Title 17, Title 17 Title 17

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.

(a) Elective meetings in the cities and towns named in this section shall be opened for the purpose of voting at the hours specified for each particular city or town as designated in the specific time as follows: (b) [Deleted by P.L. 2019, ch. 201, § 1 and P.L. 2019, ch. 268, § 1…

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 reasona…

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 …

If, in any case in a town not divided into voting districts, there is no election of the town officers voted for who are required to be elected by the people, or of any of them, the polls may be reopened and proceedings shall be had until an election takes place. In those towns, …

The provisions of this chapter shall govern elective meetings held in accordance with the provisions of chapter 19 of this title, provided they are applicable and not inconsistent with the provisions of chapter 19.

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 seconda…

Ward meetings in cities for purposes of election shall be warned and organized as is or may be provided by law or by the charters of the cities, and all meetings shall be held at the times appointed by law; provided, that in the cities of Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, New…

Senatorial district meetings, representative district meetings, and voting district meetings for the purposes of election shall be warned and organized as is or may be provided by law, and notice of all these meetings shall be given by the city or town clerk issuing his or her wa…

The officer charged with the service of the warrant shall, previous to the meetings, make return to the respective district clerks of his or her actions upon the warrant.

A meeting of the electors of every city, town, senatorial district, representative district, and of every voting district shall be held biennially in the even years on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November at a place to be designated and furnished by the local board…

In the event that the date for the holding of any state or municipal election, other than the general election held on the first Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in even numbered years, falls upon the day of a religious holiday on which the doctrines of a faith wou…

The officers of a voting district shall be a moderator and a clerk. The moderator shall preside in all meetings of his or her district until his or her successor is elected and qualified. The moderator shall have the same authority in these meetings as moderators of town meetings…

Voting district meetings shall be held by the electors of the district at the times appointed by law and at the places designated by the local board of the respective cities and towns; and the moderator and clerk, when present, shall constitute a quorum of electors for the openin…

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 a…

In the election of general officers, representatives in congress, and electors of president and vice-president of the United States, and of city officers of all cities, and in the election of senators and representatives in the general assembly, the town, ward, senatorial and rep…

As used in this chapter, except as otherwise required by the context: (1) “Candidate” means any individual who has qualified under law to have his or her name appear on the ballot for nomination for election or election to office; (2) “Computer ballot” means the paper ballot prep…

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 s…

In furtherance of the termination of the option of straight-party voting by means of a single mark in non-primary elections, the secretary of state shall, no later than thirty (30) days after the effective date of this section, conduct appropriate training and consultations with …

(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…

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…

The local board may designate suitable and adequate times and places where optical scan voting equipment and sample ballots showing titles of offices to be filled and, so far as practicable, the names of candidates to be voted for at the next election shall be exhibited for the p…

(a) Prior to any election at which optical scan precinct count voting units are to be used, including those that are accessible for voters who are blind, visually impaired, or disabled, the secretary of state shall prepare the layout and format of the computer ballot in conjuncti…

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 st…

Each local board shall be responsible for safeguarding the optical scan precinct count units and voting booths delivered to it, and shall properly and safely locate the optical scan precinct count units in the polling places where they are to be used. The local board shall also b…

The warden shall, in company with the clerk and supervisors, before the opening of the polls, unlock each compartment of the optical scan precinct count unit to assure that no computer ballots are contained in any compartment. The warden shall also examine the computer ballot and…

During the time that the polls are open, and until the optical scan precinct count unit and voted computer ballots are finally locked and sealed and the removable keys thereof sealed up for transmission to the state board as provided in this chapter, the optical scan precinct cou…

Subject to the provisions of this chapter, voting equipment that has been procured by the department of administration according to the provisions of this chapter shall be used in all state, city, or town elections, including elections at which amendments to the constitution of t…

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…

If an optical scan precinct count unit becomes out of order, the warden shall notify the voting equipment technician assigned to respond to those calls. While repairing or otherwise attending to the repair of any voting machine equipment, the voting equipment technician shall dis…

(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 provide…

Bake sales may be held at polling places as long as conduct does not interfere with the orderly conduct of the scheduled election.

The officers required to furnish and equip any voting place shall also provide a table in the room where the voting is conducted, outside the enclosed space near the first bipartisan pair of supervisors, at which a representative of each recognized political party bearing credent…

Any board which determines that it requires ballots printed in a language other than English, pursuant to the provisions of § 17-19-54(a), shall provide at each polling place at least one individual who is fluent in the language for each language for which those ballots were soug…

The wardens shall: (1) Have general supervision of the voting place; (2) [Deleted by P.L. 2016, ch. 341, § 1 and P.L. 2016, ch. 364, § 1.] (3) Assign and reassign and relieve the bipartisan pairs of supervisors, as the efficient conduct of the election may require; (4) Access the…

(a) All persons who attend and complete a program of instruction for election officials under § 17-7-5(a)(6) shall be issued a certificate by the board of elections. In addition to the compensation to which they are otherwise entitled, these persons shall also be entitled to rece…

Cities and towns are authorized to compensate moderators, clerks, inspectors, supervisors and any other election official at a daily rate in excess of any statutory allowable amount. Any excess shall be the responsibility of the authorizing city or town.

(a) Each person desiring to vote shall provide proof of identification as required by § 17-19-24.2 and state his or her name and residence, including that person’s street address, if he or she has any, to the pair of bi-partisan supervisors, who shall then announce the name and r…

(a) If an individual’s name does not appear on the certified voting list as provided for in § 17-19-24(b) and the individual is eligible to vote in an election for federal office or an election official asserts that the individual is not eligible to vote in the district in which …

(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 unexpire…

(a) At all elections, a person claiming to be a registered and eligible voter, but who has failed to provide proof of identity pursuant to § 17-19-24.2 shall be allowed to vote a provisional ballot upon executing a provisional ballot voter’s application. All provisional ballots, …

Immediately upon the close of the polls, the bipartisan pair of supervisors shall securely bind, tie, or seal the certified voting list in the manner that shall be required by the state board, and the supervisors shall affix thereon their certificate under oath that the marks wit…

Any person desiring information or assistance in voting on election day shall apply to the warden, who shall instruct the person by the use of the sample ballots. If a voter needs assistance in casting his or her vote itself, and requests this assistance, the warden shall direct …

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

Whenever the identity of any person offering to vote is challenged at the polling place, that person shall be permitted to vote only using a provisional ballot as defined in § 17-19-24.1.

(a) The board of elections shall, in consultation with the office of secretary of state, develop, from time to time, and, in coordination with the general assembly for the purpose of funding procurement, submit specifications to the department of administration that the departmen…