| 22 | | - | SECTION 1. Sections 17-11-1 and 17-11-1.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-11 entitled 1 |
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| 23 | | - | "Voting Districts and Officials" are hereby amended to read as follows: 2 |
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| 24 | | - | 17-11-1. Division of towns and representative district into voting districts. 3 |
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| 25 | | - | (a) The local board of any city or town may, on or before the sixtieth (60th) day preceding 4 |
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| 26 | | - | any election, divide or redivide the city or town, or any representative district in the city or town, 5 |
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| 27 | | - | into voting districts. The local board of each city or town shall determine voting districts by 6 |
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| 28 | | - | geographical boundaries and by no other means. No voting district shall at any time comprise parts 7 |
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| 29 | | - | of two (2) or more wards. It shall be the duty of the board to divide the city or town, representative 8 |
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| 30 | | - | district, or ward, so that substantially not more than three thousand (3000) total eligible registered 9 |
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| 31 | | - | voters shall be served by the same polling place; provided, however, that any divisions conducted 10 |
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| 32 | | - | by the local board pursuant to this section shall not result in creating a polling place serving less 11 |
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| 33 | | - | than five hundred (500) total eligible registered voters, except when a polling place is located in a 12 |
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| 34 | | - | low-income or elderly residential development, or when it is caused by legislative district 13 |
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| 35 | | - | boundaries; and provided, further, that no existing polling place which is presently located in a low-14 |
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| 36 | | - | income or elderly residential development shall be eliminated. Upon the establishment and 15 |
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| 37 | | - | approval of any polling place by the state board, changes to the polling place shall not be allowed 16 |
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| 38 | | - | until the next redistricting by the general assembly, unless the polling place becomes unavailable 17 |
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| 39 | | - | to the city or town, or no longer meets polling place minimum requirements as established by the 18 |
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| 40 | | - | state board, then the city or town may take the appropriate action to replace the polling place. A 19 |
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| 22 | + | SECTION 1. Section 17-11-1.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-11 entitled "Voting 1 |
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| 23 | + | Districts and Officials" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2 |
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| 24 | + | 17-11-1.1. Combination of voting districts for special election. 3 |
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| 25 | + | (a) The board of canvassers of any city or town at which there shall be submitted to the 4 |
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| 26 | + | voters a question or questions for their approval or rejection or at which officials will be elected, 5 |
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| 27 | + | shall have the authority to combine two (2) or more voting districts, when in its judgment the 6 |
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| 28 | + | combination is advisable,. and when combined shall be treated as a voting district, The local board 7 |
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| 29 | + | may by unanimous vote make such designation for any special election, but only upon the approval 8 |
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| 30 | + | of the board of elections. 9 |
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| 31 | + | (b) If voting districts are combined as provided in subsection (a), the local board must 10 |
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| 32 | + | advertise the combination of districts in a newspaper of general circulation in the city or town no 11 |
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| 33 | + | less than seven (7) days and no more than twenty-one (21) days before the special election. 12 |
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| 34 | + | (c) [Deleted by P.L. 2019, ch. 69, § 1 and P.L. 2019, ch. 79, § 1.] 13 |
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| 35 | + | (d) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b), the board of canvassers of 14 |
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| 36 | + | the town of Bristol may combine two (2) or more voting districts for the representative district 68 15 |
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| 37 | + | special election in March, 2019, and when combined shall be treated as a voting district, but only 16 |
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| 38 | + | upon the approval of the board of elections. 17 |
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| 39 | + | SECTION 2. Section 17-15-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-15 entitled "Primary 18 |
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| 40 | + | Elections" is hereby amended to read as follows: 19 |
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| 43 | | - | LC002483/SUB A - Page 2 of 4 |
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| 44 | | - | polling place may be located either within or without the voting district for which it is established; 1 |
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| 45 | | - | provided, that a polling place may be located outside the district only upon unanimous 2 |
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| 46 | | - | determination of the local board and subject to the approval of the state board that a suitable place 3 |
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| 47 | | - | is not available within the voting district. 4 |
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| 48 | | - | (b) Uniform standards for polling place location. When cities and towns shall, subject to 5 |
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| 49 | | - | the approval of the state board, designate polling locations in accordance with the provisions of this 6 |
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| 50 | | - | section and § 17-19-3.2, they shall take into account the following factors: 7 |
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| 51 | | - | (1) Accessibility of the polling place to historically disenfranchised communities, 8 |
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| 52 | | - | including cultural groups, ethnic groups, and minority groups; 9 |
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| 53 | | - | (2) Proximity of polling places to dense concentrations of voters; 10 |
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| 54 | | - | (3) Accessibility of polling places by public transportation; 11 |
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| 55 | | - | (4) Ensuring equitable distribution of polling places in the city or town; and 12 |
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| 56 | | - | (5) Maximizing voter participation, including through the use of community centers and 13 |
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| 57 | | - | public gathering places as polling places. 14 |
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| 58 | | - | 17-11-1.1. Combination of voting districts for special election. 15 |
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| 59 | | - | (a) The board of canvassers of any city or town at which there shall be submitted to the 16 |
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| 60 | | - | voters a question or questions for their approval or rejection or at which officials will be elected, 17 |
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| 61 | | - | shall have the authority to combine two (2) or more voting districts, when in its judgment the 18 |
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| 62 | | - | combination is advisable,. and when combined shall be treated as a voting district, The board may 19 |
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| 63 | | - | by unanimous vote make such designation for any special election, but only upon the approval of 20 |
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| 64 | | - | the board of elections. 21 |
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| 65 | | - | (b) If voting districts are combined as provided in subsection (a), the local board must 22 |
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| 66 | | - | advertise the combination of districts in a newspaper of general circulation in the city or town no 23 |
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| 67 | | - | less than seven (7) days and no more than twenty-one (21) days before the special election. 24 |
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| 68 | | - | (c) [Deleted by P.L. 2019, ch. 69, § 1 and P.L. 2019, ch. 79, § 1.] 25 |
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| 69 | | - | (d) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b), the board of canvassers of 26 |
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| 70 | | - | the town of Bristol may combine two (2) or more voting districts for the representative district 68 27 |
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| 71 | | - | special election in March, 2019, and when combined shall be treated as a voting district, but only 28 |
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| 72 | | - | upon the approval of the board of elections. 29 |
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| 73 | | - | SECTION 2. Section 17-15-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-15 entitled "Primary 30 |
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| 74 | | - | Elections" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31 |
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| 75 | | - | 17-15-5. Combination of voting districts. 32 |
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| 76 | | - | Local boards shall have the power to combine two (2) or more voting districts within the 33 |
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| 77 | | - | same ward, and senatorial or representative district, if applicable. and the combined district shall 34 |
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| 78 | | - | |
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| 79 | | - | |
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| 80 | | - | LC002483/SUB A - Page 3 of 4 |
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| 81 | | - | be treated as a voting district, The local board may by unanimous vote make such designation for 1 |
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| 82 | | - | any primary, special primary, or presidential preference primary, but only upon the approval of the 2 |
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| 83 | | - | board of elections. 3 |
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| 84 | | - | SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. 4 |
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| 43 | + | LC002483 - Page 2 of 3 |
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| 44 | + | 17-15-5. Combination of voting districts. 1 |
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| 45 | + | Local boards shall have the power to combine two (2) or more voting districts within the 2 |
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| 46 | + | same ward, and senatorial or representative district and the combined district shall be treated as a 3 |
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| 47 | + | voting district, if applicable. The local board may by unanimous vote make such designation for 4 |
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| 48 | + | any special primary, or presidential preference primary, but only upon the approval of the board of 5 |
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| 49 | + | elections. 6 |
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| 50 | + | SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. 7 |
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