2020 -- S 2162 AS AMENDED | |
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LC003626 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- REGISTRATION OF VOTERS | |
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Introduced By: Senator Erin Lynch Prata | |
Date Introduced: January 30, 2020 | |
Referred To: Senate Judiciary | |
(Board of Elections) | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Section 17-9.1-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-9.1 entitled |
2 | "Registration of Voters" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 17-9.1-8. Registration at designated agencies. |
4 | (a) Every person who is or may be by the next general election qualified to vote may |
5 | register to vote when being discharged from incarceration or when applying for services or |
6 | assistance at any of the following offices: |
7 | (1) Any office in the state that provides public assistance; |
8 | (2) At or through any offices in the state that provide state funded programs primarily |
9 | engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities; |
10 | (3) At armed forces recruitment offices, subject to procedures developed by the state |
11 | board in cooperation with the United States Department of Defense; |
12 | (4) At or through the department of corrections; and |
13 | (5) At any other agencies within the state that shall be determined by the state board. |
14 | (b) Voter registration agencies designated by the state board may include, but are not |
15 | limited to: |
16 | (1) State or local government offices such as public libraries, public schools, offices of |
17 | city and towns clerks (including marriage license bureaus), fishing and hunting license bureaus, |
18 | government revenue offices, unemployment compensation offices, and offices not described in |
19 | subdivision (a)(2) of this section that provide services to persons with disabilities; and |
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1 | (2) Federal and nongovernmental offices, with the agreement of those offices. |
2 | (c)(1) Persons must be provided this opportunity to register to vote not only at the time of |
3 | their original application for services, but also when filing any recertification, renewal, or for a |
4 | change of address relating to those services. Agencies providing voter registration assistance must |
5 | offer the same degree of assistance to individuals in completing a voter registration form as they |
6 | offer to individuals in completing the agency's own forms, unless the applicant refuses the |
7 | assistance. |
8 | (2) Any person who provides voter registration assistance services in an agency is |
9 | prohibited from: |
10 | (i) Seeking to influence an applicant's party preference or party registration; |
11 | (ii) Displaying any political preference or party allegiance; |
12 | (iii) Making any statement or taking any action whose purpose or effect is to discourage |
13 | the applicant from registering to vote; or |
14 | (iv) Making any statement or taking any action whose purpose or effect is to lead the |
15 | applicant to believe that a decision whether or not to register has any bearing on the availability |
16 | of services or benefits or on discharge from incarceration. |
17 | (d)(1) Those who decline to register to vote must do so in writing or by failing to check a |
18 | box on a form containing the question: "If you are not registered to vote where you live now, |
19 | would you like to apply to register to vote here today? yes or no". |
20 | (2) The declination may be included in the agency application for services or on a |
21 | separate form provided by the agency, subject to rules and regulations to be adopted by the state |
22 | board. |
23 | (3) No information regarding a person's declination to register to vote may be used for |
24 | any purpose other than voter registration. If an individual does register to vote, the particular |
25 | agency at which the applicant submits a voter registration application may not be publicly |
26 | disclosed. |
27 | (4) The declination form to be used at agencies providing public or publicly funded |
28 | assistance shall also contain the following statements and information: |
29 | (i) "Applying to register or declining to register to vote will not affect the amount of |
30 | assistance that you will be provided by this agency"; or, for those forms made available by the |
31 | department of corrections. "Applying to register or declining to register to vote will not affect |
32 | your discharge from incarceration"; |
33 | (ii) "If you do not check either box, you will be considered to have decided not to register |
34 | to vote at this time." (with "yes" and "no" boxes being provided); |
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1 | (iii) "If you would like help filling out the voter registration application form, we will |
2 | help you. The decision whether to seek or accept help is yours. You may fill out the application |
3 | form in private"; |
4 | (iv) "If you believe that someone has interfered with your right to register or to decline to |
5 | register to vote, your right to privacy in deciding whether to register or in applying to register to |
6 | vote, or your right to choose your own political party or other political preference, you may file a |
7 | complaint with the State Board of Elections, 50 Branch Avenue, Providence 2000 Plainfield Pike, |
8 | Cranston, Rhode Island 02904 02921, (401) 222-2345, (401) 222-2239 TDD"; |
9 | (v) A statement that if the applicant declines to register to vote, his or her decision will |
10 | remain confidential and be used only for voter registration purposes; and |
11 | (vi) A statement that if the applicant does register to vote, information regarding the |
12 | agency to which the application was submitted will remain confidential, to be used only for voter |
13 | registration purposes. |
14 | (e)(1) The registration form to be provided in these agencies shall be the mail registration |
15 | form adopted by the state board. Unless the registrant refuses to permit the agency to transmit the |
16 | form to the state board or local board where the applicant resides, the agency shall transmit the |
17 | completed registration form to the state board or any local board. However, if the registrant |
18 | refuses, the registrant may either mail the form to the state board or any local board or may |
19 | provide for delivery of the form to the state board or any local board either in person or through a |
20 | third party. It shall be the responsibility of all state or state funded agencies to have available at |
21 | all times a sufficient number of voter registration forms in order to carry out the provisions of this |
22 | section. |
23 | (2) Unless the applicant refuses to permit the agency to transmit the completed voter |
24 | registration form to the state board or to a local board, the agency shall be required to transmit the |
25 | registration form within ten (10) days after acceptance, or if accepted on the last day or within |
26 | five (5) days before the last day to register for an election, within five (5) days of acceptance. |
27 | (f) The department of corrections and each agency designated by the board to register |
28 | persons to vote when applying for services or assistance shall report to the state board: |
29 | (1) The number of persons applying for services and assistance or the number of persons |
30 | discharged from incarceration following felony convictions who are eligible to vote; |
31 | (2) The number of persons who have been registered to vote at that agency; |
32 | (3) The number of forms that have been transmitted by the agency to the state or local |
33 | board; and |
34 | (4) The number of persons who have declined to register to vote at that agency. Reports |
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1 | to the state board by each designated agency shall be on a quarterly basis. |
2 | (g) Any person who has fully and correctly completed an application to register to vote at |
3 | a designated agency is presumed to be registered as of the date of the acceptance of the |
4 | registration by the designated agency, subject to verification of the registration by the state board |
5 | or any local board as provided in § 17-9.1-25. |
6 | (h) If a voter registration agency which is primarily engaged in providing services to |
7 | persons with disabilities provides those services at the person's home, the agency shall provide |
8 | the voter registration services authorized by this section at the person's home. |
9 | (i) The state board of elections shall have the authority to adopt regulations to implement |
10 | and administer the provisions of this section, including all registrations taken at designated |
11 | agencies. |
12 | (j) In cases where the findings required by subdivision 17-6-1.2(a)(4) have been made, |
13 | transmission shall be made by electronic means as prescribed by the secretary of state, and shall |
14 | be in an electronic form compatible with the voter registration system maintained by the secretary |
15 | of state. |
16 | SECTION 2. Section 17-14-7 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-14 entitled "Nomination |
17 | of Party and Independent Candidates" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
18 | 17-14-7. Number of signers required for nomination papers. |
19 | (a) United States senator or governor. The nomination papers of a candidate for the party |
20 | nomination or an independent candidate for presidential elector, United States senator, or |
21 | governor shall be signed, in the aggregate, by at least one thousand (1,000) voters. |
22 | Notwithstanding the foregoing, for the 2020 election only, the nomination papers of a candidate |
23 | for the party nomination or an independent candidate for United States senator shall be signed, in |
24 | the aggregate, by at least five hundred (500) voters. |
25 | (b) Representative in Congress. The nomination papers of a candidate for the party |
26 | nomination or an independent candidate for representative in congress shall be signed, in the |
27 | aggregate, by at least five hundred (500) voters. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for the 2020 |
28 | election only, the nomination papers of a candidate for the party nomination or an independent |
29 | candidate for representative in Congress shall be signed, in the aggregate, by at least two hundred |
30 | fifty (250) voters. |
31 | (c) General state offices. The nomination papers of a candidate for the party nomination |
32 | or an independent candidate for any of the general offices of the state, excluding governor, shall |
33 | be signed, in the aggregate, by at least five hundred (500) voters. |
34 | (d) State senator. The nomination papers of a candidate for a party nomination or |
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1 | independent candidate for senator in any senatorial district shall be signed, in the aggregate, by at |
2 | least one hundred (100) voters of the senatorial district. |
3 | (e) State representative. The nomination papers of a candidate for party nomination or an |
4 | independent candidate for a member of the house of representatives from any representative |
5 | district shall be signed, in the aggregate, by at least fifty (50) voters of the representative district. |
6 | (f) City offices. The nomination papers of a candidate for party nomination or an |
7 | independent candidate for any local office to be filled by the voters of any city at large shall be |
8 | signed, in the aggregate, by at least two hundred (200) voters of the city, provided that in the city |
9 | of Newport, for at-large candidates or candidates for school committee, at least one hundred (100) |
10 | signatures shall be required; provided, further, that in the city of Woonsocket, for candidates for |
11 | citywide nonpartisan office, including city council, mayor, and candidates for school committee, |
12 | if elected, at least one hundred (100) signatures shall be required; and provided, further that in the |
13 | city of Providence, at least five hundred (500) signatures shall be required. |
14 | (g) Voting district moderator or clerk. The nomination papers for a candidate for voting |
15 | district moderator or clerk in any town shall be signed, in the aggregate, by at least ten (10) voters |
16 | of the voting district. |
17 | (h) Other offices. The nomination papers of a candidate for party nomination for other |
18 | offices covered by § 17-15-7, or for the election of delegates or for unendorsed party committee |
19 | candidates, shall be signed, in the aggregate, by fifty (50) voters. |
20 | SECTION 3. Section 17-20-19 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-20 entitled "Mail |
21 | Ballots" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
22 | 17-20-19. Envelopes for return of ballots. |
23 | Envelopes for the enclosure and return of mail ballots and their enclosing certified |
24 | envelope shall have the printed or written address: "Board of Elections, 50 Branch Ave., |
25 | Providence 2000 Plainfield Pike, Cranston, Rhode Island 02904-2790 02921” or a post office box |
26 | established and maintained by the board"; and shall be forwarded by the secretary of state to each |
27 | mail voter whose application for the mail ballot has been received and accepted. |
28 | SECTION 4. 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 -- REGISTRATION OF VOTERS | |
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1 | This act would correct the address of the Board of Elections, for purposes of voter |
2 | registrations and mail ballots, due to their relocation from Providence to Cranston. |
3 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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