical scan precinct count unit, and any other information or certification required pursuant to regulations promulgated by the state board of elections. The envelope shall be opened by the warden in the presence of the other election officers. The custody of the voting equipment shall remain with the local board up to the time of the delivery of the keys to the warden, and the local board shall be held fully responsible for any damage or injury to any voting equipment while it is in its custody, and for the failure to have voting equipment ready for use at the time of the opening of the polls. The local board shall cause the sample ballots to be posted in a conspicuous place in each polling place, outside the guard rail.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-12.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-12.2
§ 17-12-12.2. Failure of ward and city committees to endorse.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special act to the contrary, in the event that a ward committee or a city committee of a political party of a particular city has failed or neglected to do so, the executive committee of the city committee of that city, any duly selected subcommittee of the executive committee or the city chairperson of the political party involved, if so authorized, within twenty-four (24) weekday hours of the failure, may endorse and notify the local board of the endorsement, if any, of the candidates for city council, ward committee member, and mayor, as the case may be, to be voted on in the primary.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-13 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-13
§ 17-12-13. State conventions.
Status: in_force

There shall be held not later than October 14 of every even year a state convention for each political party. The nominees of a party for senator and for representatives in congress, for the five (5) general offices, and for membership in the general assembly shall be delegates to the state convention of that party. In presidential election years, these conventions shall select the party nominees for presidential electors and their names shall be placed on the ballot for the forthcoming election.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-6
§ 17-12-6. Election of town and ward committees.
Status: in_force

The party voters of each political party in each ward of each of the cities of the state shall, biennially, in every even year, at the primary election held to nominate party candidates, elect a ward committee for each ward; provided, that the ward committees in the city of Providence shall be elected quadrennially, and the party voters of each political party in each of the towns of the state shall, biennially at the primary election, elect a town committee for the town.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-10 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-10
§ 17-12-10. Rules and management by city, town, and district committees.
Status: in_force

City, town, and district committees of each political party may make rules not inconsistent with the rules of the state committee, and except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter, the general management of the affairs of each political party in the respective cities, towns, and districts shall be vested in the city, town, or district committee, respectively, subject to all state committee rules.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-5 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-5
§ 17-12-5. Acting in other contingencies.
Status: in_force

Any other contingency that arises pursuant to the provisions of the statutes with respect to the election of candidates for state or town office at any general, primary, or special election shall be met by the vote of the state committee, or the executive committee, or any duly selected subcommittee of the executive committee, of a political party, or by the state chairperson of the political party if so authorized. If any contingency arises under the provisions of the statutes with respect to the election of candidates for city office at any general, primary, or special election, it shall be met by vote of the city committee of a political party or the executive committee of the city committee or any duly elected subcommittee of the executive committee, or by the city chairperson of the political party if so authorized. For the purposes of this section, the term contingency means and includes the nonexistence of any required party committee, the failure of any existing party committee to act, an adjudication that a primary election is void, and the death, incapacity, or moving from the jurisdiction of a partys nominee prior to a general or special election. This section shall apply notwithstanding any provision of chapter 17 of this title to the contrary.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-3.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-3.2
§ 17-19-3.2. Polling place accessibility for voters who are disabled or elderly.
Status: in_force

(a) Every polling place shall be situated in a building that can be entered and exited by persons who are disabled or elderly.

(b) Persons who are disabled for the purpose of this section means a serious impairment of mobility.

(c) Elderly as used in this section means a person who is sixty-five (65) years of age or older.

(d) The state board of elections shall establish guidelines as to the accessibility of buildings to voters who are disabled or elderly. The state board of elections is empowered to grant, upon the application of the board of canvassers, an exception permitting it to maintain a polling place in a nonconforming building. An exception shall only be granted when the board of canvassers demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the board of elections, that there is no public building within the voting district which meets the requirements of this section or which can be brought into compliance by a reasonable expenditure of funds. If a conforming building is unavailable within the voting district, the board of elections shall provide to the board of canvassers an alternative method or an alternative location outside the voting district for persons who are disabled or elderly and request in advance of the election an alternative means of casting their ballot on election day.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-10 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-10
§ 17-11-10. Filling of vacancies by town council.
Status: in_force

In case of the death, resignation, or permanent disability of the moderator of any town, or of the moderator or clerk of any senatorial or representative district, except in the cities of Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Warwick, Cranston, Woonsocket, and Newport, or of any voting district in any town, except the towns of Barrington, Middletown, and Warren, not divided into senatorial or representative districts, the town council may fill the vacancy from the list of registered voters submitted by the party chairperson under whose party designation the moderator or clerk had been elected. In the absence of a submitted list, or, if the person, when elected, was not affiliated with any party, the town council may make its choice from the list of registered voters.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-30 / Section 17-30-4
§ 17-30-4. Severability.
Status: in_force

The provisions of this chapter are severable. If any provision of this chapter or its application is held to be invalid, such holding shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-1
§ 17-15-1. Date of primaries.
Status: in_force

A primary election for the nomination of candidates for each political party shall be held in each voting district in the manner provided in this chapter on the eighth Tuesday preceding biennial state elections.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-24-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-24 / Section 17-24-1
§ 17-24-1. Mandamus by supreme court  Replacement of officer refusing to obey.
Status: in_force

Whenever any person upon whom is imposed any duty connected with the calling, warning, or conducting of any town, ward, or district meeting, or with the canvassing of the lists of voters for use at these meetings, or with the counting of the votes cast at the meetings, or the declaring of the result of the votes, fails, neglects, or refuses to perform his or her duty within the time specified by law for its performance, the supreme court shall immediately, upon the petition of any citizen of the city or town where the failure, neglect, or refusal occurred, issue its writ of mandamus ordering the person failing, neglecting, or refusing to perform the duties in question within twenty-four (24) hours from the time of the issuance of the writ; and if the failure, neglect, or refusal continues beyond the twenty-four (24) hours specified in the writ, the court shall immediately appoint some suitable person to at once perform the duties, and the person refusing to obey the writ of mandamus shall, in addition to the penalties by law for the failure, neglect, or refusal to perform his or her duties, be liable to those further penalties for contempt of court that the court may impose for failure to obey the writ.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-4
§ 17-20-4. Exemption from registration.
Status: in_force

Any member of the armed forces or of the merchant marine of the United States in active service, any person absent from the state in the performance of services intimately connected with military operations, as defined in § 17-20-3(d), and any person employed outside of the United States, as defined in § 17-20-3(c) who, except for registration, would be a qualified elector of this state, shall be exempt during the period of his or her service or employment and for two (2) years thereafter from the registration requirements of the Constitution of this state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-1.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-1.1
§ 17-20-1.1. Declaration of policy.
Status: in_force

Those electors who vote by mail are entitled to vote in a manner which reasonably guarantees the secrecy of their ballots. The procedures set forth in this chapter are designed to promote the effective exercise of their rights while safeguarding those voters who utilize the mail ballot process from harassment, intimidation, and invasion of privacy. The procedures are intended to prevent misuse of the electoral system. The provisions of this chapter shall be interpreted to effectuate the policies set forth in this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-1 / Section 17-1-6
§ 17-1-6. Scope of title.
Status: in_force

This title shall apply to all elections, except as may otherwise be provided by law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-1.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-1.1
§ 17-11-1.1. Combination of voting districts for special election.
Status: in_force

(a) The board of canvassers of any city or town at which there shall be submitted to the voters a question or questions for their approval or rejection or at which officials will be elected, shall have the authority to combine two (2) or more voting districts, when in its judgment the combination is advisable. The board may by unanimous vote make such designation for any special election, but only upon the approval of the board of elections.

(b) If voting districts are combined as provided in subsection (a), the local board must advertise the combination of districts in a newspaper of general circulation in the city or town no less than seven (7) days and no more than twenty-one (21) days before the special election.

(c) [Deleted by P.L. 2019, ch. 69, § 1 and P.L. 2019, ch. 79, § 1.]

(d) [Deleted by P.L. 2023, ch. 250, § 1 and P.L. 2023, ch. 251, § 1.]
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-12.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-12.1
§ 17-12-12.1. Vacancies in city or ward committees.
Status: in_force

(a) Any vacancy occurring in any of the offices and/or membership of city, town, or ward committees shall be filled by the remaining members of the committee. A statement of that action by any committee shall be filed as in the case of officers and members first chosen.

(b) If any vacancy occurs either with respect to any office of a city or ward committee or with respect to the membership of any city or ward committee, and the vacancy is not filled within forty-five (45) days of the date upon which the vacancy occurs pursuant to the provisions of § 17-12-12, the vacancy shall be filled by the city committee of the political party involved or the executive committee of the city committee or any duly elected subcommittee of the executive committee or by the city chairperson of the political party if so authorized. The committee shall file a statement setting forth the appointment or appointments as in the case of officers and members first chosen in accordance with § 17-12-11.

(c) A statement of that action by any committee shall be filed as in the case of officers and members first chosen in accordance with § 17-12-11.

(d) The removal of residence by an elected or appointment member of a ward committee from the ward from which he or she has been elected or appointed shall constitute his or her resignation from the city or ward committee.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-5.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-1 / Section 17-1-5.1
§ 17-1-5.1. Municipal and state employees holding elective public office.
Status: in_force

(a) A municipal employee may hold a state elective office or a municipal elective office; provided, that except as authorized pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, no municipal employee may hold a municipal elective office in the city or town in which he or she is employed, and a state employee may hold any municipal elective office. Any provision in any state law, municipal ordinance, or city or town charter prohibiting a municipal employee from holding state elective office or municipal elective office, other than in the town where he or she is employed, or a state employee from holding a municipal elective office is declared null and void.

(b) The provisions of this section shall not apply to school teachers of the individual cities and towns as defined in title 16.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of the first sentence of subsection (a) of this section, a city or town may, by charter or ordinance, permit a municipal employee of that city or town to hold the office of school committee person in that city or town.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-22 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-22
§ 17-19-22. Party checkers, runners, and watchers.
Status: in_force

The officers required to furnish and equip any voting place shall also provide a table in the room where the voting is conducted, outside the enclosed space near the first bipartisan pair of supervisors, at which a representative of each recognized political party bearing credentials signed by the proper ward or town committee chairperson, shall be allowed to sit for the purpose of keeping track of those who are voting, and these representatives, who shall be known as checkers, may be changed during the day. A representative, known as a runner, of each of the parties shall be allowed to come to the table at frequent intervals for the purpose of taking whatever list or memoranda the checkers may wish to give the runner. A representative of each recognized political party bearing credentials signed by the proper ward or town committee chairperson, shall also be allowed outside the enclosed place to observe the voting and assist the checkers, and these representatives shall be known as watchers. The watchers and any election official shall have the right to challenge the right to vote of any person offering himself or herself as a voter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-20 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-20
§ 17-10-20. Neglect of duty by public officers.
Status: in_force

Any public officer upon whom a duty is imposed by this chapter or chapter 9.1 of this title, who willfully neglects to perform the duty, shall be guilty of a felony.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-6-11 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-6 / Section 17-6-11
§ 17-6-11. Lists not deemed official.
Status: in_force

Registration lists purchased pursuant to §§ 17-6-5  17-6-10 are not to be deemed to be the official voting lists for any districts. The official lists are those prepared and published by the several local boards.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-44 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-44
§ 17-19-44. Officer tampering with voting equipment.
Status: in_force

Any person having the custody of voting equipment under this chapter, or any election or primary officer, who, with intent to cause or permit any voting equipment to fail to correctly register all votes cast, tampers with, injures, or disarranges the voting equipment in any way, or any part of the voting equipment, or who causes or consents to the voting equipment being used for voting at any election or primary with knowledge of the fact that the voting equipment is not in order or not properly set and programmed so that it will correctly register all votes cast, or who, for the purpose of defrauding or deceiving any voter or of causing it to be doubtful for what candidates or question any vote is cast, or of causing it to appear upon the voting equipment that votes cast for one candidate or question were cast for another candidate or question, removes, changes, or mutilates any computer ballot or any part of any computer ballot, or does anything to defeat the will or intention of a voter in casting a lawful vote, shall be guilty of a felony.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-13 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-13
§ 17-15-13. Voting places  Primary officials  Party officials  Appointment.
Status: in_force

(a) From lists submitted to it by the chairperson of the state committees of each party, the board shall appoint and issue commissions to a sufficient number of qualified electors of this state to be primary inspectors so that one inspector may be assigned for each party to each primary polling place to work with the other primary officials of his or her party. The local board shall, at least fifty (50) days prior to the primary, select the place or places designated by it for holding the primary election provided for by this chapter. The local board shall, at least thirty-five (35) days before any primary election, appoint for each polling place within its city or town a primary warden or moderator and a primary clerk in the following manner:

(1) If there are primary contests in both major political parties, the warden and clerk shall be appointed as provided in § 17-11-11;

(2) If there is a primary contest in only one of the major political parties, the warden and the clerk shall be selected from a list submitted by the local committee of the party in which the contest exists.

(b) The local board shall also appoint at least thirty-five days (35) before any primary election, from lists submitted at least forty-five (45) days prior to the date set for the holding of the primaries, four (4) supervisors, in the following manner: (1) if there are primary contests in both major political parties, one supervisor shall be appointed for each party in the manner provided in § 17-11-11 and two (2) supervisors, one for each party, shall be appointed from lists submitted by a majority of the respective party candidates, other than those endorsed by the party committee; (2) if there is no primary contest in one of the major political parties, two (2) supervisors shall be appointed from a list submitted by the local committee in which the contest exists, and two (2) supervisors shall be appointed from a list or lists submitted by a majority of the party candidates, other than those endorsed by the party committee. The local board may appoint any additional pairs of supervisors that it may deem necessary in the same manner provided in this subsection and shall do so when directed by the state board.

(c) The local board shall also appoint for each party one watcher, two (2) checkers, and the number of runners, not to exceed three (3), that the appropriate party chairperson may deem necessary, which watcher, checkers, and runners shall be designated as party officials. These party officials shall be appointed from lists of qualified electors who are qualified to vote at the respective party primaries which lists shall be furnished as provided in subsection (b) of this section to the local board at least ten (10) days prior to the date set for the holding of the primary. If the party candidates or a majority of them, other than those endorsed by the party committee, notify the local board in writing of their choices at least ten (10) days prior to the date set for the holding of the primaries, the local board shall likewise appoint one watcher, two (2) checkers, and the number of runners that it shall have appointed at the request of the party chairperson, to act for them collectively. The local board shall give them certificates as party officials.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-27 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-27
§ 17-20-27. Sealing of ballots and voting list.
Status: in_force

The state board shall, at the completion of the count of all votes cast at any election, securely store all ballots cast in the election, and after the certification of the results of the elections, the state board shall place all ballots received from mail voters together with the certified envelopes containing the ballots in a steel box or package and shall seal the ballots and envelopes in open meetings of the board by affixing at least four (4) adhesive labels, and the members of the board shall sign the labels by affixing their signatures in ink to each of the labels, and thereafter no steel box or package shall upon any pretense be reopened by any person, except upon order of the general assembly or a court of competent jurisdiction, but shall be held by the board for twenty-two (22) months, when they may then be destroyed. The certified copies of the voting lists of mail voters and the applications referred to in § 17-20-10 shall likewise be safely sealed and kept by the board for the same length of time.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-7 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-7
§ 17-23-7. Protection of names of major parties.
Status: in_force

(a) It shall be unlawful for any club or society or association, whether incorporated or not, to include in its name the word republican or democrat or any designation indicating its affiliation with a political party, unless:

(1) If it is state or congressional district wide in its membership or activities, it has the written consent for the inclusion of the state central committee of the republican or democratic party, as the case may be;

(2) If it is city or town wide in its membership or activities, it has the written consent for the inclusion of the city or town committee of the republican or democratic party, as the case may be, of the city or town in which its activities are or are to be centered;

(3) If it is ward or voting district wide in its membership or activities, it has a written consent for the inclusion of the ward committee of the republican or democratic party, as the case may be, of the ward in which its activities are or are to be centered;

(4) If it is senatorial or representative district wide in its membership or activities, it has the written consent for the inclusion of the district committee of the republican or democratic party, as the case may be, of the senatorial or representative district, as the case may be, in which its activities are or are to be centered.

(b) Every member and every officer of any club, society, or association, whether incorporated or not, violating any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a petty misdemeanor.

(c) Upon the written request of one member of the committee from which consent for the inclusion should have been obtained as provided in this section, the attorney general shall institute appropriate court proceedings to prevent continued violations of this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-37.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-37.2
§ 17-19-37.2. Recount eligibility  Write-in candidates for public office.
Status: in_force

(1) A write-in candidate for election to public office shall be eligible to request a recount of the votes cast in a race:

(a) If, following the initial manual count of all irregular ballots, the write-in candidate shall have received a minimum of ten (10) votes or one percent (1%) of the votes cast in the race, whichever is greater; provided, however, that if no candidates appear on the ballot in said race and only write-in candidates receive votes, a write-in candidate shall be required to receive at least ten (10) votes in the race; and

(b) The write-in candidate shall trail the winning candidate by less than the number of votes as may be required to qualify for a recount pursuant to subsection (1) or (2) of §17-19-37.1, as is applicable.

(2) A write-in candidate for public office who is eligible to request a recount pursuant to subsection (1) of this section may request a recount of the irregular ballots cast at each precinct by a manual recounting of said ballots. In addition, the state board may, upon its own motion, determine to manually re-feed the computer ballots cast at each precinct in the race into the optical scan voting equipment.

The state board shall have the authority to adopt rules and regulations to implement and administer the provisions of this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-43 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-43
§ 17-19-43. Tampering with sample ballot.
Status: in_force

Every person who willfully and without lawful authority destroys, secretes, removes, defaces, alters, tampers, or meddles with a sample ballot, shall be guilty of a felony.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-12 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-12
§ 17-10-12. Notification to local board members and clerk.
Status: in_force

Upon the filing of the appeal, the state board of elections shall immediately cause the members and clerk of the local board to appear before the state board, at a time and place to be set by the board.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-20 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-20
§ 17-19-20. Repair or replacement of defective machines.
Status: in_force

If an optical scan precinct count unit becomes out of order, the warden shall notify the voting equipment technician assigned to respond to those calls. While repairing or otherwise attending to the repair of any voting machine equipment, the voting equipment technician shall display, in a visible manner and on his or her clothing, an identification furnished by the state board of elections, and which shall include, whenever possible, a photograph of the voting equipment technician. In the event that repairs are made to the voting equipment, the voting equipment technician shall make the repairs in the presence of a bi-partisan pair of election officials, and the technician shall note on the official document provided the nature and extent of the repairs made by the technician, the number of the optical scan precinct count unit, the time required to make the repairs, and the probable cause of the failure to operate properly. If any optical scan precinct count unit cannot be repaired by the technician within a period of thirty (30) minutes, the technician and the board shall at once substitute another optical scan precinct count unit for the out of order unit, and at the close of the polls the records of both units shall be taken. During the time in which the optical scan precinct count unit is not accepting ballots, the warden shall, in the presence of the clerk, unlock the emergency bin compartment of the optical scan unit and shall direct voters to place their voted ballots into that compartment. Upon the repair of the unit, the warden, in the presence of the clerk, shall remove the ballots, deposit them in the appropriate ballot slot for counting by the unit, and shall then close and lock the emergency compartment slot.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-2.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-1 / Section 17-1-2.1
§ 17-1-2.1. Signature identification.
Status: in_force

For the purpose of assisting registrars and other persons in identifying a voters signature, whenever in this title and whenever under any home rule charter enacted pursuant to article XIII, § 1 of the Constitution of the state of Rhode Island a voters signature is required, space shall be provided and so labeled for the voter to print his or her legal name. However, failure of the voter to print his or her name shall not invalidate the signature if otherwise legible. This section shall not apply to the original voters registration form and other forms where the name of the voter is typed and/or printed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-16 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-16
§ 17-25-16. Enjoining of illegal acts  Forfeiture of contributions.
Status: in_force

(a) Whenever the board of elections has reason to believe that a candidate, political party committee, or political action committee, or the campaign treasurer or deputy campaign treasurer of the candidate or committee, has accepted a contribution or made an expenditure in violation of the provisions of this chapter, or willfully and knowingly has made a false statement in any of the reports required under this chapter or failed to file any report, or has otherwise violated this chapter, the board may, in addition to all other actions authorized by law, request the attorney general to bring an action in the name of the state of Rhode Island in the superior court against the person and/or committee to enjoin them from continuing the violation, or doing any acts in furtherance of the violation, and for any other relief that the court deems appropriate. In addition, the court may order the forfeiture of any or all contributions accepted in violation of and/or not reported as required by this chapter. All contributions so forfeited shall become the property of the state.

(b) The court shall also impose a civil penalty not exceeding three (3) times the amount of:

(1) Contributions made or accepted in violation of this chapter;

(2) Expenditures made in violation of this chapter; and/or

(3) Contributions or expenditures not reported as required by this chapter.

(c) All funds collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the fund established for the public financing of the electoral system pursuant to this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-24-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-24 / Section 17-24-2
§ 17-24-2. Performance of duties by supreme court appointee.
Status: in_force

The person appointed by the court, as provided in § 17-24-1, shall immediately proceed to perform the duties devolved upon him or her by the court, and the acts done by him or her in pursuance of his or her appointment shall be as effectual and valid in all respects as if the acts had been done and performed by the person failing, neglecting, or refusing, at the time and in the manner provided by law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-24.3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-24.3
§ 17-19-24.3. Provisional ballot procedures.
Status: in_force

(a) At all elections, a person claiming to be a registered and eligible voter, but who has failed to provide proof of identity pursuant to § 17-19-24.2 shall be allowed to vote a provisional ballot upon executing a provisional ballot voters application. All provisional ballots, together with a provisional ballot voters application, shall be placed in an envelope in the form prescribed by the state board and deposited in a ballot box.

(b) The local board shall examine each provisional ballot application to determine if the signature matches the signature on the voters registration. If the local board determines that the signatures match, the provisional ballot shall count. If the local board determines that the signatures do not match, the provisional ballot shall not count and the ballot shall remain in the envelope containing the provisional ballot application and the envelope shall be marked Rejected as Illegal.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-19 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-19
§ 17-15-19. Arrangement and paraphernalia at voting places.
Status: in_force

The primary election voting places shall be equipped by the local boards with the paraphernalia necessary for conducting elections and, except as otherwise specifically provided in chapters 12  15 of this title, the voting places shall be arranged wherever practicable in the manner provided in chapter 19 of this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-16 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-14 / Section 17-14-16
§ 17-14-16. Certification of names of candidates to secretary of state.
Status: in_force

Following the determination of objections, if any, to the nomination papers, the state board or local board shall immediately certify to the secretary of state the names and addresses of all candidates who have filed valid nomination papers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-4-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-4 / Section 17-4-6
§ 17-4-6. Manner of voting  Election by plurality.
Status: in_force

In all elections of senators and representatives in congress the voting shall be in accordance with the provisions of chapter 19 of this title, and the person or candidate receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-8-7 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-8 / Section 17-8-7
§ 17-8-7. Power of boards to administer oaths and subpoena evidence  Self-incrimination  False swearing.
Status: in_force

The members of the local boards are severally authorized to administer oaths, and the boards, in all cases of every nature pending before them, are authorized and empowered to summon witnesses by subpoena signed by the clerk of those boards, and to compel these witnesses to attend and testify in the same manner as witnesses are compelled to appear and testify in any court; and the boards are authorized to compel the production of all papers, books, documents, records, certificates, or other legal evidence that may be necessary or proper for the determination and decision of any question or the discharge of any duty required by law of the boards, by issuing a subpoena duces tecum, signed by their clerk. Every person disobeying any subpoena shall be adjudged as in contempt, and the boards may punish any contempt of their authority in like manner as contempt may be punished by any court, and the boards may, at any meeting held for the purpose of canvassing the voting lists, examine under oath the person whose right to vote is disputed or any other person, and may receive any other evidence that the boards may deem necessary respecting the right of any person to have his or her name upon the registry or to vote, and shall decide upon the right. No evidence elicited in the examination shall be used against the person so examined in any criminal prosecution against him or her, except a prosecution for perjury in the examination. Any person who shall willfully swear falsely in any proceeding, matter, or hearing before the boards or any of them shall be guilty of a felony.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-29-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-29 / Section 17-29-1
§ 17-29-1. Short title.
Status: in_force

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Voter Choice Act.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-12 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-12
§ 17-20-12. Secretary of state to furnish forms and supplies.
Status: in_force

All mail ballots, application forms, certified envelopes for enclosing ballots, any other envelopes that may be necessary, and instructions as to voting, use of ballots, and affidavits, shall be furnished and supplied by the secretary of state for use in mailing application forms, ballots, and other supplies to mail voters to carry out the provisions of this chapter, but each local board shall print or stamp upon the application form and upon the return envelope the address of the local board. The secretary of state is authorized to interpret and apply the provisions of this chapter in a manner that effects the legislative intention set forth in this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-23.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-23.2
§ 17-19-23.2. Compensation of election officials.
Status: in_force

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 § 17-20-13.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-13.1
§ 17-20-13.1. Form of emergency mail ballot application.
Status: in_force

The emergency mail ballot application to be subscribed by the voters before receiving a mail ballot shall, in addition to any directions that may be printed, stamped, or written on the application by authority of the secretary of state, be in substantially the following form:
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-1
§ 17-19-1. Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in this chapter, except as otherwise required by the context:

(1) Candidate means any individual who has qualified under law to have his or her name appear on the ballot for nomination for election or election to office;

(2) Computer ballot means the paper ballot prepared by the office of the secretary of state for use in conjunction with the optical-scan precinct-count system or the voting equipment precinct-count system then in place and procured in accordance with this chapter;

(3) Public office means any state, municipal, school, or district office or other position that is filled by popular election, except political party offices which shall mean any state, city, town, ward, or representative or senatorial district committee office of a political party or delegate to a political party convention, or any similar office;

(4) A Vote shall be any mark made with the appropriate marking device within the ballot voting area between the head and tail of the arrow or in the oval as indicated on the computer ballot next to the candidate, write-in candidate, or question, as is applicable, for whom the voter casts his or her ballot, except as provided in § 17-20-24;

(5) Voting equipment means an optical-scan precinct-count voting system or the voting equipment precinct-count system then in place and procured in accordance with this chapter, related memory device, all related hardware and software, accessible voting systems required by federal law, and voting booths;

(6) Warden includes moderator and vice versa; and

(7) Write-in candidate means any individual receiving votes or seeking election to office by virtue of having irregular ballots cast for him or her pursuant to § 17-19-31.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-6.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-6.2
§ 17-20-6.2. Designation of single state office to provide information on registration and absentee ballot procedures under the Help America Vote Act.
Status: in_force

The secretary of state is designated as the single state office responsible for providing information regarding voter registration procedures and absentee ballot procedures under Section 702 of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-252) [see 42 U.S.C. § 1973ff-1(a) and (b)] and shall be responsible for the coordination of the state of Rhode Islands responsibilities under that section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-4.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-4.2
§ 17-19-4.2. Moderator request  Computerized voting machines.
Status: in_force

(a) Upon request of a moderator charged with conducting a municipal or regional school district financial meeting, the board of elections will furnish each meeting to be conducted with one computerized voting machine per year, and voting booths and ballots marked yes and no at the states expense. The request shall declare the number of requested ballots and the number of anticipated voters. The request shall be delivered to the board of elections no later than fifteen (15) days prior to the meeting. The board of elections shall determine the need for additional computerized machines and that cost shall be borne by the municipality or school district.

(b) If a municipality or school district holds more than one financial meeting in the same calendar year, the municipality or school district shall bear the cost of any computerized machines, voting booths, and ballots furnished for use at any additional financial meetings.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-1 / Section 17-1-1
§ 17-1-1. Short title.
Status: in_force

This title shall be known and may be cited as the Election Law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-8 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-8
§ 17-25-8. Appointment of campaign treasurer by candidate  Filings.
Status: in_force

(a) Each candidate in an election shall file a notice of organization with the board of elections and appoint one campaign treasurer before receiving any contribution or expending any money in furtherance or aid of the candidates candidacy. The notice of organization shall include the name and address of the candidate, the campaign treasurer, and the committee being established. The candidate shall declare the office being sought and shall comply with the financial statement requirement of § 36-14-16(c).

(b) A candidate may appoint deputy campaign treasurers as required. The candidate shall file the names and addresses of deputy campaign treasurers with the board of elections.

(c) A candidate may remove a campaign treasurer or deputy campaign treasurer. In the case of the death, resignation, or removal of a campaign treasurer, the candidate shall appoint a successor as soon as practicable and shall file his or her name and address with the board of elections within ten (10) days. A candidate may serve as his or her own campaign treasurer, and upon failure to designate a treasurer, the candidate shall be designated his or her own treasurer by the board of elections.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-4-9 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-4 / Section 17-4-9
§ 17-4-9. Special election to fill senatorial vacancy.
Status: in_force

Whenever a person elected a senator in congress, at any time between the day of that persons election and the beginning of his or her term of office, refuses to serve and so declares to the secretary of state, or dies, becomes insane, removes from the state, or is otherwise incapacitated, or whenever a vacancy happens in the representation of this state in the United States senate, the governor shall issue his or her writ of election directed to the several city and town clerks, or local boards as the case may be, ordering a new election of senator to fill the vacancy to be held in the state at as early a date, to be stated in the writ, as will be in compliance with the provisions of law in relation to these elections, but no election provided for by this section shall be held on any day other than the first Tuesday next after the first Monday of any month; provided, that whenever a vacancy occurs between the first day of July and the first day of October in any even-numbered year, the governor shall, unless in his or her opinion the public good requires an earlier special election, issue his or her writ for a special election to fill the vacancy to be held with the general election on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November of that year.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-17 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-17
§ 17-20-17. Omission of presidential electors.
Status: in_force

Every mail ballot previously required by the provisions of law to contain the names of electors for president and vice-president of the United States shall contain the names of all candidates for president and vice-president of the United States preceded by the words Electors for in lieu of names of the electors for the officers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-15 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-15
§ 17-10-15. Use of registration cards at polls.
Status: in_force

(a) The local board shall remove from the container used for that purpose the original registration cards of persons found by the board not to be qualified to vote at the election for which the registry has been canvassed pursuant to this chapter. These removed cards shall be carefully preserved in a separate file to be maintained for that purpose. At that time, the remaining cards shall be secured in their container so that no card may be removed without breaking a seal or otherwise making it appear that a card has been tampered with. The local board shall certify that the cards are a true and complete list of all qualified voters of the voting district as of the date of the certificate, and shall insert the certificate at the front of the container.

(b) A complete list of all qualified voters of each voting district who are eligible to vote in each voting district in the election, as certified by the local board, shall then be delivered to the warden of each polling place to be used as the certified voting list for each voting district. The certified list of voters for each voting district shall be signed and/or otherwise certified by the local board in accordance with regulations to be adopted by the state board. The local board may divide the registration of any voting district into two (2) or more sections for greater convenience of use at the polls. In addition, each warden shall be provided with a certified list of all voters eligible to vote in the election in the entire city or town, and this list shall be signed and/or otherwise certified by the local board in accordance with regulations to be adopted by the state board.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-3-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-3 / Section 17-3-4
§ 17-3-4. Candidates and ballots at adjourned elections.
Status: in_force

At the adjourned elections provided for in § 17-3-3, the official ballot shall contain the names of the candidates for the offices for which there was no choice at the first election, and shall be printed and supplied by the secretary of state; provided, that in case any candidate has died, the senatorial district or representative district committee, as the case may be, of the party to which the candidate belonged may substitute the name of some other person as a candidate and that name shall be printed upon the official ballot, if the substitution is made in time to allow it to be printed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-3
§ 17-23-3. Penalty for advertising violations.
Status: in_force

Whoever violates any provision of § 17-23-1 or § 17-23-2 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.