2012 -- S 2489 SUBSTITUTE A AS AMENDED

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LC01472/SUB A/2

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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 city or town, representative district,

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or ward, so that substantially not more than nineteen hundred (1900) three thousand (3,000) total

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eligible registered voters shall be served by the same polling place; provided, that subject to the

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approval of the state board, a local board may provide for serving more than nineteen hundred

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(1900) voters in the same polling place where the effect to the contrary would be of however, that

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any divisions conducted by the local board pursuant to this section shall not result in creating a

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polling place serving less than one hundred fifty (150) five hundred (500) total eligible registered

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voters, except when it is caused by legislative district boundaries. Upon the establishment and

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approval of any polling place by the state board, changes to the polling place shall not be allowed

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until the next redistricting by the general assembly, unless the polling place becomes unavailable

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to the city or town, or no longer meets polling place minimum requirements as established by the

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state board, then the city or town may take the appropriate action to replace the polling place.

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     A polling place may be located either within or without the voting district for which it is

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established; provided, that a polling place may be located outside the district only upon

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unanimous determination of the local board and subject to the approval of the state board that a

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suitable place is not available within the voting district. In making the calculation required by this

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section, voters whose names are on the inactive list of voters shall not be included.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on May 1, 2012 and shall be applicable to the 2012

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state and federal primary and general election.

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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 3,000 as long as the effect would not result in a voting place serving

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less than 500 voters, except when it is caused by legislative district boundaries.

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     This act would take effect on May 1, 2012 and would be applicable to the 2012 state and

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federal primary and general elections.

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LC01472/SUB A/2

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