R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-31 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-31
§ 17-15-31. Tabulation of state returns  Certificates of nomination or election.
Status: in_force

The state board shall proceed to tabulate the state primary returns and announce the results, but shall issue no certificates of nomination until the expiration of the period in which a recount may be requested as provided in § 17-15-34 has expired and, if a request has been filed, until the result has been finally determined by the state board. Following the expiration of this period and the final determination by the state board, if any request for a recount is made, the board shall issue certificates of nomination or election to the candidates so nominated or elected.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-37 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-37
§ 17-19-37. Tabulation of state returns  Certificate of election.
Status: in_force

The state board shall proceed to tabulate the state election returns and declare the results as provided in chapter 22 of this title, and any candidate at the election challenging the result as applied to him or her may petition the board within seven (7) days after the declaration to conduct a recount of the votes cast in the candidates election according to the provisions set forth in § 17-19-37.1. After the completion of the recount, and as soon as it can do so consistent with its other duties, the state board shall issue a certificate of election to the state and federal candidate it determines to have been elected.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-43 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-43
§ 17-15-43. Applicability of election law.
Status: in_force

All political party primaries shall be construed to be elections as defined in this title, and all the provisions of this title shall, insofar as consistent with the provisions of this chapter, apply to all political party primaries.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-2-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-2 / Section 17-2-6
§ 17-2-6. Majority required in general assembly  Term of officer elected to fill vacancy.
Status: in_force

In elections by the general assembly in grand committee, the person receiving a majority of the votes shall be elected. Every person elected by the general assembly to fill a vacancy, pursuant to the provision of this chapter, shall hold his or her office for the remainder of the term or for the full term, as the case may be, and until his or her successor is elected and qualified.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-22 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-22
§ 17-15-22. Party checkers, runners and watchers.
Status: in_force

The local board shall, by written rule, provide for the presence of party checkers to be seated outside the rail next to the warden to make a list of those who vote and for the distribution of lists or memoranda to the proper representatives or candidates or groups of candidates. Party checkers, runners and watchers shall be regulated in the same manner as directed in § 17-19-22.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-9 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-9
§ 17-20-9. Application by permanently disabled or incapacitated voters and nursing home residents.
Status: in_force

(a) A voter, by signing an application, may request that a mail ballot application be sent to the voter automatically for every election. The application and instructions shall be prescribed by the secretary of state, and furnished upon request to any elector by each local board of canvassers. The envelope containing the mail ballot application shall be clearly marked as not forwardable. If any elector is no longer an eligible voter the elector shall notify the local board of canvassers of this fact. The local board shall remove the name of any voter from the mailing list established under this section upon receipt of reliable information that a voter no longer qualifies for the service. The voter shall be notified of the action within five (5) days after the board takes the action.

(b) The application and instructions prescribed in this section shall be mailed to the applicant along with a stamped return envelope addressed to the local boards of canvassers. The secretary of state may process applications pursuant to this section through the online mail ballot application portal established by § 17-20-2.3.

(c) [Deleted by P.L. 2025, ch. 231, § 1 and P.L. 2025, ch. 232, § 1.]

(d) The secretary of state shall maintain a list in the central voter registration system of all voters who automatically receive applications for mail ballots, pursuant to this section.

(e) [Expires December 31, 2025.] Eligible disabled voters shall be entitled to electronically receive and return their mail ballot, using the same electronic transmission system as that used by voters covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). This electronic process shall satisfy the federal Rehabilitation Act, section 508 concerning accessibility standards.

(f) [Expires December 31, 2025.] For purposes of this section, eligible disabled voter means a person with disabilities eligible to vote who is incapacitated to such an extent that it would be an undue hardship to vote at the polls because of illness, mental or physical disability, blindness, or a serious impairment of mobility.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-6-5 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-6 / Section 17-6-5
§ 17-6-5. Registration lists available to political parties and candidates.
Status: in_force

(a) Upon application in writing, the secretary of state shall, upon request, furnish prepaid at a reasonable price to be established annually by the secretary and at a reasonable time, to the state chairperson of each political party and to each person proposing to be a duly qualified candidate for state or congressional office and to no one else except as provided in this chapter, lists of registered voters as they appear in the central voter registry of each city or town or of each senatorial or representative district, or of each congressional district.

(b) These lists, so furnished, shall be used by the chairpersons for political purposes, or by the candidates only in the furtherance of candidacy for political office in the ensuing primary and/or general election and for no other purpose. The information available for each registrant shall consist only of the name, designation of party affiliation, street address, city or town, congressional district, senatorial district, representative district, ward, and/or precinct and nothing else.

(c) The price for these lists shall include update subscriptions as available to the date of the election for which the lists have been requested. These updates shall reflect changes to the registry records, including all new and deleted voters as received by the secretary of state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-16 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-16
§ 17-10-16. Challenge lists.
Status: in_force

The local board shall prepare and annex a challenge list to each of these canvassed and certified voting lists. The challenge list shall consist of the names and addresses of all persons who are determined to be ineligible to vote in the ensuing election at any time after the final list of eligible voters has been certified by the local board. The challenge list shall also contain the names and addresses of all persons who have been furnished mail ballots. The challenge list shall also contain the names and addresses of all persons who, after the final list of voters eligible to participate in the election have been certified, become ineligible to vote for failure to comply with § 17-9.1-25. Provided, that the state board, by regulation, may authorize local boards to code the certified list provided to voting district wardens to indicate the ineligibility of a voter or the status of a voter as a mail ballot voter, or the status of a voter as an inactive voter. Copies of the challenge lists shall be furnished to political party workers at each polling place.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-20 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-20
§ 17-15-20. Primaries conducted in same manner as general elections.
Status: in_force

Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, primary elections shall be conducted as nearly as may be in the manner provided in chapter 19 of this title for the conducting of general elections, except that the voting in each party shall be cast on separate computer ballots.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-9.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-9.1
§ 17-19-9.1. Ballot arrangement  Independent candidates.
Status: in_force

In all state elections at which candidates for public office are to be elected, some of whom are candidates of a political party and some of whom are independent candidates as defined in § 17-1-2(4), all independent candidates for the same public office shall be listed on the ballot, in the vertical column below the title of the office they seek, following the listing of the political party candidates for the office and in an order chosen by lottery; provided, that any independent candidate shall be entitled to have appear on the ballot, in small print to the right his or her name, the name of any political principle, movement, or organization with which the candidate wishes to be identified. The name of the political principle, movement, or organization must be identified on the declaration of candidacy, must contain not more than three (3) words, and must not include, in whole or in part, the name of any political party. If any declaration of candidacy does not contain the name of any political principle, movement, or organization, the word independent will appear in small print to the right the name of the candidate on the ballot. Except as provided in this section, the powers and duties of the secretary of state with respect to the preparation of the ballots shall not be affected.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-21 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-21
§ 17-10-21. Right to vote or validity of election unaffected by neglect of duty.
Status: in_force

The failure of any local board to perform any of its duties required by law shall not affect the validity of an election or a financial town meeting or the right of any person to vote, except as the right to vote may be affected by noncompliance with chapters 1 and 9.1 of this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-1 / Section 17-1-3
§ 17-1-3. Eligibility to vote.
Status: in_force

(a) Every citizen of the United States who is at least eighteen (18) years of age, whose residence as defined in § 17-1-3.1 has been in this state for at least thirty (30) days, and in the town or city and voting district in which that person desires to cast his or her vote at least thirty (30) days next preceding the election, and who is registered in that city or town and voting district at least thirty (30) days next preceding any election, shall be entitled to vote in the election; provided, a person may vote in a primary election only if that person is eligible under the provisions of this title. A person who has not registered to vote, or whose registration has been canceled pursuant to § 17-10-1, may cast a vote for president and vice-president on election day at the persons city or town hall or at an alternate location designated by the board of canvassers, and approved by the board of elections, where such location is deemed necessary to better accommodate such voters. The casting of that vote shall commence the process of voter registration and subject the person voting to the requirements and penalties of this chapter.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, any person who has not yet reached age eighteen (18), but will be age eighteen (18) at the time of a general election, may vote in a primary election, in which candidates are nominated for a general or special election.

(c) The provisions of subsection (b) shall not extend to any other elections.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-8.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-8.1
§ 17-25-8.1. Appointment of treasurer by political action committee  Filings.
Status: in_force

(a) Each political action committee shall appoint one campaign treasurer before receiving any contribution or expending any money for the purpose of advocating the election or defeat of any candidate.

(b) A campaign treasurer of a political action committee may appoint deputy campaign treasurers as may be required. The committees shall file the names and addresses of the deputy campaign treasurers with the board of elections.

(c) Any political action committee may remove at any time its campaign treasurer. In the case of the death, resignation, or removal of its campaign treasurer, any committee 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.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-2-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-2 / Section 17-2-1
§ 17-2-1. General officers enumerated  Election and terms.
Status: in_force

The governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and general treasurer shall be known as general officers. They shall be elected at a general election, quadrennially, in accordance with the provisions of this title, and shall hold their respective offices for four (4) years beginning on the first Tuesday of January next succeeding their election and until the election and qualification of their respective successors.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-35 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-35
§ 17-15-35. Hearing on recount or protest  Notice  Declaration of nomination or election.
Status: in_force

(a) Immediately upon the filing of a protest or request, the state board shall cause notice in writing to be served in any manner that it directs, at the expense of the petitioner, upon all other candidates of the same political party for the same office receiving votes at the primary, and shall give notice in some public newspaper of general circulation in the voting district or districts where the primary took place of the making of the request or protest and the time and place of the hearing, which time shall be not less than one nor more than three (3) weekdays after the publication of the notice. At the hearing all candidates who may be affected by a recount may be heard in person or by their representative. The hearing and the examination of the voting equipment or the recounting of the ballots, as the case may be, as may be necessary, shall be conducted in a summary and expeditious manner, but the result of the voting as determined by the state board shall not be altered or changed by the board except upon satisfactory proof of its incorrectness. Following the hearing, the state board shall declare what person, if any, was lawfully nominated or elected, and shall issue or direct the local board to issue a certificate of the nomination or election to that person.

(b) Recounts shall be conducted in the manner set forth in chapter 19 of this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-2
§ 17-12-2. Composition and powers of state committees.
Status: in_force

The state committee of a political party shall be composed as determined by the party. It shall have:

(1) General oversight of all conventions of its party;

(2) Power to make rules not inconsistent with law for the guidance and control of all the political committees of its party;

(3) Power to make a final nomination for any state office for which no primary nomination has been made and any local office for which no nomination has been made by any authorized city, town, ward, or district committee or any duly authorized subcommittee; provided, that the state committee shall not be permitted, more than twenty-four (24) hours after the deadline for the filing of declarations of candidacy, to make a nomination for any office upon the failure of a candidate of that party to file for that public office. Nominations for such office shall be filed in the same location as the declaration of candidacy for such office pursuant to the requirements of § 17-14-1 of the general laws. Individuals nominated under this section must 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 of the general laws and must then meet the respective requirements for filing sufficient nomination papers set forth in chapter 14; and

(4) Power to fill vacancies in its own membership and as provided in chapter 15 of this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-2
§ 17-23-2. Signature of posters, fliers, and circulars.
Status: in_force

No person shall intentionally write, print, post, or distribute, or cause to be written, printed, posted, or distributed, a circular, flier, or poster designed or tending to injure or defeat any candidate for nomination or election to any public office, by criticizing the candidates personal character or political action, or designed or tending to aid, injure, or defeat any question submitted to the voters, unless there appears upon the circular, flier, or poster in a conspicuous place the name of the author and either the names of the chairperson and secretary, or of two (2) officers, of the political or other organization issuing the poster, flier, or circular, or of some voter who is responsible for it, with the voters name and residence, and the street and numbers, if any.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-31 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-31
§ 17-20-31. Investigation of complaints.
Status: in_force

The board of elections shall consider all complaints that it receives alleging criminal violations of this chapter and shall refer those complaints which it receives which it deems to be more than frivolous to the state police for investigation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-22-5 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-22 / Section 17-22-5
§ 17-22-5. Certificates of election  Statement to secretary of state.
Status: in_force

(a) The state board shall immediately, after the result has been ascertained, furnish to each candidate elected a certificate of that candidates election, and shall deliver to the secretary of state, who shall keep it on file in the secretarys office, a statement of:

(1) The number of votes cast in each voting district, town, and city for each candidate;

(2) The total number cast in the state for each of the candidates for electors and for general officers;

(3) The total number cast in each congressional district for each candidate for representative in congress;

(4) The total number cast in each senatorial and representative district for each candidate for senator and representative in the general assembly;

(5) The number of votes cast in each voting district, town, and city for and against any proposed amendment of the Constitution, or question submitted to the electors of the state;

(6) The total number of votes cast in the state for and against any proposed amendment or question;

(7) The names of the respective candidates elected and the offices to which they have been respectively elected;

(8) Whether or not the proposed amendment has been adopted; and

(9) Whether or not any question has been assented to by the electors of the state.

(b) The certificates and statement shall be signed by the board and shall be final and conclusive evidence of the matters contained in them and of the title of the persons declared elected to the offices for which they have severally received certificates of election, except as otherwise provided in the Constitution of this state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-7 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-7
§ 17-12-7. Composition of city and district committees  Appointment.
Status: in_force

The members of the several ward committees in each city of the same political party shall constitute the city committee of the political party for that city. For each of the political parties, there shall be a senatorial district committee for each senatorial district to consist of five (5) members where the senatorial district is contained within a single city or town, and to consist of seven (7) members where the senatorial district includes all or parts of two (2) or more cities or towns. Senatorial district committee members shall, in the first instance, be appointed by the chairperson of the state committee of the party. There shall be a representative district committee for each representative district to consist of three (3) members where the representative district is contained within a single city or town, and to consist of five (5) members where the representative district includes all or parts of two (2) or more cities or towns. Representative district committee members shall, in the first instance, be appointed by the chairperson of the state committee of the party. The senatorial and representative district committee members shall be qualified electors of their respective districts and shall hold office respectively from the date of their appointment and until the next election of the committees, and thereafter until their successors have been elected, qualified, and organized.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-12.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-14 / Section 17-14-12.1
§ 17-14-12.1. Certification by local boards.
Status: in_force

All certified lists of candidates for primary, regular, and special elections, as well as all local questions to be voted on at these elections shall be in final form when certified to the secretary of state by the local boards. In all instances where there needs to be a reprinting, remailing, or other procedure pertaining to the ballots for a community, except as provided in § 17-14-17, the cost of the reprinting, remailing, or other procedure shall be borne by the local community.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-9 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-9
§ 17-12-9. Organization of city, town, and district committees  Officers  Lists of officers and members.
Status: in_force

(a) All city, town, and district committees shall organize biennially in the month of January in every odd year; provided, that the city committee of the city of Providence shall organize quadrennially.

(b) Each city committee organized under this section may elect not exceeding three (3) officers outside its membership from among the voters of the same political party in the city, and the officers shall, by virtue of their election, become members of the city committee and shall hold office until the next organization meeting of the committee.

(c) Each city committee, town committee, and district committee, within ten (10) days after its organization, shall file with the secretary of state and with the local board a list of its officers and members.

(d) The chairperson of the city committee of each political party in the city of Providence shall appoint the members of a ward committee for each of the several wards of the city of Providence. These appointed ward committee members shall hold office until their successors shall have been duly elected, qualified, and organized.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-16 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-16
§ 17-15-16. Vacancies among primary officials.
Status: in_force

Vacancies occurring among primary officials shall be immediately filled by the local boards in the same manner as provided for general elections as qualified by § 17-15-13; provided, that in the event there are no lists available, the local board shall appoint some person or persons to fill the vacancy from the list of registered voters.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-6-1.4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-6 / Section 17-6-1.4
§ 17-6-1.4. Election systems cybersecurity review board.
Status: in_force

(a) The secretary of state shall establish an election systems cybersecurity review board. The review board shall be comprised of the secretary of state, or designee; the executive director of the board of elections, or designee; the executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, or designee; a representative from the Rhode Island national guard; a representative from the Rhode Island state police; and a representative from the Rhode Island division of information technology.

(b) The secretary of state, or designee, shall serve as chairperson of the review board.

(c) It shall be the duty of the election systems cybersecurity review board to review the assessments conducted by the board of elections and department of state and also to procure a third-party assessment of the election systems. The review board will provide a security analysis of the election systems and election facilities and shall issue a report based on its assessment with any recommendations to improve the cybersecurity of the election systems and election facilities.

(d) The secretary of state shall adopt rules defining classes of protected election data and establish best practices for identifying and reducing risk to the electronic use, storage, and transmission of election data and the security of election systems.

(e) The cybersecurity review board shall issue a report no later than two (2) months prior to a statewide primary election referenced in § 17-15-1.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-21.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-21.1
§ 17-19-21.1. Polling place bake sales.
Status: in_force

Bake sales may be held at polling places as long as conduct does not interfere with the orderly conduct of the scheduled election.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-18-11 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-18 / Section 17-18-11
§ 17-18-11. Time of closing of polls.
Status: in_force

Elective meetings in all cities and towns shall be continuously kept open for voting until 8 p.m.; provided, that any qualified voter who is waiting in line to vote at 8 p.m. shall be entitled to cast his or her vote. When all persons entitled to vote have been afforded a reasonable opportunity to do so, the polls shall be closed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-14 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-14
§ 17-25-14. Maintenance of party organization.
Status: in_force

Any state or municipal committee of any political party may receive and disburse moneys for the general purposes of maintaining the organization during the whole or any part of the year.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-7-8 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-7 / Section 17-7-8
§ 17-7-8. Hearings and investigations  Subpoena powers  False swearing.
Status: in_force

Each member of the state board shall be authorized to administer oaths, and the board, in all cases of every nature pending before it, is authorized and empowered to summon witnesses by subpoena signed by the secretary of the board and to compel these witnesses to attend and testify in the same manner as witnesses are compelled to appear and testify in any court. The board is authorized to compel by its subpoena attested by its secretary, 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 board, and every person disobeying any subpoena shall be considered as in contempt, and the board may punish any contempt of its authority in like manner as contempt may be punished by any court. Any person who shall willfully swear falsely in any proceeding, matter, or hearing before the state board shall be guilty of a felony.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-5 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-5
§ 17-25-5. Duties and powers of the board of elections.
Status: in_force

(a) The board of elections is authorized to perform any duties that are necessary to implement the provisions of this chapter. Without limiting the generality of this provision, the board is authorized and empowered to:

(1) Develop forms for the making of the required reports to be filed with the board of elections, which form shall contain a notice setting forth the times and dates when reports are required to be filed;

(2) Prepare and publish a manual for all candidates, political party committees, political action committees and ballot questions advocates prescribing the requirements of the law, including uniform methods of bookkeeping and reporting and requirements as to the length of time that any person required to keep any records pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall retain these records, or any class or category of records, or any other documents;

(3) Adopt rules and regulations to carry out the purposes of this chapter;

(4)(i) Prepare and make available for public inspection, through the office of the board of elections, summaries of all reports grouped according to candidates and political parties;

(ii) Make all campaign finance reports available electronically on the board of elections website no later than two (2) business days after the reports are received by the board of elections;

(iii) Take any steps that may be necessary or appropriate to make all campaign finance reports available in an electronic searchable format on the board of elections website no later than one business day after the reports are received by the board of elections commencing with the first quarterly reporting period in 2010.

(5) Prepare and publish, prior to May 1 or as soon as practicable thereafter of each year, an annual report to the general assembly;

(6) Ascertain whether candidates or political party committees, political action committees or ballot questions advocates, have failed to file reports or have filed defective reports; and may for good cause shown extend the dates upon which reports are required to be filed;

(7)(i) Conduct confidential investigations and/or closed hearings in accordance with this title relative to alleged violations of this chapter 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. Upon completion of its investigation and/or hearings, if the board has reason to believe that a violation of this chapter has occurred or that a complainant has willfully sworn or affirmed falsely, the chairperson of the board of elections is authorized to and shall issue to the person found to be in violation of this chapter a summons pursuant to § 12-7-11 to appear before the division of the district court where the person resides and shall be prosecuted by the attorney general. Any action taken by the board as a result of a written verified complaint shall, whenever possible, be completed no later than five (5) business days after its receipt, and if no violation is found to exist, all records and papers shall be kept confidential unless further legal proceedings are instituted.

(ii) The confidentiality of an audit, investigation, hearing, and/or findings may be waived in writing only by the person or persons complained of or audited. However, once an audit is complete and presented to the board, the audit will be a matter of public record.

(8) Conduct compliance reviews and audits of campaign accounts as necessary, and in a manner consistent with the provisions of this chapter.

(b) The board of elections shall take any steps that may be necessary or appropriate to furnish timely and adequate information, in appropriate printed summaries and in any other form that it may see fit, to every candidate or prospective candidate for public office who becomes or is likely to become subject to the provisions of this chapter, and to every treasurer duly designated under the provisions of this chapter, informing them of their actual or prospective obligations and responsibilities under this chapter.

(c)(1) The board of elections is authorized, upon written request, to render written advisory opinions as to whether a given set of facts and circumstances set forth in the request would constitute a violation of any of the provisions of this chapter, or whether a given set of facts and circumstances set forth in the request would render any person subject to any of the reporting requirements of this chapter; provided, that the requirement for a written opinion may be voluntarily waived by the candidate or committee.

(2) Unless an extension of time is consented to by any person who submits a written request for an advisory opinion, the board of elections shall, whenever possible, render its written advisory opinion within five (5) business days of receipt of the request.

(d)(1) For each quarterly report required to be filed, the board shall send a postcard by regular mail to each person and entity required to file a report, which will notify the person or entity that a report required to be filed is due within fourteen (14) days.

(2) The failure to receive this notice shall not absolve the person or entity of the reporting requirements contained in this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-8 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-8
§ 17-20-8. Application for ballot.
Status: in_force

(a) Whenever any person is unable to sign their name because of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write, the voter or their assistant shall mark a box to indicate the voter cannot sign due to blindness, disability, or inability to read or write and include the full name, residence address, signature, and optionally the telephone number and e-mail address, of the person who provided assistance to the voter on a form provided by the secretary of state. The representation relating to the voters inability to sign shall be made under the pains and penalties of perjury.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter as to time and manner thereof, it shall be the duty of the applicant to cause the mail ballot application or the emergency mail ballot application, as the case may be, to be processed by the local board so that the applicant may receive the ballot, cast it, and cause delivery thereof to be made to the state board not later than eight oclock (8:00) p.m. on the date of election.

(c) The local board shall maintain a separate list of names and addresses of all applicants and a copy of the list shall be made available for inspection to any person upon request.

(d) Any person knowingly and willfully making a false application or certification or knowingly and willfully aiding and abetting in the making of a false application or certification shall be guilty of a felony.

(e) Voters shall be able to apply for a mail ballot electronically through the voter registration portal established by § 17-20-2.3.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-4
§ 17-15-4. Municipal primaries other than at time of general primaries.
Status: in_force

In those cities and towns that now by law hold elections for city or town officers on a day other than the Tuesday after the first Monday in November biennially in each even year, a primary election for the nomination of the city or town officials shall be held and the local board shall fix the date of the election; provided, that the primary election shall have been held by the first Tuesday after the first Monday in the month preceding the date fixed for the election; and provided, further, that the date fixed by the local 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 § 17-10-19 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-19
§ 17-10-19. False entry or erasure with intent to change voting rights.
Status: in_force

Every person who, at any time, willfully or fraudulently adds a name to a list of voters or erases any name from the list after the list has been corrected for certification pursuant to law, or makes an entry in the registry book or on an original or duplicate card with the intent to permit a person to vote who is not qualified to vote, or to deprive a qualified elector of his or her right to vote, shall be guilty of a felony.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-22-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-22 / Section 17-22-2
§ 17-22-2. Public sessions for counting  Persons permitted within railed space.
Status: in_force

The sessions of the state board for the counting, canvassing, and tabulating provided for in § 17-22-1, and for the opening of the inner certifying envelopes containing mail ballots and for the counting, canvassing, and tabulating of these ballots, shall be public, but no notice or advertisement of these sessions needs to be given. The opening, counting, canvassing, and tabulating shall be done within a railed space in the room in which it takes place, and the board shall admit within the railed space the candidate, or at least one representative of the candidate, for whom votes are at the time being opened, counted, canvassed, or tabulated who may scrutinize the opening, count, canvass, and tabulation in accordance with the rules which may be adopted by the board. The board shall also admit to the opening, counting, canvassing, and tabulating an equal number of representatives of each political party who shall be party voters of the parties represented by them. These representatives, as well as the representatives of candidates, shall be authorized in writing by the chairperson of the state committees of their respective political parties or by the candidates whom they represent, as the case may be. Insofar as applicable, the procedures provided for in this chapter shall be followed by the local boards in the counting and tabulating of municipal mail ballots, except only that in these instances the representatives of political parties shall be appointed by the chairpersons of the city or town committees of their respective political parties. The provisions of this section shall not be construed to prevent the board from admitting, in its discretion, other persons and representatives of the press within the railed space during the opening, counting, canvassing, and tabulating.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-16 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-16
§ 17-11-16. Supervision of adjourned elections.
Status: in_force

In the event that a second, adjourned, or subsequent election is held in accordance with the provisions of this title, the same supervisors of election who acted at the first election shall act at the second or adjourned or other subsequent election, and shall have and exercise the same powers and duties at the second or adjourned or other subsequent election as are prescribed by this title for them to have and exercise at the first election; and the supervisors shall perform the same duties as in the first election.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-7.4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-7.4
§ 17-25-7.4. Limitations on repayment of loans.
Status: in_force

Campaign contributions received pursuant to this chapter shall not be used to repay cumulative personal loans that were made on or after April 29, 1992, to a campaign by a candidate in excess of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) during an election cycle.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-12 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-14 / Section 17-14-12
§ 17-14-12. Filing of nomination papers.
Status: in_force

All nomination papers for state offices or officers and all certified lists of candidates for local offices or officers shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state (the certified lists by the respective local boards), not later than fifty-four (54) days before the date of the primary held to nominate candidates for general election; but when there is a primary to nominate candidates for any office mentioned in § 17-15-7 to be voted upon at a special election for state and local office, all nomination papers and lists of local candidates shall be filed in the office on or before the twenty-sixth (26th) day preceding the day of the special primary election, or when there is a primary to nominate candidates for any office listed in § 17-15-7 to be voted upon at a special election for federal office, all nomination papers and lists of local candidates shall be filed in the office on or before the forty-nineth (49th) day preceding the day of the special primary election. Nomination papers for independent presidential candidates and presidential candidates of political parties other than those defined in § 17-1-2(9) shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state by the local boards of canvassers not later than fifty-four (54) days before the date of the election.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-2
§ 17-25-2. Declaration of policy.
Status: in_force

It is declared to be in the public interest and to be the policy of the state to require the reporting of certain contributions received and expenditures made to aid or promote the nomination, election, or defeat of all candidates for public office.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-24 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-24
§ 17-15-24. Disqualification by activity in other party.
Status: in_force

No person shall be debarred from voting in a party primary solely because of that persons signing of nomination papers of a candidate to be voted for at any primary. A person having designated their party affiliation as set forth in chapter 9.1 of this title shall be deemed to have taken part in the primary as a member of that political party, and shall be debarred from voting in the primary as a member of the opposite political party until that person has changed his or her party affiliation as provided in chapter 9.1 of this title. Any person who is not affiliated with any political party shall not be debarred from voting in a party primary due to their participation in a previous party primary while not affiliated with a party.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-5-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-5 / Section 17-5-4
§ 17-5-4. Manner of voting.
Status: in_force

Voting on all public questions submitted at the general election shall be by use of optical scan voting equipment and computer ballots authorized pursuant to this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-17 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-17
§ 17-10-17. Change of registration records on change of voting district boundaries.
Status: in_force

When the boundaries of any voting district are changed, it shall be the duty of the local board to correct the registration cards and voting lists and to transfer the cards of the registered voters affected by the change, and to notify the voters by mail, postage prepaid, of the transfer and change. The local board shall also notify the secretary of state of the action.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-42 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-42
§ 17-19-42. Tampering with voting equipment.
Status: in_force

Any person, not being an election or primary officer or person upon whom a duty is imposed by this chapter, who, while any voting equipment is being made ready for an election or primary, or is in use during an election or primary, tampers with, disarranges, defaces, injures, or impairs the voting equipment in any manner, or mutilates, injures, destroys, or disarranges any computer ballot, or any other appliance used in connection with the voting equipment, shall be guilty of a felony.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-12.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-12.1
§ 17-11-12.1. High school election officials.
Status: in_force

(a) Notwithstanding any other general law to the contrary, and in order to provide for a greater awareness of the elections process, the rights and responsibilities of voters and the importance of participating in the electoral process, as well as to provide additional workers, an elections official may appoint not more than five (5) students per ward, and/or precinct to serve under the direct supervision of ward, and/or precinct board members designated by the elections official. A student may be appointed, notwithstanding lack of eligibility to vote, subject to the approval of the educational institution in which the student is enrolled, if the student possesses the following qualifications:

(1) Is at least sixteen (16) years of age at the time of the election to which he or she is serving as a member of a ward, and/or precinct board.

(2) Is a United States citizen or will be a citizen at the time of the election to which he or she is serving as a member of a ward, and/or precinct board.

(3) Is a student in good standing attending a public or private secondary educational institution.

(4) Is a junior or senior and has a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.

(b) A student appointed pursuant to this section may not be used to tally votes.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-7 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-1 / Section 17-1-7
§ 17-1-7. Uniform deadlines.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding any other time specified for the filing of any paper or the doing of any act pursuant to this title, a uniform deadline of 4:00 p.m. is established; provided, that applications for emergency mail ballots must be received by 4:00 p.m. on the day prior to an election or primary. If any filing deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, the deadline shall be construed to fall on the next subsequent business day; provided, that this does not apply to registration to vote thirty (30) days prior to an election or primary, or change of party designation thirty (30) days prior to an election or primary under the requirements of § 17-9.1-24.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-1.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-14 / Section 17-14-1.2
§ 17-14-1.2. Candidate required to be a qualified voter in the election.
Status: in_force

(a) No person shall be eligible to file a declaration of candidacy as an independent candidate nor shall a person be eligible to be a candidate or be eligible to be voted for unless the person shall, at the time of filing the declaration, be qualified to vote in the election within the district for the office which that person seeks.

(b) 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 § 17-19-12 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-12
§ 17-19-12. Delivery of election supplies.
Status: in_force

All printed matter, stationery, and supplies required to be furnished by this chapter shall be delivered to or picked up by the proper officer as determined by the state board not later than 12:00 p.m. the day before the election for which they are to be used. Computer ballots to be used at each polling place, ballot transfer cases, marking pens, secrecy sleeves, and any other items related to the voting equipment shall be packaged by the state board and shall be delivered to or picked up by the proper officer as determined by the state board.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-25 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-25
§ 17-15-25. Nomination papers for delegates to constitutional conventions.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, every qualified elector shall be eligible to sign nomination papers for candidates for delegates to any constitutional convention. The signing of nomination papers for candidates for delegates to any constitutional convention shall not affect the rights of qualified electors under the provisions of this chapter, or any other general or public law affecting the qualification of voters.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-13 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-13
§ 17-10-13. Dismissal of appeal  Order entering name on lists.
Status: in_force

If, upon a hearing, the state board finds that the name of the appellant is not entitled to be placed or to remain upon the voting list, the appeal shall be dismissed. If, however, the state board finds that the name of the appellant is entitled to be placed upon the voting list, the board shall order the name to be placed upon that list pursuant to § 17-7-5(a)(3).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-18-15 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-18 / Section 17-18-15
§ 17-18-15. Closing of schools.
Status: in_force

At each general election as defined in § 17-1-2(2), at each statewide primary as defined in § 17-15-1, and at each primary for election of delegates to national conventions and for presidential preference as defined in chapter 12.1 of this title, all public elementary and secondary schools throughout the state shall not be in session. On the day of the general election, the statewide primary, and the presidential preference primary, the use of school buildings or premises shall be restricted to use only as polling places for election purposes. Notwithstanding the previous provisions, school staff development days may be held. Provided further, that the provisions of this section shall not be applicable to the Block Island School, located in the town of New Shoreham, and the use of the Block Island School shall not be restricted, nor shall classes need to be cancelled or postponed at said school, on the day of general elections, statewide primaries, and presidential preference primaries.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-16 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-16
§ 17-19-16. State election inspectors  Appointment  Duties  Training  Compensation.
Status: in_force

The state board may appoint and issue commissions to qualified electors of this state to be election inspectors assigned to some or all election polling places. On the day before any election, the state board may assign an election inspector to one or more polling place as the state board may determine. Each election inspector shall receive a sum, not exceeding sixty dollars ($60.00), to be fixed by the state board for each election at which the inspector serves. Each election inspector shall hold office at the pleasure of the state board, and shall observe the conduct of the elections at which the inspector is assigned to serve, and immediately report to the state board any irregularities the inspector may observe. The state inspectors shall also perform any other and further duties that may be assigned to the inspectors by the state board, and may be required to attend a training session conducted by the state board, for attendance at which the inspector shall be entitled to receive an additional twenty-five dollars ($25.00); provided, that the inspector is assigned to the performance of duties on election day and actually performs those duties.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-6-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-6 / Section 17-6-2
§ 17-6-2. Primary elections.
Status: in_force

(a) The secretary of state shall, as otherwise provided by this title, prepare, print, and distribute the following forms relating to primary elections:

(1) Declaration of candidacy;

(2) Endorsement by party;

(3) Primary nomination papers for national and state offices;

(4) Certifications of the list of local candidates where primaries are to be conducted.

(b) The secretary of state shall also receive and file primary nomination papers; and shall consult with the state board with respect to its administration of primary elections.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-8 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-8
§ 17-12-8. Qualifications and terms of committee members.
Status: in_force

(a) No member of a ward, town, or district committee shall hold or continue to hold membership on the ward, town, or district committee, unless that member is a qualified elector of the ward, town, or district.

(b) Except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter, ward, district, town, and city committee members shall hold office, respectively, from the date of their election until the next election of the committees, and thereafter until their successors has been duly elected, qualified, and organized.

(c) Candidates for ward, town, or district committee members shall file declarations of candidacy biennially, in every even year, in accordance with § 17-14-1.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-30 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-30
§ 17-20-30. Penalty for violations.
Status: in_force

(a) Any person who knowingly makes or causes to be made any material false statement in connection with his or her application to vote as a mail voter, or who votes or attempts to vote under the provisions of this chapter, by fraudulently signing the name of another upon any envelope provided for in this chapter, or who, not being a qualified voter and having knowledge or being chargeable with knowledge of the fact, attempts to vote under this chapter, or who votes the ballot of another voter, or who deliberately prevents or causes to prevent the mail ballot to be received by the voter or to be returned to the board of elections, or who deceives, coerces, or interferes with the voter casting his or her ballot, and any person who does or attempts to do, or aid in doing or attempting to do, a fraudulent act in connection with any vote cast or to be cast under the provisions of this chapter, shall be guilty of a felony.

(b) Any person who, having received a mail voters ballot and having voted or not voted the mail ballot, votes or fraudulently attempts to vote at any elective meeting within the state held on the day for which the ballot was issued shall be guilty of a felony.

(c) Any officer or other person who intentionally opens a mail voters certified envelope or examines the contents before the envelope is opened by the board of elections, as provided in this chapter, shall be guilty of a felony.

(d) The offenses in this section shall be punishable by imprisonment of not more than ten (10) years and/or by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-13 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-13
§ 17-11-13. Appointment and compensation of supervisors.
Status: in_force

(a) The local board of each city and town, at least thirty-five (35) days before each election, shall appoint two (2) pairs of supervisors for each polling place, each pair of which shall not be comprised of two (2) persons from the same political party. Supervisors shall, if possible, be appointed from a list of eligible voters presented and employed in the same manner as provided by this chapter for the appointment of wardens and clerks.

(b) The local board may, in its discretion, or upon the direction of the state board appoint one or more additional supervisors for any polling place whenever and so long as the appointment is, in the judgment of either board, necessary to facilitate the conduct of an election.

(c) The supervisors of elections in all cities and towns shall severally receive compensation for their services at the minimum rate of sixty dollars ($60) per day.

(d) The local board may adopt a plan for some or all supervisors to work a half-day at half-pay if the plan is consistent with the provisions of this section and is approved by the state board.

(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) above, the local board of a city or town may, upon written approval of the board of elections, reduce the number of supervisors at polling places within their jurisdiction.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-6-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-6 / Section 17-6-6
§ 17-6-6. Oath required as to use of lists.
Status: in_force

Every person receiving the registry lists shall take and subscribe to the following oath:

I understand that the lists requested by me are the property of the state of Rhode Island and (I affirm that I am the state chairperson of the ____ party); (I proposed to be a duly qualified candidate in the next following primary and/or election); and that I am a person authorized by § 17-6-5 to receive a copy of the registry lists described; and I further affirm that the lists will be used only for the purposes prescribed and for no other use and that I will not permit the use of or copying of the lists by unauthorized persons.

____

Signature of purchaser

Subscribed and sworn to before me at ____ , this ____ day of ____ , 20____ .

____

Notary public
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-35 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-35
§ 17-20-35. Severability.
Status: in_force

If any provision of this chapter, or the application of the provision to any persons or circumstances, is held invalid, the remainder of the chapter and the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected by the invalidity.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-2.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-2.2
§ 17-20-2.2. Requirements for validity of emergency mail ballots.
Status: in_force

(a) Any legally qualified elector of this state whose name appears upon the official voting list of the town or district of the city or town where the elector is so qualified is eligible to vote by emergency mail ballot according to this chapter. Within twenty (20) days or less prior to any election, the elector may obtain from the local board an application for an emergency mail ballot or may complete an emergency in-person mail ballot application on an electronic poll pad at the board of canvassers where the elector maintains his or her residence.

(b) The emergency mail ballot application, when duly executed, shall be delivered in person or by mail so that it shall be received by the local board, or received electronically through the portal established by § 17-20-2.3, not later than four oclock (4:00) p.m. on the last day preceding the date of the election.

(c) The elector shall execute the emergency mail ballot application in accordance with the requirements of this chapter.

(d) In addition to those requirements set forth elsewhere in this chapter, an emergency mail ballot, except those emergency mail ballots being cast pursuant to subsection (g) of this section, in order to be valid, must have been cast in conformance with the following procedures:

(1) All mail ballots issued pursuant to § 17-20-2(1) shall be mailed to the elector at the state of Rhode Island address provided on the application by the office of the secretary of state, or delivered by the local board to a person presenting written authorization from the elector to receive the ballots, or cast in private at the local board of canvassers. In order to be valid, the voter must affix his or her signature on the certifying envelope containing a voted ballot. In order to be valid, all ballots sent to the elector at the board of canvassers must be voted in conformance with the provisions of § 17-20-14.2.

(2) All applications for emergency mail ballots pursuant to § 17-20-2(2) must state under oath the name and location of the hospital, convalescent home, nursing home, or similar institution where the elector is confined. All mail ballots issued pursuant to this subdivision shall be delivered to the elector by the bipartisan pair of supervisors, appointed in conformance with this chapter, and shall be voted in conformance with the provisions of § 17-20-14.

(3) All mail ballots issued pursuant to § 17-20-2(3) shall be mailed by the office of the secretary of state to the elector at an address provided by the elector on the application, or cast at the board of canvassers in the city or town where the elector maintains his or her voting residence. Any voter qualified to receive a mail ballot pursuant to § 17-20-2(3) shall also be entitled to cast a ballot pursuant to the provisions of United States Public Law 99-410, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).

(4) All mail ballots issued pursuant to § 17-20-2(4) shall be cast at the board of canvassers in the city or town where the elector maintains his or her voting residence or mailed by the office of the secretary of state to the elector at the address within the United States provided by the elector on the application, or delivered to the voter by a person presenting written authorization by the voter to pick up the ballot. In order to be valid, the voter must affix his or her signature on all certifying envelopes containing a voted ballot. In order to be valid, all ballots sent to the elector at the board of canvassers must be voted in conformance with the provisions of § 17-20-14.2.

(e) The secretary of state shall provide each of the several boards of canvassers with a sufficient number of mail ballots for their voting districts so that the local boards may provide the appropriate ballot or ballots to the applicants. It shall be the duty of each board of canvassers to process each emergency ballot application in accordance with this chapter, and it shall be the duty of each board to return to the secretary of state any ballots not issued immediately after each election.

(f) Any person knowingly and willfully making a false application or certification, or knowingly and willfully aiding and abetting in the making of a false application or certification, shall be guilty of a felony and shall be subject to the penalties provided for in § 17-26-1.

(g) An emergency mail ballot application may be completed in person using an electronic poll pad provided by the board of canvassers upon presentation by the voter of valid proof of identity pursuant to § 17-19-24.2. Upon completion of the poll pad application, the voter shall be provided with a ballot issued by the secretary of state and upon completion of the ballot by the voter, the voter shall place the ballot into the state-approved electronic voting device, provided by the board of elections and secured in accordance with a policy adopted by the board of elections.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-37.3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-37.3
§ 17-19-37.3. Recount eligibility  Ballot questions and other offices.
Status: in_force

(1) A person, group or organization of recognized standing regarding a ballot question, as determined by the board of elections, may request a recount of the votes cast on the ballot question pursuant to the following:

(a) The person, group or organization may request a recount of the votes cast at each precinct by re-reading the programmed memory device or devices and comparing the results and totals obtained at such recount with the results and totals obtained on election night, provided that for those ballot questions where less than one hundred thousand (100,000) votes are cast the difference between the approval or rejection of the question shall be by two percent (2%) or less; and, for those ballot questions where one hundred thousand (100,000) or more votes are cast the difference between the approval or rejection of the question shall be by one percent (1%) or less. If, after said recount, the difference between the approval or rejection of the ballot question shall be less than one-half of one percent (Â½%) or five hundred (500) votes, whichever is less, the petitioner may request a recount pursuant to subsection (1)(b) of this section.

(b) The person, group or organization may request a recount of the votes cast at each precinct by a manual re-feeding of the computer ballots are cast into the optical scan voting equipment if the difference between the approval and rejection of the ballot question shall be by less than one-half of one percent (Â½%) or five hundred (500) votes, whichever is less.

(c) For the purpose of determining recount eligibility for ballot questions, as prescribed in subsections (1)(a) and (b) of this section, only the total number of votes cast as approve and reject for said question shall be included.

(2) A candidate for any office other than a public office shall be eligible to request a recount of the votes cast in his or her race pursuant to the following:

(a)(i) In those races in which a single candidate is elected a candidate who trails the winning candidate by less than two percent (2%) or one hundred (100) votes, whichever is less, may request a recount of the votes cast at each precinct by re-reading the programmed memory device or devices and comparing the results and totals obtained at such recount with the results and totals obtained on election night.

(ii) For the purpose of determining recount eligibility, as prescribed in subsection (2)(a)(i) of this section, the number of votes cast in a race shall include the votes cast for candidates and irregular ballots cast pursuant to §17-19-31.

(b) In those races in which more than one but less than eight (8) candidates are elected a candidate who trails the winning candidate by less than one percent (1%) or twenty-five (25) votes, whichever is less, may request a recount of the votes cast at each precinct by re-reading the programmed memory device or devices and comparing the results and totals obtained at such recount with the results and totals obtained on election night.

(c) In those races in which more eight (8) or more candidates are elected a candidate who trails the winning candidate by less than one-half of one percent (Â½%) or twenty-five (25) votes, whichever is less, may request a recount of the votes cast at each precinct by re-reading the programmed memory device or devices and comparing the results and totals obtained at such recount with the results and totals obtained on election night.

(d) For the purpose of determining recount eligibility, as prescribed in subsections (2)(b) and (c) of this section, the total number of votes cast in a race shall be determined by dividing the total number of votes eligible to be cast in the race by the number of candidates for whom each voter was eligible to cast votes.

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 § 17-14-17 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-14 / Section 17-14-17
§ 17-14-17. Replacement of deceased endorsed candidate.
Status: in_force

When an endorsed nominee as a candidate to be voted upon at any primary has deceased prior to the holding of the primary, the committee having the original authority to endorse the candidate shall substitute as the endorsed nominee for candidate to be voted upon at the primary any person qualified to vote at the primary in the place and stead of the deceased nominee; provided, that immediately upon receipt of actual knowledge of the death of the endorsed nominee by the committee having the original authority to endorse the candidate, the committee shall make the substitution referred to in this section. The chairperson of the committee shall, immediately upon the substitution, notify the secretary of state in writing of the death of the endorsed nominee and of the substitution of a nominee as provided in this section. Any substituted nominee shall have been eligible for nomination on the dates as required by and pursuant to the requirements of §§ 17-14-1, 17-14-1.1, 17-14-2, and 17-14-2.1. Upon receipt of the notice, the secretary of state shall thereupon substitute on the ballots the name of the endorsed nominee who replaces the deceased endorsed nominee as provided in this section; provided, that the written notice is received by the secretary of state at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of the primary.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-2-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-2 / Section 17-2-4
§ 17-2-4. Filling vacancies in offices of governor and lieutenant governor.
Status: in_force

If the offices of governor and lieutenant governor are both vacant by reason of death or otherwise, they shall be filled by the general assembly in grand committee, and the acting governor shall, if the general assembly is not then in session, call a special session of the general assembly for that purpose within twenty (20) days after both of the offices become vacant, if a stated session is not sooner to occur.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-36 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-36
§ 17-19-36. Tabulation of town returns  Certificate of election.
Status: in_force

The local board shall meet on the day following the election and shall tabulate the town or city election returns, as the case may be, and announce the results, but shall issue no certificates of election until the time for petitions filed under this section has expired and, if a petition has been filed, until the petition has been finally determined. Any candidate at the election challenging the correctness of the declaration of result as applied to the candidate may, within nine (9) days after the election, petition the state board to conduct a recount of the votes cast according to the provisions set forth in § 17-19-37.1. After the completion of the recount, and if it finds that the candidate was elected, it shall direct the local board to issue to the candidate a certificate of election, but if it finds that the candidate declared to be elected by the local board was in fact elected, it shall direct the board to issue a certificate of election to the candidate previously declared elected.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-18-8 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-18 / Section 17-18-8
§ 17-18-8. Town and elective meetings continuously open for voting.
Status: in_force

All town meetings and elective meetings for the election of general officers, senators and representatives in the general assembly, representatives in congress, and electors of president and vice-president of the United States, shall be opened at a specified hour in the morning and shall be continuously kept open for voting until a specified hour in the afternoon, as provided in §§ 17-18-10 and 17-18-11.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-10 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-14 / Section 17-14-10
§ 17-14-10. Affidavit of person obtaining signatures.
Status: in_force

Every person who obtains signatures of voters upon nomination papers shall under oath sign the following statement:

I, _______________________________________, of the city/town of _______________________________________, under oath, make affidavit and say that the signers of the within nomination paper did so sign the paper in my presence.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-4-7 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-4 / Section 17-4-7
§ 17-4-7. New election in absence of plurality.
Status: in_force

In case no person receives a plurality of the votes cast in the state or in either congressional district at any election, a new election shall be held in the state or in the district on the fourth (4th) Tuesday after the holding of the election at which there was no choice. For the election, any new certificates of nomination or nomination papers shall be filed ten (10) days previous to the date of the election.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-4-10 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-4 / Section 17-4-10
§ 17-4-10. Presidential electors  Time and manner of voting  Election by plurality.
Status: in_force

The people of this state, qualified by law to vote for general offices, shall elect as many electors of president and vice-president of the United States that the state is or shall be entitled to at town, ward, and district meetings on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, in every fourth (4th) year, commencing in 1960, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 19 of this title, and the several candidates having a plurality of the legal votes given in at the election shall be elected.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-16 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-16
§ 17-12-16. Qualifying as a political party by petition  Names of officers  Endorsements and other official communications.
Status: in_force

Any political organization wishing to qualify as a political party by the submission of petitions under § 17-1-2(9) shall, at the time of receiving the petition forms from the board of elections, file with the board, on a form to be provided by the board, the name of the political organization and the names and addresses of its chairperson and secretary. If the organization later qualifies as a political party by the submission of the requisite number of valid signatures, and until the appropriate party committees have been established, all endorsements and other official written communications from the party to the board of elections, secretary of state, local boards of canvassers and other state and municipal agencies shall be signed on behalf of the party by the chairperson and secretary, whose names and addresses are on file with the board of elections as required by this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-30 / Section 17-30-3
§ 17-30-3. Application.
Status: in_force

(a) The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the following:

(1) A radio or television broadcasting station, including a cable or satellite television operator and their affiliates, programmer, or producer, or mobile application or streaming service that exhibits, distributes, or broadcasts synthetic media as prohibited by this chapter provided that they are not distributing synthetic media as a political action committee or entity making an independent expenditure as defined in § 17-25-3;

(2) An internet website, or a regularly published newspaper, magazine, or other periodical of general circulation, including an internet or electronic publication, that routinely carries news and commentary of general interest, and that publishes synthetic media as prohibited by this chapter, if the publication clearly states that the synthetic media does not accurately represent the speech or conduct of the candidate;

(3) Synthetic media that constitutes satire or parody; or

(4) An interactive computer service as defined in 47 U.S.C. § 230.

(b) The provisions of this chapter shall not restrict the ability of a person to detect, prevent, respond to, or protect against security incidents, identity theft, fraud, harassment, malicious or deceptive activities, or any illegal activity, or preserve the integrity or security of systems or investigate, report, or prosecute those responsible for any such action.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-24 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-24
§ 17-25-24. Additional expenditures.
Status: in_force

Any candidate eligible to receive public funds and electing to receive these funds whose opponent does not elect to receive public funds shall be permitted to raise additional private contributions and make additional expenditures for election purposes in an amount in excess of the candidates maximum allowable expenditure limit equal to the amount by which the expenditures of the opponent exceed the maximum allowable expenditure limit that would have applied to the opponents expenditures had the opponent elected to receive public funds.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-4-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-4 / Section 17-4-1
§ 17-4-1. Congressional districts.
Status: in_force

The state shall be divided into two (2) districts for the election of representatives in the congress of the United States, to be called respectively the first congressional district and the second congressional district, and the electors residing in each of the districts who are qualified to vote for general officers shall be entitled, at the times and places and in the manner provided by law, to elect a representative in the congress of the United States for the district in which they reside.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-11 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-11
§ 17-19-11. Election return forms  Contents.
Status: in_force

(a) The state board shall prepare and furnish, for each voting place at which machines are to be used, suitable forms on which the following information may be recorded for each machine in use:

(1) The optical scan precinct count unit number;

(2) The numbers of any serial seal or seals;

(3) The voting place at which the optical scan precinct count unit is used;

(4) The date of the election or primary at which the optical scan precinct count unit is used;

(5) The number of names checked upon the voting list used at the election; and

(6) The number of voters registered by the optical scan precinct count unit.

(b) Space shall be left on the form in which the number of votes given for any person not a candidate at the election, and for what office, may be recorded. Spaces shall also be left for the signatures of the election inspector, the warden, clerk, and at least two (2) supervisors. The state board shall also furnish the necessary envelopes and adhesive labels required to be used in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

(c) Tapes printed from the optical scan precinct count unit indicating the number of votes registered by the unit for each candidate, and for what office, shall be attached to the election return form; tapes printed from the optical scan precinct count unit indicating the number of votes registered by the unit for and against each submitted question shall be attached to the election return form.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-6.1_17-20-6.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-6.1_17-20-6.1
§ 17-20-6.1. Alternative methods of voting by citizens covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and other citizens residing outside the United States. [Effective until December 31, 2025.]17-20-6.1. Alternative methods of voting by citizens covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and other citizens residing outside the United States. [Effective December 31, 2025.]
Status: in_force

(a) It is the intent and purpose that the provisions set forth in this section are designed to facilitate the federal mandate of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), 52 U.S.C. § 20301 et seq.

(b) The Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) may be used as a request for an absentee ballot by:

(1) A member of the armed forces who is absent from the state by reason of being in active service;

(2) Any person absent from the state in performance of services intimately connected with military operations as defined in § 17-20-3(d);

(3) Any person who is employed outside of the United States as defined in § 17-20-3(c); and

(4) Any person who does not qualify under subparagraph (1), (2), or (3) above, but who is a citizen of the United States and absent from the state and residing outside the United States as described in chapter 21.1 of this title.

(c) The single FPCA card shall permit the person to request an absentee ballot for each primary and election through the next general election for federal office or for the time period specified by federal law in which the voter is eligible to vote.

(d) The FPCA card must be received by the local board of canvassers where the person last maintains his or her residence for voting purposes within the time frame for applying for absentee ballots as set forth in this title.

(e) If the FPCA, when used in accordance with this section, is sent by the voter through electronic transmission, it must be sent to the secretary of state and it must be received by the secretary of state by the deadline for applying for absentee ballots as set forth in this title. The secretary of state shall then forward the FPCA to the appropriate local authority who shall immediately certify and return the FPCA to the secretary of state with the notation that the corresponding ballots shall be sent by mail and electronic transmission. The secretary of state shall approve electronically transmitted ballots to and from eligible voters only through a service or solution that meets the following requirements:

(1) The system has had one or more independent security reviews;

(2) Demonstrates the system meets the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework guidelines or federal cybersecurity framework guidelines of a successor designated federal agency or organization; and

(3) Approved by the secretary of state.

The ballots sent by electronic transmission shall be returned to the state board by electronic transmission. These ballots will be counted at the state board in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the state board.

(f) The voters signature on the FPCA does not need to be witnessed or notarized, when the FPCA is submitted as provided in this section.

(g) If a voter is casting a mail ballot received through the use of the FPCA card as provided in this section, the voters signature does not need to be witnessed or notarized on the certifying envelope used for the return of the voted mail ballot.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-1
§ 17-10-1. Maintenance of registration  Inactive file.
Status: in_force

(a) The local board or its duly authorized agent shall maintain the files of registration cards in a condition that will correctly represent the registration of qualified voters at all times. It shall continually purge the cards of voters no longer qualified to vote in the city or town. It shall promptly record all changes of address, changes of name, and transfers and cancellations of registration.

(b) If a confirmation card has been mailed to a registered voter at an address outside of the city or town of the voters current registered address for voting purposes, or if the confirmation card has been mailed to an address within the same city or town where the voter is registered, which card was sent to confirm the voters continuing residence within the city or town and not merely to confirm information provided by or through the postal service concerning a change of address within the city or town, and in both cases the voter has failed to respond to the confirmation card, the voter shall be stricken from the voting list and the voter registration shall be canceled if the voter has not voted or appeared to vote in an election during the period beginning on the date of mailing of the confirmation card and ending on the date after the date of the second general election that occurs after the date of mailing of the card. Provided, that the registration of any person shall not be canceled during his or her service in the armed forces of the United States and during two (2) years thereafter. A voter whose registration has been canceled shall not thereafter be eligible to vote unless that voter shall again register in accordance with the provisions of this title and in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of this state. The local board shall notify the secretary of state of any cancellation. The local board shall notify each voter whose registration has been canceled by a notice addressed to the voter at the voters last known address, and a memorandum that the notice has been sent shall be maintained on file by the local board. The local board shall take affirmative action to purge the voters name from its files of registration cards.

(c) Using the central voter registration system, upon receipt of the monthly list of individuals who have died from the office of vital statistics, as prescribed by § 23-3-5 or provided by the federal Social Security Administrations master death list, the secretary of state shall identify all voter registrations that may be reflected on the list and so notify electronically, the local board of canvassers of each applicable city or town. The local board, upon receipt of the list of deceased persons from the secretary of state, or upon receipt of an affidavit of death on forms prescribed by the secretary of state, shall promptly purge its files of registration cards by removing the cards of each deceased elector and canceling the voter registration information of the deceased elector from the central voter registration system.

(d) The local board shall maintain a separate list of all new registrations and all transfers of registration which are received by the board within the thirty-day (30) period prior to the close of registration prior to each primary, regular, and special election. The list shall be maintained until the time that the election is held.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-21 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-21
§ 17-19-21. Arrangement of polling places  Election officials  Police officers.
Status: in_force

(a) The polling places shall be established, equipped, and furnished with the paraphernalia necessary for the conduct of each election, by the officers and in the manner provided by this title. There shall be placed, outside each polling place, a clearly marked sign to be provided by the state board of elections indicating the location of the polling place. This sign shall be of a conspicuous nature and shall be visible from the street. The area within which the balloting is conducted shall be arranged with a guard rail having one place for entrance and another place for exit. The rail shall be placed so that only persons admitted inside the rail can approach within five (5) feet of any voting booth or optical-scan precinct-count unit. The voting booths and optical-scan precinct-count unit shall be placed so that the warden and the clerk shall always have a clear view of the front of each voting booth and the optical-scan unit. It shall be the duty of the warden to direct the location of the voting equipment in relation to the guard rail and the posts of the warden and the clerk so as to enforce the requirements of this section.

(b) One bipartisan pair of supervisors, the clerk, and the warden shall be stationed, in that order, along the guard rail so that a voter desiring to cast a ballot will pass first in front of the bipartisan pair, then in front of the clerk, and finally in front of the warden. A second bipartisan pair shall be stationed within the guard rail and shall be available to relieve the first bipartisan pair or the clerk and to assist voters within the limits prescribed by this title. The second bipartisan pair, when not engaged in the preceding duties, shall watch the voters in and about the voting equipment and shall call to the attention of the warden any violation, or circumstance suggesting a violation, of the provisions of this title.

(c) The chiefs of police of cities and towns, and town sergeants of towns having no chief of police, shall detail a certain number of police officers to each polling place as may be requested by the local board. The police officers shall preserve order at each polling place and within two hundred feet (200²) of the polling place. It shall be the duty of every police officer or other peace officer or town or police constable to arrest without warrant any person detected in the act of violating the provisions of this chapter, but no arrest shall be made without the approval of the warden.

(d) The election officials provided in subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall be provided with, and shall be required to prominently display upon their persons, identification badges that shall designate that person as an election official. Powers and duties of all designated election officials at polls shall be posted in a conspicuous and prominent location within the voting place, preferably with the posted sample ballot.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-19 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-19
§ 17-23-19. Referenda advertisements.
Status: in_force

Media outlets in Rhode Island that sell time for advertisements pertaining to referenda questions at an election shall require the purchasers of the advertisements to prominently display the state in which the referenda election is to be held.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-5-1.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-5 / Section 17-5-1.1
§ 17-5-1.1. Special referenda elections.
Status: in_force

Any proposition of amendment of the Constitution or any other public question submitted to the electors of the state at any election not a general election pursuant to § 17-1-2(2) shall be held on the first Tuesday next after the first Monday of any month and shall be voted upon at town, ward, and district meetings, in accordance with the following procedure:

(1) When an act of the general assembly is passed authorizing the submission of a question to all of the electors of the state, the secretary of state is authorized to rephrase the question to appear on the ballot in a manner that would clearly apprise the voters of the question to be voted upon and to cause the ballot to contain a concise caption of the question, and the full text of the question as adopted by the general assembly need not appear on the ballot except for proposed amendments to the Constitution of the state of Rhode Island, but shall:

(i) Require that the question shall be stated in plain language reasonably calculated to be understood by persons with an eighth-grade reading level; and

(ii) The secretary of state shall cause each question appearing on the ballot prepared by him or her to be designated by number, the first question to be designated by the numeral I and additional questions shall follow numbered so that all questions submitted to all the electors of the state and appearing upon the ballot are numbered consecutively; provided that local questions shall be printed on a distinctive colored background.

(2) Prior to the election at which public questions are to be submitted, the secretary of state shall cause to be printed and shall send one copy of the full text of each legislative act to be acted upon and applicable to the state at large, or the secretary of state may substitute a description of the text of each act in lieu of the full text, to each residential unit in Rhode Island together with the following information:

(i) The designated number of the question appearing on the ballot;

(ii) A brief caption of the question appearing on the ballot; and

(iii) A brief explanation of the measure being the subject matter of the question.

(3) Voting on a proposition of amendment of the Constitution or of a public question of statewide impact shall be by means of optical-scan voting equipment and computer ballots authorized pursuant to this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-18-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-18 / Section 17-18-1
§ 17-18-1. Warning and organization of town elective meetings.
Status: in_force

Town meetings for purposes of election shall be warned and organized as is or may be provided by law for the warning and organization of town meetings for other purposes, unless specially directed otherwise, and shall be held at the times appointed by law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-25 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-25
§ 17-20-25. Return of unused ballots.
Status: in_force

Every voter who has received a mail ballot and has not cast it shall nevertheless return the unvoted ballot and its uncertified enclosing envelope to the state board or local board with a statement that the voter is not using the mail ballot, before eight oclock (8:00) p.m. on election day.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-1
§ 17-11-1. Division of towns and representative district into voting districts.
Status: in_force

(a) The local board of any city or town may, on or before the sixtieth (60th) day preceding any election, divide or redivide the city or town, or any representative district in the city or town, into voting districts. The local board of each city or town shall determine voting districts by geographical boundaries and by no other means. No voting district shall at any time comprise parts of two (2) or more wards. It shall be the duty of the board to divide the city or town, representative district, or ward so that substantially not more than three thousand five hundred (3,500) total eligible registered voters shall be served by the same polling place; provided, however, that any divisions conducted by the local board pursuant to this section shall not result in creating a polling place serving less than five hundred (500) total eligible registered voters, except when a polling place is located in a low-income or elderly residential development, or when it is caused by legislative district boundaries; and provided, further, that no existing polling place that is presently located in a low-income or elderly residential development shall be eliminated. Upon the establishment and approval of any polling place by the state board, changes to the polling place shall not be allowed until the next redistricting by the general assembly, unless the polling place becomes unavailable to the city or town or no longer meets polling place minimum requirements as established by the state board, then the city or town may take the appropriate action to replace the polling place. A polling place may be located either within or without the voting district for which it is established; provided, that a polling place may be located outside the district only upon unanimous determination of the local board and subject to the approval of the state board that a suitable place is not available within the voting district.

(b) Uniform standards for polling place location. When cities and towns shall, subject to the approval of the state board, designate polling locations in accordance with the provisions of this section and § 17-19-3.2, they shall take into account the following factors:

(1) Accessibility of the polling place to historically disenfranchised communities, including cultural groups, ethnic groups, and minority groups;

(2) Proximity of polling places to dense concentrations of voters;

(3) Accessibility of polling places by public transportation;

(4) Ensuring equitable distribution of polling places in the city or town; and

(5) Maximizing voter participation, including through the use of community centers and public gathering places as polling places.

(c) Established polling places unaffected. Any polling place established by the local board and approved in accordance with subsections (a) and (b) of this section that, in the course of the normal rise and fall of voter registrations, exceeds the total registered voter threshold established by this section for a biennial general election, shall be permitted to continue over the cap set by subsection (a) of this section until such time as polling places are reestablished following the next decennial redistricting, only upon unanimous approval of the local board and additional certification by the board of elections that the polling place can sufficiently serve the anticipated voter turnout for each separate general election that the polling place will be utilized.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-22-5.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-22 / Section 17-22-5.2
§ 17-22-5.2. Certificates of local elections  Statement to secretary of state.
Status: in_force

The local board shall immediately, after the result has been ascertained, furnish to the secretary of state a statement of the number of votes cast in the city or town for each candidate, the total number of votes cast in the city or town for and against any proposed amendment to a charter or question, and the names of the respective candidates elected and the offices to which they have been respectively elected.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-8.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-8.1
§ 17-19-8.1. Ballots for voters who are blind, visually impaired, or disabled.
Status: in_force

(a) Any voter who is blind or visually impaired or disabled is eligible to request a special ballot for voting by mail ballot. Special mail ballots are available in braille or tactile format.

(b) Requests must be made in writing to the local board of canvassers where the person is registered to vote or through the electronic voter registration portal established by §§ 17-20-2.3 and 17-20-8 at least twenty-one (21) days before the election for which the voter is requesting the special ballot. In addition, the request will be valid for all elections held during the calendar year in which the request was received and in which the voter is eligible to participate. Applicants must also file the appropriate mail ballot application as required by chapter 20 of this title for each election in which they wish to participate.

(c) The office of the secretary of state shall prepare and provide the appropriate form, which shall be available at local boards and upon request from the office of the secretary of state. The voter may also choose to submit his or her request in writing without using the form provided, as long as the communication contains all of the required information. The request shall include the following information:

(1) The name and registered address of the voter;

(2) A daytime telephone number;

(3) An indication of whether this request is for the entire calendar year or only for the next upcoming election;

(4) The voters political party affiliation, if the request for a special ballot is also for primaries; and

(5) Indicate the special ballot format.

(d) All requests received by local boards must be processed and forwarded to the office of the secretary of state within twenty-four (24) hours of receipt. The secretary of state shall maintain a list of all persons requesting special braille or tactile mail ballots and must forward a copy of the list to the state board of elections at least eighteen (18) days before the date of any election.

(e) The state board may adopt rules and regulations for the procedure for the manual reproduction of voted ballots, when necessary, and the tabulation of braille and tactile mail ballots.

(f) The office of the secretary of state shall be responsible for the preparation and distribution of special braille and tactile mail ballots. Whenever possible, the secretary of state shall prepare the braille or tactile mail ballot so that the voted ballot can be read by the tabulation equipment, rather than being manually reproduced by election officials onto a machine readable ballot.

(g) The office of the secretary of state may adopt rules and regulations setting forth the procedure for the preparation and distribution of the braille and tactile mail ballots.

(h) The office of the secretary of state shall prepare and publish a guide describing the types of ballots available and the manner in which each ballot can be voted. This guide shall be revised whenever the types of ballots available are updated. This guide shall be available in print, braille, audio, or other accessible formats.

(i) The office of the secretary of state shall establish a special braille and tactile ballot program for voters who are blind or visually impaired. The office of the secretary of state shall expand the special ballot service to other voters with disabilities, as feasible, as determined by the secretary of state, and incorporate other accessible formats as technology and resources allow.

(j) In accordance with the Help America Vote Act of 2002, the voting system at each polling place shall be accessible for individuals with disabilities, including nonvisual accessibility for the blind and visually impaired, in a manner that provides the same opportunity for access and participation as for other voters.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-10 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-10
§ 17-10-10. Corrections by state board.
Status: in_force

The state board may request any local board to make any correction in any voting list, and if the local board does not immediately comply with the request, the state board may make the correction itself, and this correction shall not be changed except on order of the supreme court. Any person whose name is stricken from any voting list by the state board may file a petition as from an action of the local board as provided in this chapter. The state board shall notify the secretary of state of the action. The state board, in ordering the striking of any names from a voting list, shall be subject to the same requirements and limitations as are applicable to local boards, including but not limited to, the provisions of § 17-10-5.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-5.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-5.1
§ 17-25-5.1. Manual of legal requirements.
Status: in_force

The board of elections shall prepare and publish a manual prescribing the requirements of the law, and the secretary of state shall have copies of the manual available for individuals filing candidacy papers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-6
§ 17-23-6. Improper influence by employers.
Status: in_force

(a) Every person being an employer who, within ninety (90) days of a general election, pays any of his or her employees the salary or wages due them in pay envelopes upon which there is written or printed, or in which there is inserted: (1) a notice or information, to the effect that if any particular ticket or candidate is elected or defeated, work in the employers place or establishment will cease, in whole or in part, or the employers establishment will be closed, or the wages of the employers employees will be reduced, or (2) any political motto, device, or argument containing threats, expressed or implied, intended or calculated to influence the political actions or opinions of the employees, or who puts up or otherwise exhibits, in the employers establishment or place where the employers employees are engaged in labor, any handbill or placard containing any such notice or information or threat, shall be guilty of a felony.

(b) Any person, after conviction of this offense, shall forfeit that persons right to vote in any election or upon any proposition before the people, or to hold any public office, except that a corporation shall forfeit its charter; and no evidence given by any witness testifying in the trial of any charge of violation of this section shall be used against the person giving the evidence.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-2
§ 17-11-2. Notice of division or redivision of districts.
Status: in_force

The local boards, upon the dividing or redividing of a senatorial or representative district, shall give public notice of what senatorial or representative districts have been divided or redivided into voting districts by publication in some newspaper having a general circulation in the city or town, and shall post, for a period of forty (40) days, a map in the office of the board or in the town clerks office showing the lines of the voting districts, and shall at all times keep the map on file in their respective offices.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-6-8 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-6 / Section 17-6-8
§ 17-6-8. Exception for local canvassing authorities.
Status: in_force

The secretary of state shall furnish, without charge, to the canvassing authorities of the several cities and towns, lists of registrants pertaining to those respective cities and towns.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-16 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-16
§ 17-23-16. Guaranteed access in exchange for contributions prohibited.
Status: in_force

As defined in § 17-2-1, no general officer and no candidate for a general office shall solicit campaign contributions by guaranteeing to all contributors of a specified minimum amount of money, as a quid pro quo for their contributions, the right to meet with the general officer or candidate on a predetermined number of occasions. The phrase the right to meet shall not be construed to include the holding of a one time public fundraising event at which the general officer or candidate is present.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-9 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-9
§ 17-15-9. Slate voting.
Status: in_force

In a primary election no ballot shall be provided whereby a voter may by one mark vote for a slate of candidates.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-48 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-48
§ 17-19-48. Posting of original voter registration records.
Status: in_force

Following the return of the certified voting lists to the local boards, each board shall cause the original registration records to reflect the appropriate voting facts from the immediately preceding election and shall also post the appropriate voting facts set forth in the list of absentee voters furnished by the state board pursuant to the requirements of chapter 22 of this title following the counting, canvassing, and tabulation of votes cast pursuant to chapter 20 of this title. The state board, by regulation, shall provide direction to local boards in the recording of voting facts and information.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-13 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-14 / Section 17-14-13
§ 17-14-13. Objections to eligibility of candidate or sufficiency of papers.
Status: in_force

When nomination papers have been duly filed and are in apparent conformity with § 17-14-11, they shall be conclusively presumed to be valid, unless written objections to them are made as to the eligibility of the candidate or the sufficiency of the nomination papers or the signatures on them. All objections shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state or of the local board, as the case may be, by four oclock (4:00) p.m. on the next business day after the last day fixed for filing nomination papers in the appropriate office as provided in this chapter. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the secretary of state or the local board, as the case may be, from disqualifying a candidate based on the determination of the secretary of state or the local board, acting on its own motion, that the candidate is ineligible or the nomination papers or the signatures on them are invalid or insufficient.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-10 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-10
§ 17-19-10. Sample ballots  Contents  Distribution.
Status: in_force

The secretary of state shall prepare a sample ballot that shall be a copy of the computer ballot to be used. The sample ballot shall clearly and briefly explain and illustrate the manner of casting a vote, of voting for candidates individually, and of voting upon questions. The secretary of state shall furnish a reasonable supply of sample ballots to the state board of elections, for public distribution upon request, and no fewer than three (3) of the sample ballots shall be furnished for each voting place.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-4-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-4 / Section 17-4-4
§ 17-4-4. Time of election of representatives in congress.
Status: in_force

The election of representatives in congress shall be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in each even numbered year.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-4
§ 17-25-4. Applicability.
Status: in_force

The provisions of this chapter shall apply in 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.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-11 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-11
§ 17-10-11. Right to appeal striking of name.
Status: in_force

Whenever the local board of any town or city at any meeting held for the purpose of canvassing the rights and correcting the lists of voters rejects, or causes to be stricken from the voting list, the name of any person qualified to vote, the person whose name the board has rejected or stricken from any list may appeal to the state board of elections, setting forth his or her residence, his or her qualifications, and other facts in connection with the rejection or striking of his or her name from the list, as that person may deem material, and praying that his or her name is added to the list.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-9.3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-9.3
§ 17-20-9.3. Application by a civilian employed by the United States government and residing outside of the continental United States.
Status: in_force

(a) A voter who is employed by any agency, department, or division of the United States government who by reason of that employment resides outside of the continental United States may, by certification to that effect by the voters employer, require that an absentee ballot be sent to the voter automatically if that voter has registered to vote using the federal post card application (FPCA), for every election during the period of time for which the voter will reside outside of the continental United States. The certification by the employer shall be prepared in form by the secretary of state and shall include the name of the civilian employee, the address to which the voters application shall be mailed, the name and signature of the employer completing the certification, and the length of time for which the individual will reside outside of the continental United States by reason of his or her employment.

(b) Notification of removal from the mailing list shall be sent to the applicant.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-31 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-31
§ 17-19-31. Irregular ballots.
Status: in_force

Ballots voted for any person whose name does not appear on the ballot as a nominated candidate for office are referred to in this section as irregular ballots. In voting for presidential electors, a voter may vote an irregular ticket made up of the names of persons in nomination by different parties; or partly of names of persons in nomination and partly of names of persons not in nomination; or wholly of names of persons not in nomination by any party. Scanned images of the computer ballot containing the irregular ballot shall be stored digitally on physical electronic media in the optical-scan precinct-count unit. With that exception, no irregular ballot shall be voted for any person for any office whose name appears on the ballot as a nominated candidate for that office; any irregular ballot so voted shall not be counted. An irregular ballot must be cast in its appropriate place on the ballot, or it shall be void and not counted and no irregular ballots shall be counted at primaries; provided, that at any presidential primary, irregular ballots shall be counted for those persons whose names have been written in for the office of president. At the close of the polls, irregular ballots shall be packaged according to § 17-19-33 and shall be immediately delivered to the local board of canvassers. The local board shall receive the tape from the optical precinct-count unit containing printed images of each written name on the irregular ballots, or the physical electronic media containing images of the irregular ballots and record all write-in votes cast for all federal, state, and local races listed on the tape. The local board shall notify the state board of the results through a procedure promulgated by the state board.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-2.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-12 / Section 17-12-2.1
§ 17-12-2.1. Political party state committee rules or bylaws.
Status: in_force

(a) All political party state committee rules or bylaws and any amendments to them must be filed with the state board of elections within thirty (30) days of their adoption.

(b) If a political party duly adopts a rule or bylaw consistent with state law relating to or affecting the conduct of an election held pursuant to this title, as determined by the board of elections, this rule or bylaw shall not affect any election which occurs less than one hundred eighty (180) days following the date of filing of any rule or bylaw with the state board of elections.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-7-9 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-7 / Section 17-7-9
§ 17-7-9. Voter fraud  Posting of penalties.
Status: in_force

The state board of elections shall cause to be posted, in a conspicuous place at all polling locations, a poster stating that voter fraud is a felony with penalties enumerated in §§ 17-23-4 and 17-26-1 and containing the statement: You must be registered to vote from your actual place of residence.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-39 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-39
§ 17-19-39. Power to open voting equipment.
Status: in_force

The state board of elections shall have the right to open any and all voting equipment either before, during or after an election in the presence of the proper election officials of the city or town in which the election is held for the purpose of examining the voting equipment; provided, that no programmed memory cartridge shall be erased until after the expiration of ten (10) days from the election at which the voting equipment was used, unless said memory cartridge is required by the state board for the purpose of conducting recounts.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-26-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-26 / Section 17-26-1
§ 17-26-1. Felonies.
Status: in_force

Every person who is convicted of any offense under this title which has been classified by the general assembly as a felony shall be imprisoned for a term of not more than ten (10) years, or fined not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both, for each offense.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-7-7 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-7 / Section 17-7-7
§ 17-7-7. Seal of state board.
Status: in_force

The state board shall have a seal, and shall cause the seal to be affixed to all certificates and statements issued by it.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-2
§ 17-15-2. Regular primary date falling on religious holiday.
Status: in_force

In the event that the date for the holding of any primary election preceding any general state or municipal election as provided in this chapter falls upon the day of a religious holiday, the primary 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 a primary election once held.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-1 / Section 17-1-2
§ 17-1-2. Definitions.
Status: in_force

For the purposes this title, except as may otherwise be required by the context:

(1) Election means the filling of any public office or the determination of any public question by vote of the electorate, and includes without limitation any state, town, or city office or question, and any political party primary election for the nomination of any candidate for public office; except that it shall not include a financial town meeting or a meeting to elect officers of a fire, water, or sewer district;

(2) General election means an election held on the first Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in even numbered years for the election of members of the general assembly and/or for the election of general officers, and/or for the election of presidential electors for president/vice-president of the United States;

(3) General officer means an officer designated as a general officer by chapter 2 of this title;

(4) Independent candidate means a candidate who has no affiliation with any political party;

(5) Local board means a town or city board of canvassers, board of canvassers and registration, canvassing authority, or any other local board, commission, or officer empowered by law to have custody of the permanent registration records;

(6) Local election means any election limited to the electorate of any city or town, or any part, at which any city, town, ward, or district officers are to be chosen, or any elective meeting at which a question is to be submitted to the voters of a city, town, or any subdivision of a city or town, but it shall not include a financial town meeting;

(7) Party member means any person who is a member of a designated political party pursuant to § 17-9.1-23;

(8) Party voter means any qualified voter who is eligible to vote at the primary election of a political party;

(9) Political party or party means: (i) any political organization which, at the next preceding general election for the election of general officers, nominated a candidate for governor, and whose candidate for governor at the election polled at least five percent (5%) of the entire vote cast in the state for governor, or (ii) any political organization which at the next preceding general election for the election of a president of the United States nominated a candidate for president and whose candidate for president at the election polled at least five percent (5%) of the entire vote cast in the state for president, or (iii) any political organization which, on petition forms provided to the chairperson of the organization by the state board of elections, obtains the signatures and addresses of that number of registered qualified voters equal to five percent (5%) of the entire vote cast in the state for governor or president in the immediately preceding general election. All the signatures must be obtained no earlier than January 1 of the year in which the political organization desires to place a candidate or candidates on any ballot as a party candidate. If the political organization wishes to select its nominees in a primary election, the petitions, bearing the requisite number of valid signatures, shall be presented to the appropriate local boards of canvassers no later than June 1 of the same year. If the petitions are validated by the local boards as containing the requisite number of valid signatures, the political organization shall be deemed to be a political party for all elections held during the year and may select its nominees in a primary election. If the political organization does not wish to select its nominees in a primary election, then the petitions need not be returned to local boards of canvassers until August 1 of the same year. An organization qualifying as a political party through the petition process shall qualify as a political party only during the year in which signatures are obtained unless the candidates for governor or president of the United States of the party at a general election held in the year, shall receive five percent (5%) of the vote as provided in this subdivision for either governor or president of the United States. If the candidates do not receive five percent (5%) of the vote, the organization shall no longer qualify as a political party unless and until it shall, in a subsequent year, once again qualify by the submission of petitions;

(10) Polling place means the room in which any election or elective meeting is conducted;

(11) Primary election means any election to select the candidates of a political party;

(12) Proposition or public question means any question put to a referendum of the electorate of the entire state or any part of it;

(13) Qualified voter means any person who is eligible to vote under the requirements of age, residence, and citizenship prescribed by the state constitution and who is duly registered to vote, or who is exempt from registration, pursuant to this title, and who is not otherwise disqualified as a voter pursuant to law;

(14) Special election means any election other than a local election or primary election which is not held on a general election day;

(15) State board means the state board of elections constituted pursuant to this title;

(16) State election means any election at which any presidential electors, senator or representatives in congress, general officers of the state, or members of the general assembly are to be chosen, or at which a public question or an amendment to the Constitution is submitted to the electors of the state;

(17) State officer means the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, general treasurer, state senator, and state representative;

(18) Vacancy in office means the condition resulting from any failure to elect or appoint an eligible and qualified person to public office, or the failure of any person duly elected or appointed to qualify, or from the death, resignation, or removal of an incumbent prior to the expiration of his or her term of office and where no fixed term is prescribed upon the death, resignation, or removal;

(19) Voting list means the complete list of all voters prepared from the information contained in the original permanent registration records in the possession of the local board of canvassers;

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

(21) Words importing the masculine gender shall include the feminine gender.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-13 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-13
§ 17-20-13. Form of application.
Status: in_force

The application to be subscribed by the voters before receiving a mail ballot shall, in addition to those directions that may be printed, stamped, or written on it by authority of the secretary of state, be in substantially the following form:

I declare under the pains and penalty of perjury that all of the information I have provided on this form is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I further state that I am not a qualified voter of any other city or town or state and have not claimed and do not intend to claim the right to vote in any other city or town or state. If unable to sign name because of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write, the applicant shall mark the box to indicate the voter cannot sign due to blindness, disability, or inability to read or write, and include the full name, residence address, signature, and optionally the telephone number and e-mail address of the person who provided assistance to the voter.

SIGNATURE IN FULL_________________________________________

Please note: A Power of Attorney signature is not valid in Rhode Island.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-7-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-7 / Section 17-7-4
§ 17-7-4. Oath of members  Compensation.
Status: in_force

Before entering upon his or her duties, each member of the board shall take an oath of office before the supreme court in which the member shall swear or affirm faithfully and impartially to administer the duties of his or her office without regard to partisan or political considerations. Members of the board of elections shall be compensated at the rate of seven thousand dollars ($7,000) per year.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-33 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-33
§ 17-15-33. Tie vote.
Status: in_force

If there is a failure to make a nomination or to elect a candidate to party office at any primary by reason of a tie vote, the vacancy, if in respect to an office to be filled by the voters of more than one city or town, shall be filled by the executive committee of the state committee of the respective party, except in the case of a senatorial or representative committee the vacancy shall be filled by the members of the senatorial or representative district committee, as the case may be, and if in respect to an office other than a senatorial or representative district committee to be filled by the voters of no more than one city or town, or a portion of a city or town, the vacancy shall be filled by the city or town committee of the respective political party. The vacancy shall be filled only by the choice of one of the candidates receiving the tie vote. The name of the candidate chosen by the appropriate party committee shall be officially certified to the state board or local board, as the case may be.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-7-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-7 / Section 17-7-3
§ 17-7-3. Appointment of members  Vacancies.
Status: in_force

(a) The governor shall forthwith upon June 8, 1979, appoint seven (7) members of initial terms as follows: one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of two (2) years; one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of four (4) years; one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of six (6) years; one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of eight (8) years; one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of ten (10) years; one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of twelve (12) years; one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of fourteen (14) years; and upon the expiration of the terms, the governor shall appoint persons for succeeding terms of fourteen (14) years, respectively. All members of the board appointed or reappointed after January 1, 2008, shall serve for terms of nine (9) years beginning in January 2008, and in January of every even numbered year thereafter, the chairperson and vice chairperson of the board shall be elected by majority vote of the members of the board.

(b) In the event a vacancy occurs in the office of chairperson or vice chairperson after January 1, 2008, the board shall in the manner provided in subsection (a) elect another of its members to be chairperson or vice chairperson, to fill the vacancy; provided, if the vacancy occurs as a result of death or resignation, the new chairperson or vice chairperson shall only fill the unexpired term.

(c) In the event a vacancy occurs on the board, the governor shall appoint within thirty (30) days a new member to fill the vacancy; provided if the vacancy occurs as a result of death or resignation, the new member shall only fill the unexpired term. All appointments to fill vacancies shall be made in accordance with Article IX, section 5 of the Constitution of the state of Rhode Island and §§ 36-1-10 through 36-1-12.

(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of § 17-7-2 and in order to facilitate communication between the department of state and the board of elections, the secretary of state shall designate a liaison (the director of elections or the deputy secretary of state who oversees the elections division) to serve as a reporting and informational resource at all board of elections meetings with the exception of when the board meets in executive session or is engaged in agenda items addressing issues related to campaign finance or appeal. The board may call upon the department of state liaison to offer insight or clarification, or answer any direct questions, through the chair, from members, in real time, at any time during a meeting, The board of elections shall make a platform available to the liaison to facilitate this process.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-9 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-9
§ 17-23-9. Violations as to nomination papers or withdrawals  Protection of party emblems.
Status: in_force

Any person who falsely makes, or willfully defaces or destroys, any certificate of nomination or nomination paper, or any part of it, or any letter of withdrawal, or files any certificate of nomination or nomination paper or letter of withdrawal, knowing it or any part of it to be falsely made, or suppresses any certificate of nomination or nomination paper or letter of withdrawal, or any part of it, which has been duly filed, and any person or persons who prints, stamps, or affixes, or causes to be printed, stamped, or affixed, upon any letterhead, circular, or pamphlet used for political purposes, or upon political literature of any nature, a representation of the chosen emblem or device of any political party in this state without having first obtained the consent, in writing, of the chairperson of the state central committee of the political party whose chosen emblem or device is sought to be used for these purposes, shall be guilty of a felony.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-6-10 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-6 / Section 17-6-10
§ 17-6-10. Availability of registration lists.
Status: in_force

These lists shall be made available by the secretary of state not later than June 1 in any year.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-9 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-9
§ 17-11-9. Election of moderator or clerk pro tempore.
Status: in_force

(a) In case of the absence of the moderator or of the clerk of any town meeting, of a town not divided into voting districts, the town meeting may elect a moderator or clerk pro tempore, and the town clerk shall preside at the election of the moderator.

(b) In case of the absence of the moderator or of the clerk of a voting district in a town not divided into senatorial or representative districts, the voting district meeting may elect a moderator or clerk pro tempore, and the clerk shall preside in the election of a moderator. At least five (5) electors shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the purpose of electing the moderator or clerk pro tempore.

(c) In case of the absence of the moderator or of the clerk of a senatorial or representative district or of a voting district in a senatorial or representative district divided into voting districts, the district meeting may elect a moderator or clerk pro tempore, and the clerk shall preside in the election of a moderator. At least five (5) electors shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the purpose of electing the moderator or clerk pro tempore.

(d) The elected officer shall be sworn to the faithful discharge of his or her duties by any person authorized to administer oaths, and shall hold office in the cities of Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Warwick, Cranston, Woonsocket, and Newport, and in the towns of Barrington, Middletown, and Warren, until a moderator or clerk is appointed by the local board respectively and in all other cities and towns until the election and qualification of the officers successor.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-21 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-21
§ 17-25-21. Primary elections.
Status: in_force

Any candidate eligible to receive public funds and electing to receive these funds who is challenged for nomination for general office in a political party primary shall be permitted to raise and expend an additional amount of funds equal to one-third ( ) of the maximum allowable expenditure amount for the office or equal to the total amount spent by the candidates opponent or opponents in the primary, whichever amount is less. The additional amount received in contributions must be expended prior to the primary election. Any candidate eligible to receive public funds and electing to receive these funds may use public funds made available pursuant to this chapter for any allowable expense, as defined in § 17-25-20, to seek party nomination for general office.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-30-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-30 / Section 17-30-2
§ 17-30-2. Right of action.
Status: in_force

(a) A candidate whose appearance, actions, or speech are depicted through the use of synthetic media in violation of § 17-30-1 may seek injunctive or other equitable relief from a candidate, authorized candidate campaign committee, political action committee, political party committee, or person or entity making an independent expenditure as defined in § 17-25-3 prohibiting the distribution of audio or visual synthetic media in violation of this chapter.

(b) A candidate whose appearance, actions, or speech are depicted using synthetic media may also bring an action for general or special damages against a candidate, authorized candidate campaign committee, political action committee, political party committee, or person or entity making an independent expenditure as defined in § 17-25-3 that generated the synthetic media. The court may also award a prevailing party reasonable attorneys fees and costs. This subsection shall not be construed to limit or preclude a plaintiff from recovering under any other available remedy.

(c) In any civil action alleging a violation of this chapter, the plaintiff shall bear the burden of establishing the violation through clear and convincing evidence.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-18-12 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-18 / Section 17-18-12
§ 17-18-12. Adjournment of ward and district meetings.
Status: in_force

In cities other than the city of Providence, and in towns divided into voting districts, ward and district meetings held in those cities and towns, respectively, for the election of city, town, ward, and voting district officers, or any of them, shall, at the time of the closing the polls prescribed by law, stand adjourned to the seventh (7th) day next from and after the appointed day unless the seventh (7th) day falls on a legal or religious holiday, and in that event to the day following the holiday, with like adjournment from the holiday; provided, that there shall be no election held on Saturday, and if the day of any adjournment falls on Saturday, the meeting shall stand adjourned to the Monday following, unless that Monday is a legal or religious holiday, in which case the adjourned election shall proceed on the next following day which is not a legal or religious holiday.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-5-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-5 / Section 17-5-6
§ 17-5-6. Count of votes  Declaration of results.
Status: in_force

Through the use of optical scan voting equipment authorized pursuant to this title, the state board shall count and tabulate all votes cast and shall declare the result in the manner provided by law, and this declaration shall be a sufficient notice to all officers, and all other persons interested, of the adoption or the rejection of any amendment of the Constitution or of the manner in which any question submitted to the electors of the state has been decided.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-39 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-39
§ 17-15-39. Preservation of primary records.
Status: in_force

All declarations of candidacy, nomination papers, and all requests for withdrawal of names of candidates, whether before or after the holding of a primary, when filed, and all protests and requests for recounts, shall be open, under proper regulation, to public inspection, and the state board shall preserve these records in its office not less than twenty-six (26) calendar months from the date of filing.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-6
§ 17-15-6. Conventions and caucuses replaced  Parties holding primaries  Forms.
Status: in_force

The primary elections held pursuant to this chapter shall replace the party conventions and caucuses for making the nominations provided for in this title, but party conventions shall be held for the purposes that are authorized by § 17-12-13. Primaries shall be held only by political parties. Except as otherwise provided in this title, any and all forms prescribed by this chapter shall be prepared and provided by the secretary of state and shall be, wherever practicable, uniform throughout the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-8 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-1 / Section 17-1-8
§ 17-1-8. Severability.
Status: in_force

If any provision of this chapter or its 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.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-7 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-7
§ 17-19-7. Local candidates and questions  Certification  Ballots.
Status: in_force

The local board of each city or town shall certify to the secretary of state, not later than four oclock (4:00) p.m. of the third (3rd) day following the last day for the holding of the primary held pursuant to the provisions of chapter 15 of this title, preceding any regular city or town election to be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in any year, or not later than twenty-nine (29) days before any regular city or town election held at any time other than on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in any year, or not later than twenty-nine (29) days before any special city or town election, the offices to be voted for at the election, the names of the candidates for each office and the party name under which the respective candidates were nominated, and any other information necessary to enable the secretary of state to prepare ballots uniform in size, type, color, and appearance with those prepared by the secretary for the state election, and in like manner the local board shall certify to the secretary of state, not later than four oclock (4:00) p.m. on the ninetieth (90th) day preceding any regular city or town election to be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in any year, or not later than fifty (50) days before any regular city or town election held at any time other than on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in any year, or not later than fifty (50) days before any special city or town election, a copy of each question to be submitted to the electors of the city or town so that suitable ballots may be prepared and furnished for the election.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-8-9 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-8 / Section 17-8-9
§ 17-8-9. Local boards open on election day.
Status: in_force

In addition to duties as otherwise fixed by law, it shall be the duty of the local board to keep open on all election days, from the hour fixed for the opening of the polls until the hour fixed for the closing of the polls, and to remain in session during the hours at a regular place of meeting of the board, council, or other body.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-6 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-6
§ 17-19-6. Ballot  Arrangement.
Status: in_force

In all cases where optical scan precinct count units are to be used for any election, the secretary of state shall prepare a diagram of the computer ballot to be used at the election. The diagram shall determine the manner and order in which the ballot shall be arranged, and the diagram shall, on the day of any election, be in the possession of the warden and available for public inspection. The diagram shall be a copy of the actual computer ballot to be voted at the polling place.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-17 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-17
§ 17-15-17. Notice of primaries.
Status: in_force

At least eight (8) days before the time of holding any primary election, the local board shall cause notice of the primary to be posted in at least one public place in each voting district of any city, and in at least one public place in each voting district of a town. The notice shall state the time when, and the place where, the primary is to be held in each city, town or voting district, and the offices for which candidates are to be nominated; 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.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-45 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-45
§ 17-19-45. Fraudulent election returns.
Status: in_force

Any election or primary officer who, at the close of the polls, purposely causes the vote registered by any optical scan precinct count unit or related voting equipment to be incorrectly recorded or returned as to any candidate, person, or question, or who knowingly consents to these things, or any of them, being done, shall be guilty of a felony.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-10-7 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-10 / Section 17-10-7
§ 17-10-7. Proof required to strike name.
Status: in_force

No name shall be stricken from any voting list by any local board upon evidence given at the final canvass meeting unless sworn proof is presented to the board that that name is the name of a person not qualified to vote at the election for which the registration and voting list is being canvassed. No name shall be stricken for ineligibility to vote on the basis of residence except as provided in this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-2.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-2.1
§ 17-19-2.1. New voting technology.
Status: in_force

In the event the department of administration purchases new voting equipment and services in accordance with § 17-19-3, then any reference in title 17 to optical-scan equipment shall be deemed to refer to the voting equipment then purchased, whether such voting equipment utilizes optical-scan technology or not.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-5.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-5.2
§ 17-25-5.2. Segregation of campaign funds.
Status: in_force

(a) All campaign funds received and expended by a candidate, office holder, treasurer, or deputy treasurer, subject to the provisions of this chapter, shall be segregated from all other accounts. The candidate or office holder must maintain a separate campaign account, which shall not contain any non-campaign funds, at a financial institution that has a physical branch within this state. The comingling of a candidates personal or business funds with campaign funds is expressly prohibited. As used herein, the term financial institution includes a bank or a credit union.

(b) Applicability to political action committees. The provisions of this section shall apply to political action committees, as well as to individual candidates and office holders.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-14 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-14
§ 17-23-14. Political advertising.
Status: in_force

No newspaper, periodical, radio, or television station shall charge for a political advertisement a sum greater than that charged by the medium for advertisement if it were nonpolitical. The attorney general shall enforce the provisions of this section and, upon conviction, a civil penalty of five hundred dollars ($500) shall be imposed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-24.2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-24.2
§ 17-19-24.2. Voter identification.
Status: in_force

(a) Beginning on January 1, 2012, any person claiming to be a registered and eligible voter who desires to vote at a primary election, special election, or general election shall provide proof of identity. For purposes of this section, proof of identity shall be valid if unexpired or expired no more than six (6) months prior to voting, and shall include:

(1) A valid and current document showing a photograph of the person to whom the document was issued, including without limitation:

(i) Rhode Island drivers license;

(ii) Rhode Island voter identification card;

(iii) United States passport;

(iv) Identification card issued by a United States educational institution;

(v) United States military identification card;

(vi) Identification card issued by the United States or the State of Rhode Island;

(vii) Government issued medical card.

(2) A valid and current document without a photograph of the person to whom the document was issued, including without limitation:

(i) Birth certificate;

(ii) Social security card;

(iii) Government issued medical card.

(b) From and after January 1, 2014, any person claiming to be a registered and eligible voter who desires to vote at a primary election, special election, or general election shall provide proof of identity listed in subsection (a)(1).

(c) No later than January 1, 2012, Rhode Island voter identification cards will be issued upon request, and at no expense to the voters, at locations and in accordance with procedures established by rules and regulations promulgated by the secretary of state. The purpose of this section is to provide voter identification cards to those voters who do not possess the identification listed in subsection (a)(1).

(d) If the person claiming to be a registered and eligible voter is unable to provide proof of identity as required in subsections (a)(1) and (a)(2) above, the person claiming to be a registered voter shall be allowed to vote a provisional ballot pursuant to § 17-19-24.3 upon completing a provisional ballot voters certificate and affirmation. The local board shall determine the validity of the provisional ballot pursuant to § 17-19-24.3.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-27-5 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-27 / Section 17-27-5
§ 17-27-5. Civil penalties.
Status: in_force

(a) Any state vendor found by the board of elections to have willfully and knowingly violated the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) per offense.

(b) Any state vendor found by the board of elections to have willfully and knowingly violated the provisions of this chapter: (1) in connection with the commission of or in an attempt to commit fraud or bribery, (2) to conceal any political contribution unlawful under the provisions of chapter 25 of this title or any conduct prohibited by § 36-14.1-2, or (3) in an effort to induce any public official to violate any provision of chapter 14 of title 36, may be declared ineligible for the award of any additional state contracts for a period of time that the board of elections reasonably deems proportionate to the severity of the subject violation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-33 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-33
§ 17-20-33. Disqualification of ballot by board of elections.
Status: in_force

The board of elections shall, on its own motion, disqualify any mail ballot which it determines, based upon a preponderance of the evidence, was not voted by the elector who purportedly cast it, or was voted by an elector who was not eligible to vote by mail ballot, or was not obtained and voted in the manner prescribed by this chapter. The board of elections may take this action even in the absence of a challenge to the ballot and may take this action at any time prior to the separation of the ballot from its application and certifying envelope.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-28 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-28
§ 17-20-28. Copies of chapter furnished to local boards.
Status: in_force

On or before the fifteenth (15th) day of September in any year in which a general state or congressional district election is held, the secretary of state shall send to the local boards an attested copy of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-19 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-19
§ 17-20-19. Envelopes for return of ballots.
Status: in_force

Envelopes for the enclosure and return of mail ballots and their enclosing certified envelope shall have the printed or written address: Board of Elections, 2000 Plainfield Pike, Cranston, Rhode Island 02921 or a post office box established and maintained by the board; and shall be forwarded by the secretary of state to each mail voter whose application for the mail ballot has been received and accepted.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-1.1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-14 / Section 17-14-1.1
§ 17-14-1.1. Party affiliation.
Status: in_force

Whenever any person seeks elective office, that person shall not have been a member of a political party other than the declared political party within ninety (90) days of the filing of their declaration of candidacy, except for a special election for federal office, or for an election for federal office regularly scheduled for a time other than the biennial general statewide election, that person shall not have been a member of a political party other than the declared political party within thirty (30) days of the filing of their declaration of candidacy.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-35 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-19 / Section 17-19-35
§ 17-19-35. Guarding optical scan precinct count units until resumption of custody by board.
Status: in_force

Under orders of the local board, a police officer shall remain at the voting place until the board, personally or by a custodian, resumes custody of the optical scan precinct count units and voting booths.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-23-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-23 / Section 17-23-1
§ 17-23-1. Signature and labeling of advertising in periodicals.
Status: in_force

No person shall publish or cause to be published in any newspaper or other periodical, either in its advertising or reading columns, any paid matter designed or tending to aid, injure, or defeat any candidate for public office or any question submitted to the voters, unless the name of the chairperson or secretary or the names of two (2) officers of the political or other organization inserting the paid matter, or the name of some voter who is responsible for it, with that persons residence and the street and number, if any, appear in the paid matter in the nature of a signature. The matter inserted in reading columns shall be preceded by or followed by the word advertisement in a separate line, in type not smaller than that of the body type of the newspaper or other periodical.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-11-11 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-11 / Section 17-11-11
§ 17-11-11. Selection of wardens and clerks in cities.
Status: in_force

At least thirty-five (35) days before any election, the local board in each city shall appoint for each polling place within the city where an election is to be held a warden and clerk, not from the same political party. The appointments shall be made from a list of not less than ten (10) registered voters presented to the board by the city or town committees of the political parties at least forty-five (45) days before any election.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-3-2 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-3 / Section 17-3-2
§ 17-3-2. Adjournment of election meetings.
Status: in_force

All senatorial district, representative district, and voting district meetings held in any district for the election of senators and representatives in the general assembly, or of any one or more of them, shall, at the time of closing the polls in that district as prescribed by law, stand adjourned until the date named in the warrant provided in § 17-3-3 to be issued in case of no election, or until the state board has notified the secretary of state that an election of senator and representative in the general assembly from the district has been made.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-3 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-20 / Section 17-20-3
§ 17-20-3. Definitions.
Status: in_force

(a) Wherever used in this chapter, every word importing only the masculine gender is construed to extend to, and include, females as well as males.

(b) Whenever used in this chapter, bipartisan pairs of supervisors for primaries means a supervisor representing the endorsed candidates and a supervisor representing a majority of unendorsed candidates, and for nonpartisan elections and primaries means nonpartisan pairs of supervisors.

(c) Wherever used in this chapter, employed outside of the United States includes any person who is:

(1) Employed by any agency, department, or division of the United States government and who, by reason of that employment, resides outside of the continental United States;

(2) Employed outside the territorial limits of the United States; or

(3) A spouse or dependent residing with persons so employed.

(d) Wherever used in this chapter, services intimately connected with military operations includes members of religious groups or welfare agencies assisting members of the armed forces who are officially attached to and serving with the armed forces and their spouses and dependents, and the spouses and dependents of members of the armed forces and of the merchant marine; provided, that the spouses and dependents are residing outside of the state with the members of the armed forces, merchant marine, or members of the religious or welfare agencies.

(e) Whenever a signature is required by a voter in this chapter, signature also means the voters mark if the person is unable to sign their name because of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write, or by affixing the voters signature by a person providing assistance to the voter in accordance with the requirements of this chapter.

(f) Whenever used in this chapter, bipartisan means not of the same recognized political party.

(g) Whenever used in this chapter, emergency voting pursuant to § 17-20-2.2(g) shall be construed to mean early voting.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-13-4 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-13 / Section 17-13-4
§ 17-13-4. Consolidated list for each party.
Status: in_force

There shall be only one list prepared for each party and the practice of separate lists prepared for women and for real, personal, and registry voters shall not be followed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-4-12 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-4 / Section 17-4-12
§ 17-4-12. Attendance of governor and secretary of state  Certificates required by federal law.
Status: in_force

It shall be the duty of the governor and the secretary of state to be present at the state house in Providence on the day of the meeting of the electors, to make and furnish to the electors any certificates required by the laws of the United States to be forwarded to the seat of government with the votes of the electors which are made necessary by any election made pursuant to the provisions of § 17-4-11.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-27-1 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-27 / Section 17-27-1
§ 17-27-1. Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in this chapter:

(1) Aggregate amount means the total of all contributions made to a particular general officer, candidate for general office, or political party within the time period set forth;

(2) Business entity means a sole proprietorship, partnership, firm, corporation, holding company, joint stock company, receivership, trust, or any other entity recognized in law through which business for profit is conducted;

(3) Contribution means a transfer of money, paid personal services, or other thing of value reportable under the terms of chapter 25 of this title;

(4) Executive officer means any person who is appointed or elected as an officer of a business entity by either the incorporators, stockholders, or directors of the business entity who is in charge of a principal business unit, division, or function of the business entity, or participates or has authority to participate other than in the capacity of a director in major policymaking functions of the business entity or who is actively engaged in soliciting business from the state or conducting, other than in a ministerial capacity, business with the state; provided, that officers of the business entity who are located outside the state, are not residents of the state, and do not participate in the business of the business entity within this state shall be exempted from the requirements of this chapter;

(5) Goods or services shall not include services provided to a state agency by:

(i) Any public utility company; or

(ii) A federal or state banking institution or other depository institution solely in connection with depository accounts held by the institution on behalf of a state agency;

(6) State agency means a branch, department, division, agency, commission, board, office, bureau, or authority of the government of the state of Rhode Island;

(7)(i) State vendor means:

(A) A person or business entity that sells goods or provides services to any state agency,

(B) A person or business entity which has an ownership interest of ten (10%) percent or more in a business entity that sells goods or provides services to any state agency, or

(C) A person who is an executive officer of a business entity that sells goods or provides services to any state agency,

(D) The spouse or minor child of a person qualifying as a state vendor under the terms of subparagraphs (A), (B) or (C) of this paragraph, unless the spouse works for a vendor in competition for state business with the reporting business entity, or

(E) A business of the business entity that is a parent or subsidiary of a business entity that sells goods or provides services to any state agency.

(ii) State vendor does not mean:

(A) A municipality,

(B) A corporation established pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. §501(c)(3),

(C) A hospital,

(D) A state or federal agency, or

(E) A person receiving reimbursement for an approved state expense. The director of administration is authorized to provide as a public record a list of further exemptions consistent with the purposes of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-7 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-15 / Section 17-15-7
§ 17-15-7. Candidates nominated at primaries.
Status: in_force

(a) At the primary elections, candidates shall be nominated for the following offices, if the offices are to be filled at the succeeding election:

(1) Senators in the congress of the United States.

(2) Representatives in the congress of the United States.

(3) General officers of the state.

(4) Senators in the general assembly from the respective senatorial districts.

(5) Representatives in the general assembly from the respective representative districts.

(6) Mayors for the respective cities.

(7) Members of the city or town councils from the respective towns, wards, and districts.

(8) All other city or town officials previously nominated by party caucus, convention, or party committees, whose offices are to be filled at the regular or special election next succeeding the primary, with the exception of candidates for presidential elector who shall be selected as provided in this title.

(b) At the primary elections the members of ward, town, and district committees of the respective political parties shall be elected.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-25-22 — RI Code / Title 17 / Chapter 17-25 / Section 17-25-22
§ 17-25-22. Time period for payment of public funds.
Status: in_force

(a) In order to receive matching public funds, the candidate must be a candidate for general office who meets all of the requirements set forth in § 17-25-20(6). The candidate must submit to the board of elections proof of receipt of qualifying private contributions and supporting documentation as required by the board. The board of elections shall, within five (5) business days of the receipt of the request for payment of matching funds, either pay over funds to the candidate or disallow all or a portion of the request and state in writing the reasons for the disallowance.

(b) A candidate may submit supplemental applications for public funds until the time that the permitted limits are reached.