2017 -- H 6252 SUBSTITUTE A

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- LOCAL CANVASSING AUTHORITIES

     Introduced By: Representatives Fogarty, Ucci, and Tanzi

     Date Introduced: May 25, 2017

     Referred To: House Municipal Government

     (by request)

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 17-8-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-8 entitled "Local

Canvassing Authorities" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     17-8-1. Appointment of bipartisan authority.

     The legislative body of each city and town shall appoint a bipartisan canvassing authority

of three (3) qualified electors of the city or town, not more than two (2) of whom shall belong to

the same political party, and may appoint two (2) alternate members, not more than one of whom

shall belong to the same political party. At any meeting of the canvassing authority at which a

member is to be absent, the member may request that an alternate replace him or her for that

meeting; provided, that the alternate member must be of the same political party as the member.

The mayor, or the president of the town council if there is no mayor, shall nominate the members

of the canvassing authority from lists of party voters submitted by the respective chairpersons of

the city or town political committee, which lists shall contain the names of five (5) times the

number of persons to be appointed. If the legislative body refuses to approve the nomination of

any person to the canvassing authority, the mayor, or the president if there is no mayor, shall

submit to the legislative body another person named on one of the lists, and so on until a person is

appointed. If the chairperson of the city or town committee of a political party entitled to an

appointment fails or refuses to submit a list, the mayor, or the president if there is no mayor, shall

nominate any party voter of the political party entitled to the appointment.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- LOCAL CANVASSING AUTHORITIES

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     This act would clarify that the authority of the president of a city or town council to

nominate the members of a local canvassing authority only applies to a municipality that does not

have a mayoral form of government.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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