Title 17, Title 17 Title 17

(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 …

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.

(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 shal…

(a) Each campaign treasurer of a candidate, each state and municipal committee of a political party, and each political action committee shall keep accurate records and make a full report, upon a form prescribed by the board of elections, of all contributions received, and expend…

(a) The personal use by any elected public office holder or by any candidate for public office, as defined in § 17-25-3, of campaign funds contributed after April 29, 1992, is prohibited. For the purposes of this section, “personal use” is defined as any use other than expenditur…

It is unlawful for any candidate for public office, as defined in § 17-25-3, or any elected public office holder to accept the proceeds of any testimonial, as defined in § 17-25-3, for personal use, as defined in § 17-25-7.2, which were received after April 29, 1992. Nothing in t…

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.

The State of Rhode Island is committed to facilitating public access to reports of campaign contributions and expenditures by candidates for public office and other entities required to file campaign finance reports.

(a) The filing of campaign finance reports to the board of elections shall commence in accordance with the following schedule: (1) Candidates for general office shall commence filing campaign finance reports electronically beginning with the report required to be filed for the fi…

(a) Each candidate in an election shall file a “notice of organization” with the board of elections and appoint one campaign treasurer before receiving any contribution or expending any money in furtherance or aid of the candidate’s candidacy. The “notice of organization” shall i…

(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 cam…

(a) Each state and municipal committee of a political party shall, on or before January 31 of each year, designate a campaign treasurer and shall file the name and address of that person with the board of elections. (b) A campaign treasurer of the state or municipal committee of …

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…

Every person who is convicted of any offense under this title which has been classified by the general assembly as a misdemeanor shall be imprisoned for a term not exceeding one year, or fined not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.

Every person who is convicted of any offense under this title which has been classified by the general assembly as a petty misdemeanor shall be imprisoned for a term not exceeding six (6) months, or fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500), or both.

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, corp…

In connection with contracts for goods or services to be provided at a cost of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or more between a state vendor and a state agency, whether written or unwritten, the state vendor shall execute, under oath, an affidavit concerning reportable contributi…

(a) The affidavit required by § 17-27-2 shall be filed, together with a copy of the contract or a written summary of the principal terms of the contract, with the board of elections. If the contract is in writing, then the affidavit shall be filed within sixty (60) days of the ex…

(a) The board of elections shall prepare a form affidavit for use by state vendors in compliance with the requirements of § 17-27-2. (b) Each state agency which solicits or contracts with state vendors shall establish procedures for informing state vendors and potential state ven…

(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 hav…

(a) A participant in the address confidentiality program established by chapter 164 of title 42 who is qualified to vote may apply for a mail ballot for all elections in the city or town in which that individual resides in the same manner as mail ballot voters who qualify under c…

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Voter Choice Act.”

(a) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that: (1) Majority rule is a fundamental principle of representative democracy, and the state’s election laws should uphold and facilitate this principle. (2) In an election where more than two (2) candidates are running for an o…

(a) The voter choice study commission is hereby established for the purpose of studying instant runoff voting and other advanced voting methods. (b) As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, “Advanced voting method” means a voting method that allows an elect…

(a) For purposes of this chapter, “candidate” means and includes an incumbent or current office holder. (b) For purposes of this chapter, “synthetic media” means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual’s appearance, speech, or conduct that has been int…

(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 comm…

(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, distrib…

The provisions of this chapter are severable. If any provision of this chapter or its application is held to be invalid, such holding shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision.

The interstate compact entitled the “Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote” is hereby enacted into law and entered into with all other jurisdictions legally joining therein in the form substantially as follows: Any state of the United States a…

No person shall be a qualified voter at any election unless that person is registered under the authority of this chapter or pursuant to any other provisions of this title.

(a) In addition to the methods for registering to vote provided in §§ 17-9.1-7, 17-9.1-8, 17-9.1-9, and 17-9.1-34, whenever any person who is, or may be, by the next election qualified to vote desires to register, that person may appear before the local board of the city or town …

Before the name of any person shall be placed on the voting list, the person shall, at the time of registration, certify or declare that the person is a citizen of the United States.

Every person who knowingly and willfully makes any false certificate or declaration in registering his or her name pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or who knowingly and willfully makes any false statement in any affirmation or confirmation form or who, acting in the cap…

(a) The original registration cards shall be arranged and maintained in alphabetical order by surname for the entire city or town and shall be filed in suitable containers. Any duplicate set of cards shall be maintained at the discretion of the local canvassing authority, subject…

The containers of the original and any duplicate registration cards in the possession of the local board and the keys to the containers shall be kept in the custody of the local board, and these containers shall remain securely locked at all times and shall be opened only by the …

(a) Except as otherwise provided in § 17-9.1-6, the original and any duplicate registration cards shall be public records and shall be open to public inspection and copying at all reasonable times. (b) Except where confidentiality is otherwise required under other provisions of t…

(a) Change of address within the same city or town. (1) A registered voter who has moved from a residence address within a voting district to another residence address within the same voting district and who has not notified the local board of the change of residence address thir…

(a) A voter may register in a city or town into which he or she has moved whether or not the voter has notified the board of the city or town in which the voter was last registered of the voter’s change of address. The action of registration shall automatically cancel the voter’s…

The secretary of state shall, upon receiving a voter’s new registration, notify the appropriate election official of the newly registered voter’s last place of residence only if it is located outside the state of Rhode Island.

Any registered voter whose name has been changed by marriage or court action shall be entitled to have the change of name recorded on the registration records of the local board, and upon the recording, shall be entitled to vote thereafter under the changed name. The local board …

(a) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require any voter to reregister if he or she is already registered in the city or town in which the voter has his or her residence, as defined in § 17-1-3.1. A voter shall have no more than one voter registration. Any voter who is…

It shall be the duty of the state board to prescribe the style, color, quality, and dimensions of all registration forms, containers, and other equipment required to provide for the permanent registration of voters, and for filing and safekeeping of the registration forms, and it…

Any local board may adopt an alternative form and means for obtaining and retaining duplicative voter registration information which is approved by the state board of elections. The form shall provide for the information required by § 17-9.1-6 and shall be kept in the order speci…

Every person who makes a false affidavit under this chapter shall be guilty of a felony.

The local boards shall not more than once a month, if requested to do so by the state and/or city or town chairperson of any political party, or any state or local office holder or declared candidate for public office, furnish without cost and without unreasonable delay to the ch…

Every person who willfully and without lawful authority destroys, secretes, removes, defaces, alters, tampers, or meddles with the original or any duplicate registration card after any entry has been lawfully made in it, or any official list of registered voters compiled from the…