2012 -- S 2489

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LC01472

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012

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A N A C T

RELATING TO ELECTIONS

     Introduced By: Senators Doyle, Bates, Crowley, and Nesselbush

     Date Introduced: February 16, 2012

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 17-11-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-11 entitled "Voting

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Districts and Officials" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     17-11-1. Division of towns and representative district into voting districts. -- The

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local board of any city or town may, on or before the sixtieth (60th) day preceding any election,

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divide or redivide the city or town, or any representative district in the city or town, into voting

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districts. The local board of each city or town shall determine voting districts by geographical

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boundaries and by no other means. No voting district shall at any time comprise parts of two (2)

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or more wards. It shall be the duty of the board to divide the town, representative district, or ward,

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which shall be limited to four thousand (4,000) voters in the same voting district and approved by

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the state board, excepting that the state board may approve a voting district serving more than

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four thousand (4,000) voters if so that substantially not more than nineteen hundred (1900) voters

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shall be served by the same polling place; provided, that subject to the approval of the state board,

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a local board may provide for serving more than nineteen hundred (1900) voters in the same

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polling place where the effect to the contrary would be of creating a polling place serving less

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than one hundred fifty (150) one thousand (1,000) voters. A polling place may be located either

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within or without the voting district for which it is established; provided, that a polling place may

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be located outside the district only upon unanimous determination of the local board and subject

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to the approval of the state board that a suitable place is not available within the voting district. In

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making the calculation required by this section, voters whose names are on the inactive list of

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voters shall not be included.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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LC01472

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N A C T

RELATING TO ELECTIONS

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     This act would increase the maximum number of active voters served by the same polling

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place from 1,900 voters to 4,000 voters or the local election board can increase the number of

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voters at a single voting place above the 4,000 voter limit as long as the effect would not result in

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a voting place serving less than 1,000 voters.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC01472

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