2015 -- S 0903

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LC002684

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- GOVERNOR AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

     Introduced By: Senators Picard, and Pearson

     Date Introduced: May 12, 2015

     Referred To: Senate Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 17-2-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-2 entitled "General State

Officers" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     17-2-1. General officers enumerated -- Election and terms. -- The governor, lieutenant

governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and general treasurer shall be known as general

officers. Commencing with the quadrennial election of A.D. 2018, the candidates for the offices

of governor and lieutenant governor shall form joint candidacies so that each voter shall cast a

single vote for a candidate for governor and a candidate for lieutenant governor running together.

They The general officers shall be elected at a general election, quadrennially, in accordance with

the provisions of this title, and shall hold their respective offices for four (4) years beginning on

the first Tuesday of January next succeeding their election and until the election and qualification

of their respective successors.

     SECTION 2. Chapter 17-14 of the General Laws entitled "Nomination of Party and

Independent Candidates" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

     17-14-1.3. Candidacy for lieutenant governor. – (a) No later than (5:00) pm on the

ninth (9th) day following the primary election, each candidate for governor shall designate, in

writing, a candidate for lieutenant governor as a running mate.

     (b) No later than (5:00) pm on the ninth (9th) day following the primary election, each

designated candidate for lieutenant governor shall file with the secretary of state a signed

declaration which contains the following:

     (1) The candidate's name as it appears on the voting list, subject to the same provisions as

it relates to the candidate's signature;

     (2) The candidate's address as it appears on the voting list, provided that an address

which is substantially the same as the address on the voting list shall be valid;

     (3) The candidate's place and date of birth;

     (4) The candidate's length of residence in the state and in the town or city where he or she

resides;

     (5) A certification that the candidate is neither serving a sentence, including probation or

parole, for which he or she was imprisoned upon final conviction of a felony imposed on any

date, nor serving any sentence, whether incarcerated or suspended, on probation or parole, upon

final conviction of a felony committed after November 5, 1986;

     (6) A certification that the candidate has not been lawfully adjudicated to be non compos

mentis, of unsound mind;

     (7) A certification that the candidate has not within the preceding three (3) years served

any sentence, incarcerated or suspended, on probation or parole, for a crime committed after

November 5, 1986, upon a plea of nolo contendere or guilty or upon a conviction of a felony or

for a misdemeanor for which a sentence of imprisonment for six (6) months or more, whether

suspended or to be served as imposed.

     (c) A designated candidate for lieutenant governor is not required to obtain signatures on

nomination papers.

     (d) Ballot position obtained by the candidate for governor entitles the designated

candidate for lieutenant governor, upon receipt by the secretary of state of an approved

declaration to have his or her name placed on the ballot for the joint candidacy.

     (e) In order to have the name of the candidate for lieutenant governor printed on the

primary election ballot, a candidate for governor participating in the primary must designate the

candidate for lieutenant governor, and such designated candidate must qualify no later than sixty

(60) days before the primary. If the candidate for lieutenant governor has not been designated and

has not been timely certified by the secretary of state, the phrase "Not Yet Designated" must be

included in lieu of the candidate's name of the primary election ballot.

     (f) Failure of the lieutenant governor candidate to be designated and qualified by the time

specified in subsection (b) of this section shall result in forfeiture of the ballot position for the

candidate for governor for the general election.

     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage of the joint resolution entitled, Joint

Resolution "To approve and publish and submit to the electors a proposition of amendment to the

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constitution of the state (governor and lieutenant governor to appear jointly on the ballot)", to be

voted upon by the electorate at the next statewide election.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- GOVERNOR AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

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     This act would provide that candidates for governor and lieutenant governor would run

on a joint ticket commencing with the general election in 2018.

     This act would take effect upon passage of the joint resolution entitled, Joint Resolution

"To approve and publish and submit to the electors a proposition of amendment to the

constitution of the state (governor and lieutenant governor to appear jointly on the ballot)", to be

voted upon by the electorate at the next statewide election.

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