Title 17
Elections

Chapter 19
Conduct of Election and Voting Equipment, and Supplies

R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-44

§ 17-19-44. Officer tampering with voting equipment.

Any person having the custody of voting equipment under this chapter, or any election or primary officer, who, with intent to cause or permit any voting equipment to fail to correctly register all votes cast, tampers with, injures, or disarranges the voting equipment in any way, or any part of the voting equipment, or who causes or consents to the voting equipment being used for voting at any election or primary with knowledge of the fact that the voting equipment is not in order or not properly set and programmed so that it will correctly register all votes cast, or who, for the purpose of defrauding or deceiving any voter or of causing it to be doubtful for what candidates or question any vote is cast, or of causing it to appear upon the voting equipment that votes cast for one candidate or question were cast for another candidate or question, removes, changes, or mutilates any computer ballot or any part of any computer ballot, or does anything to defeat the will or intention of a voter in casting a lawful vote, shall be guilty of a felony.

History of Section.
P.L. 1935, ch. 2195, § 19; G.L. 1938, ch. 318, § 19; P.L. 1940, ch. 818, § 1; impl. am. P.L. 1947, ch. 1886, §§ 36, 39; G.L. 1956, § 17-19-41; G.L. 1956, § 17-19-44; P.L. 1958, ch. 18, § 1; P.L. 1978, ch. 201, § 9; P.L. 1996, ch. 277, § 12; P.L. 1996, ch. 298, § 12.