2012 -- S 2977

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LC02663

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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 Jabour, and Crowley

     Date Introduced: May 17, 2012

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Chapter 26 of the 2012 Public Laws entitled “AN ACT RELATING TO

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ELECTIONS” 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 three thousand (3000) total eligible registered voters

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shall be served by the same polling place; provided, however, that any divisions conducted by the

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local board pursuant to this section shall not result in creating a polling place serving less than

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five hundred (500) total eligible registered voters, except when a polling place is located in a low-

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income or elderly residential development, or when it is caused by legislative district boundaries;

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and provided, further, that no existing polling place which is presently located in a low-income or

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elderly residential development shall be eliminated. Upon the establishment and approval of any

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polling place by the state board, changes to the polling place shall not be allowed until the next

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redistricting by the general assembly, unless the polling place becomes unavailable to the city or

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town, or no longer meets polling place minimum requirements as established by the state board,

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then the city or town may take the appropriate action to replace the polling place. A polling place

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may be located either within or without the voting district for which it is established; provided,

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that a polling place may be located outside the district only upon unanimous determination of the

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local board and subject to the approval of the state board that a suitable place is not available

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within the voting district.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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LC02663

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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 amend Chapter 26 of the 2012 Public Laws entitled “AN ACT

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RELATING TO ELECTIONS” by exempting polling places which are located in a low-income

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or elderly residential development from the minimum requirement of at least five hundred (500)

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total eligible registered voters required to constitute a polling place, and would preserve those

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existing polling places which are presently located in such low-income or elderly residential

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developments.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC02663

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