Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 410 - Board of Elections › Chapter 20 - Elections › Subchapter 00 - N/A › Part 25 - Rules and Regulations Establishing Vote-by-Mail Ballot Drop Boxes › Section 410-RICR-20-00-25.4 - Drop Box Requirements and Locations

Current through June 14, 2024
A. A Drop Box
				  shall be established in each city and town in the State of Rhode Island, and
				  outside the Office of the Board of Elections and the Election Division, Office
				  of the Secretary of State, and to the extent feasible shall be located
				  prominently and in close proximity to the entrance at the exterior of the city
				  or town hall building in each community, taking into account the accessibility
				  requirements of §
										1.4(D) of
				  this Part. Additional Drop Boxes may be established at specified locations
				  within a community upon the approval of the Board of Elections. The Drop Box
				  may, for cause shown, be established inside a city or town hall building but
				  only if it is placed in the vicinity of the office of the local board of
				  canvassers and the building remains open and accessible to the public
				  throughout the prescribed time period prior to Election Day and until the close
				  of the polls at 8:00 P.M. on Election Day and provided further that prominent
				  signage be displayed outside of the municipal building that notifies the public
				  of the existence and location of the Drop Box. The Drop Box may be established
				  outside an alternate location within the city or town upon request of the local
				  Board and, for good cause shown, upon approval of the State Board.
B. Each Drop Box shall be tamper-proof and
				  the Drop Box shall use a slot opening that is capable of receiving mail and
				  emergency ballots within the Sealed Certification Envelopes. The opening of the
				  Drop Box shall not be capable of receiving any larger item, including any
				  package or material that could damage any deposited ballot. If the Drop Box is
				  outside, it must be securely fastened to the ground and also be designed to
				  protect deposited ballots from any outside elements, including
				  rainwater.
C. Each Drop Box and
				  immediate surrounding area shall be monitored by a video surveillance camera.
				  Unless otherwise permitted by the Board, the surveillance camera shall be in
				  operation twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week at all times
				  that the Drop Box is in use during an election. Recorded footage must be stored
				  for a minimum of ninety (90) days.
D. The location of the Drop Box and the slot
				  opening must be accessible to any person with a disability, and be at a height
				  that permits the deposit of a ballot from the height of a wheelchair.
E. The Drop Box shall be clearly and visibly
				  marked, as a "State of Rhode Island Official Ballot Drop Box for Mail Ballots.
				  Ballots must be deposited here no later than 8 P.M. on Election Day unless the
				  voter is in line to deposit his or her ballot at 8 P.M." Each Drop Box shall
				  also display the official seal of the Board of Elections.
F. The Drop Box shall also notify the voter
				  that no postage is required when depositing the ballot into the Drop Box and
				  that each ballot must be deposited within the Sealed Certification Envelope
				  provided to the voter.