| Chapter 257 |
| 2015 -- H 5931 Enacted 07/15/2015 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO ELECTIONS - REGISTRATION OF VOTERS |
| Introduced By: Representatives Coughlin, Solomon, Kazarian, Johnston, and Melo |
| Date Introduced: March 19, 2015 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 17-9.1-26 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-9.1 entitled |
| "Registration of Voters" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 17-9.1-26. Confirmation process -- Verification of the address of registered voter. -- |
| (a) (1) Whenever: (i) an An acknowledgement card, which card that was mailed to a voter |
| whose application to register to vote has been accepted, accepted is returned as undeliverable; |
| (ii) through Through the periodic updating of voter registration records as provided in § 17-9.1- |
| 27, a change of address is detected for any voter; (iii) as As the result of a challenge under § 17- |
| 9.1-28, the challenged voter fails to appear before the local board; or (iv) a A mailing by the jury |
| commissioner to a voter is returned as undeliverable; the local board shall begin the confirmation |
| process described in subsection (b) of this section. |
| (2) Whenever any other official mailing mailing, from either the state board or a local |
| board or from the office of the secretary of state, which official mailing has been sent to at least a |
| majority of the registered voters in a particular city or town, is returned as undeliverable to any |
| one or more of the voters to whom it was mailed, the local board may commence the |
| confirmation process described in subsection (b) of this section. |
| (b) The confirmation notice shall be sent by first-class first-class, forwardable mail and |
| shall be of any size or other specifications that shall be determined by the state board. The notice |
| shall include a voter registration form that may be used by the voter to verify or correct the voter's |
| residence address for voting purposes. |
| (c) The confirmation notice shall be prepared in substantially the following form and |
| shall contain substantially the following information, subject to any additional information as |
| may be required by the state board; provided, that the wording of the form may be revised and |
| updated from time to time by the state board in a manner to make its content as easily readable |
| and understandable as possible: |
| The board of canvassers has received information that you may no longer reside at the |
| address from which you are currently registered. If you have not permanently changed your |
| residence address address, or if you have permanently changed your residence address but |
| continue to live in the same city or town town, you should immediately return the voter |
| registration form no later than fourteen (14) days after the date of this mailing even if this notice |
| was mailed to your correct current address. If the voter registration form is not returned, |
| affirmation or confirmation of your current address may be required at the polls on election day. |
| If the registration form is not returned and you do not vote by __________, which is the date of |
| the second general election following the date of this mailing, then your name may be removed |
| from the voter registration list. If you have permanently changed residence address to another city |
| or town in Rhode Island, please complete, complete and return the completed voter registration |
| form to the local board of canvassers in the city or town of your current address. |
| (d) The confirmation notice shall be mailed to both the voter's current registered address |
| and any new residence address, to the extent both addresses are available to the local board. |
| (e) If a confirmation notice is mailed to a voter and returned as undeliverable, or if |
| delivered and the voter has not responded within fourteen (14) days from the date of the mailing, |
| the voter shall remain on or be placed on on, or be placed on, the inactive list and shall not be |
| permitted to vote until the voter has signed an affirmation form at either the approved polling |
| place or at the local board of canvassers as provided in this chapter. Any application for a mail |
| ballot under § 17-20-2.1 or an emergency mail ballot under § 17-20-2.2 shall serve as a proper |
| affirmation form under this section if the address is the same as the voter's current address on |
| record with the board of canvassers. If the voter fails to vote by the second general election |
| following the date of the confirmation mailing, then the voter shall be removed from the voting |
| list. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, if the confirmation mailing was based upon the |
| change of address information provided by or through the United States Postal Service National |
| Change of Address Program, and the voter has failed to respond to the confirmation mailing, the |
| voter shall remain on the active list of voters and shall not be required to sign the affirmation |
| form. In these cases, the voter's residence address for voting purposes will be changed by the |
| local board to the new address as indicated by the National Change of Address Program. |
| (f) Local boards shall be required to maintain for a period of at least two (2) years a |
| record of all outgoing confirmation mailings, including the reasons for the mailing of the |
| confirmations. Records shall be kept in a fashion that may be determined by the state board. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC001993 |
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