Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 410 - Board of Elections › Chapter 20 - Elections › Subchapter 00 - N/A › Part 17 - Unaffiliated Voters Participating in Primary Elections (410-RICR-20-00-17) › Section 410-RICR-20-00-17.3 - Definitions

Current through June 14, 2024
A. "Affiliated" or "Affiliation" means to be
				  a member of a designated political party.
B. "Ballot application" means an application
				  issued to a voter in which they must certify their name and home address as
				  their own, and before they are issued an official ballot. This includes
				  precinct ballot applications, mail ballot applications, and provisional ballot
				  applications.
C. "Board of
				  Canvassers" or "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.
D.
				  "Disaffiliate" or "Disaffiliation" means to remove or change party
				  affiliation.
E. "Participate" or
				  "Participation" means to complete and sign a ballot application. Even if a
				  voter does not cast a ballot in the primary, a signed ballot application will
				  constitute participation, and the Local Board shall record the voter's
				  affiliation.
F. "Party" or
				  "Political party" means:
1. 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
2. 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
3. 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;