# Rhode Island H7007: AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS . Rhode Island H7007, AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS ., is a 2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by William W. O'Brien (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-03-31 (Signed by Governor — Chapter 003) (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H7007-2026 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Rhode Island H7007 - State: Rhode Island - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS . - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2026-01-07 - Last action: 2026-03-31, Signed by Governor — Chapter 003 - Sponsor: William W. O'Brien (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 9 - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 3 (162 yes, 11 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Secure electronic ballots and counting: benefit, medium. Beginning December 31, 2025, the Secretary of State only approves electronic ballot systems that pass independent security reviews and meet NIST cybersecurity standards. Ballots sent electronically must be returned electronically to the State Board of Elections. The state board counts those ballots… - Accessible electronic ballots for disabled voters: benefit, low. Beginning December 31, 2025, eligible disabled voters can get and return mail ballots electronically, using the same system as overseas and military voters. The system must meet Section 508 accessibility standards. These disability electronic ballot rules are subject to separate sunset language dat… - Automatic mail-ballot applications for voters: benefit, low. Beginning December 31, 2025, you can sign up to get a mail-ballot application for every election. Local boards must mail you the form and instructions with a stamped return envelope addressed to the local board. The Secretary of State may also process your request through the online mail-ballot por… - Easier overseas and military voting: benefit, low. Beginning December 31, 2025, more people can use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to get an absentee ballot. This includes service members on active duty, people doing military-related services, workers outside the U.S., and U.S. citizens living abroad. One FPCA can cover primaries and elec… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: William W. O'Brien (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Samuel A. Azzinaro (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Nathan W. Biah (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Arthur J. Corvese (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Matthew S. Dawson (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Carol Hagan McEntee (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Thomas E. Noret (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Earl A. Read, III (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Evan P. Shanley (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Joseph J. Solomon, Jr. (Democratic), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-26 | Senate | RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS In Concurrence Passage | pass | 33 | 3 | | | 2026-02-05 | House | MAIL BALLOTS PASSAGE PASSAGE OF AMENDMENT | pass | 68 | 0 | | | 2026-02-05 | House | MAIL BALLOTS PASSAGE AS AMENDED | pass | 61 | 8 | | ## Actions (16) - 2026-03-31: Signed by Governor — Chapter 003 (Governor) - 2026-03-26: Transmitted to Governor (Governor) - 2026-03-26: Senate passed as amended in concurrence (Senate) - 2026-03-20: Placed on Senate Calendar (03/26/2026) (Senate) - 2026-02-26: Committee recommends passage as amended in concurrence - 2026-02-23: Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (02/26/2026) - 2026-02-23: Meeting postponed (02/24/2026) - 2026-02-20: Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration - 2026-02-06: Referred to Senate Judiciary (Senate) - 2026-02-05: House passed as amended (floor amendment) (House) - 2026-01-30: Placed on House Calendar (02/05/2026) (House) - 2026-01-27: Committee recommends passage - 2026-01-23: Scheduled for consideration (01/27/2026) - 2026-01-15: Committee recommended measure be held for further study - 2026-01-09: Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (01/15/2026) - 2026-01-07: Introduced, referred to House State Government & Elections (House) ## Bill text - H7007 - As Amended, 2026-01-07: [HTML](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H7007aa.htm), [PDF](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H7007aa.pdf) - H7007 - As Introduced, 2026-01-07: [HTML](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H7007.htm), [PDF](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H7007.pdf) ## Related bills - S3363: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION . (became law) - S3315: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES . (became law) - S3337: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION . (became law) - S3333: AN ACT RELATING TO THE NORTH TIVERTON FIRE DISTRICT . (became law) - S3353: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PAY CERTAIN CLAIMS . (became law) - S3293: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION . (became law) ## Sources - [H7007 - As Amended (HTML)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H7007aa.htm) - [H7007 - As Amended (PDF)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H7007aa.pdf) - [H7007 - As Introduced (HTML)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H7007.htm) - [H7007 - As Introduced (PDF)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/HouseText26/H7007.pdf) ## Related - [S3363: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3363-2026) - [S3315: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3315-2026) - [S3337: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3337-2026) - [S3333: AN ACT RELATING TO THE NORTH TIVERTON FIRE DISTRICT .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3333-2026) - [S3353: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PAY CERTAIN CLAIMS .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3353-2026) - [S3293: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PROPERTY SUBJECT TO TAXATION .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3293-2026) - [Rhode Island bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/rhode-island/bills) - [Rhode Island state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/rhode-island) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H7007-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).