| 1 | 1 | | |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | 2023 -- S 0386 |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | LC001254 |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023 |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- VOTING DISTRICTS AND OFFICIALS |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Senators F. Lombardi, DiMario, Lawson, Ciccone, DiPalma, and Gallo |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | Date Introduced: February 16, 2023 |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | Referred To: Senate Judiciary |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 1. Section 17-11-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-11 entitled "Voting 1 |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | Districts and Officials" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2 |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | 17-11-1. Division of towns and representative district into voting districts. 3 |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | The local board of any city or town may, on or before the sixtieth (60th) day preceding any 4 |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | election, divide or redivide the city or town, or any representative district in the city or town, into 5 |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | voting districts. The local board of each city or town shall determine voting districts by 6 |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | geographical boundaries and by no other means. No voting district shall at any time comprise parts 7 |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | of two (2) or more wards. It shall be the duty of the board to divide the city or town, representative 8 |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | district, or ward, so that substantially not more than three thousand (3000) total active, eligible 9 |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | registered voters shall be served by the same polling place; provided, however, that any divisions 10 |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | conducted by the local board pursuant to this section shall not result in creating a polling place 11 |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | serving less than five hundred (500) total eligible registered voters, except when a polling place is 12 |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | located in a low-income or elderly residential development, or when it is caused by legislative 13 |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | district boundaries; and provided, further, that no existing polling place which is presently located 14 |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | in a low-income or elderly residential development shall be eliminated. Upon the establishment 15 |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | and approval of any polling place by the state board, changes to the polling place shall not be 16 |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | allowed until the next redistricting by the general assembly, unless the polling place becomes 17 |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | unavailable to the city or town, or no longer meets polling place minimum requirements as 18 |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | established by the state board, then the city or town may take the appropriate action to replace the 19 |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | LC001254 - Page 2 of 3 |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | polling place. A polling place may be located either within or without the voting district for which 1 |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | it is established; provided, that a polling place may be located outside the district only upon 2 |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | unanimous determination of the local board and subject to the approval of the state board that a 3 |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | suitable place is not available within the voting district. 4 |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 5 |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | ======== |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | LC001254 |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | ======== |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | LC001254 - Page 3 of 3 |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | EXPLANATION |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | OF |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | A N A C T |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- VOTING DISTRICTS AND OFFICIALS |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | *** |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | This act would clarify that the calculation for the total number of eligible voters to be served 1 |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | by the same polling place shall be established using active voters. 2 |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 3 |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | ======== |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | LC001254 |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | ======== |
|---|
| 67 | 67 | | |
|---|