Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H5232 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	2025 -- H 5232
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7	7	LC000628
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS
16	16	Introduced By: Representatives J. Brien, Corvese, Chippendale, Noret, Serpa, Azzinaro,
17	17	Hopkins, Paplauskas, and Baginski
18	18	Date Introduced: January 29, 2025
19	19	Referred To: House State Government & Elections
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21	21
22	22	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
23	23	SECTION 1. Sections 17-20-2.2 and 17-20-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-20 entitled 1
24	24	"Mail Ballots" are hereby amended to read as follows: 2
25	25	17-20-2.2. Requirements for validity of emergency mail ballots. 3
26	26	(a) Any legally qualified elector of this state whose name appears upon the official voting 4
27	27	list of the town or district of the city or town where the elector is so qualified is eligible to vote by 5
28	28	emergency mail ballot according to this chapter. Within twenty (20) days or less prior to any 6
29	29	election, the elector may obtain from the local board an application for an emergency mail ballot 7
30	30	or may complete an emergency in-person mail ballot application on an electronic poll pad at the 8
31	31	board of canvassers where the elector maintains his or her residence. 9
32	32	(b) The emergency mail ballot application, when duly executed, shall be delivered in 10
33	33	person or by mail so that it shall be received by the local board, or received electronically through 11
34	34	the portal established by § 17-20-2.3, not later than four o’clock (4:00) p.m. on the last day 12
35	35	preceding the date of the election. 13
36	36	(c) The elector shall execute the emergency mail ballot application in accordance with the 14
37	37	requirements of this chapter. 15
38	38	(d) In addition to those requirements set forth elsewhere in this chapter, an emergency mail 16
39	39	ballot, except those emergency mail ballots being cast pursuant to subsection (g) of this section, in 17
40	40	order to be valid, must have been cast in conformance with the following procedures: 18
41	41	(1) All mail ballots issued pursuant to § 17-20-2(1) shall be mailed to the elector at the 19
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45	45	state of Rhode Island address provided on the application by the office of the secretary of state, or 1
46	46	delivered by the local board to a person presenting written authorization from the elector to receive 2
47	47	the ballots, or cast in private at the local board of canvassers. In order to be valid, the voter must 3
48	48	affix his or her signature on the certifying envelope containing a voted ballot. In order to be valid, 4
49	49	all ballots sent to the elector at the board of canvassers must be voted in conformance with the 5
50	50	provisions of § 17-20-14.2. 6
51	51	(2) All applications for emergency mail ballots pursuant to § 17-20-2(2) must state under 7
52	52	oath the name and location of the hospital, convalescent home, nursing home, or similar institution 8
53	53	where the elector is confined. All mail ballots issued pursuant to this subdivision shall be delivered 9
54	54	to the elector by the bipartisan pair of supervisors, appointed in conformance with this chapter, and 10
55	55	shall be voted in conformance with the provisions of § 17-20-14. 11
56	56	(3) All mail ballots issued pursuant to § 17-20-2(3) shall be mailed by the office of the 12
57	57	secretary of state to the elector at an address provided by the elector on the application, or cast at 13
58	58	the board of canvassers in the city or town where the elector maintains his or her voting residence. 14
59	59	Any voter qualified to receive a mail ballot pursuant to § 17-20-2(3) shall also be entitled to cast a 15
60	60	ballot pursuant to the provisions of United States Public Law 99-410, the Uniformed and Overseas 16
61	61	Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). 17
62	62	(4) All mail ballots issued pursuant to § 17-20-2(4) shall be cast at the board of canvassers 18
63	63	in the city or town where the elector maintains his or her voting residence or mailed by the office 19
64	64	of the secretary of state to the elector at the address within the United States provided by the elector 20
65	65	on the application, or delivered to the voter by a person presenting written authorization by the 21
66	66	voter to pick up the ballot. In order to be valid, the voter must affix his or her signature on all 22
67	67	certifying envelopes containing a voted ballot. In order to be valid, all ballots sent to the elector at 23
68	68	the board of canvassers must be voted in conformance with the provisions of § 17-20-14.2. 24
69	69	(e) The secretary of state shall provide each of the several boards of canvassers with a 25
70	70	sufficient number of mail ballots for their voting districts so that the local boards may provide the 26
71	71	appropriate ballot or ballots to the applicants. It shall be the duty of each board of canvassers to 27
72	72	process each emergency ballot application in accordance with this chapter, and it shall be the duty 28
73	73	of each board to return to the secretary of state any ballots not issued immediately after each 29
74	74	election. 30
75	75	(f) Any person knowingly and willfully making a false application or certification, or 31
76	76	knowingly and willfully aiding and abetting in the making of a false application or certification, 32
77	77	shall be guilty of a felony and shall be subject to the penalties provided for in § 17-26-1. 33
78	78	(g) An emergency mail ballot application may be completed in person using an electronic 34
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82	82	poll pad provided by the board of canvassers upon presentation by the voter of valid proof of 1
83	83	identity pursuant to § 17-19-24.2. Upon completion of the poll pad application, the voter shall be 2
84	84	provided with a ballot issued by the secretary of state and upon completion of the ballot by the 3
85	85	voter, the voter shall place the ballot into the state-approved electronic voting device, provided by 4
86	86	the board of elections and secured in accordance with a policy adopted by the board of elections. 5
87	87	17-20-3. Definitions. 6
88	88	(a) Wherever used in this chapter, every word importing only the masculine gender is 7
89	89	construed to extend to, and include, females as well as males. 8
90	90	(b) Whenever used in this chapter, “bipartisan pairs of supervisors” for primaries means a 9
91	91	supervisor representing the endorsed candidates and a supervisor representing a majority of 10
92	92	unendorsed candidates, and for nonpartisan elections and primaries means nonpartisan pairs of 11
93	93	supervisors. 12
94	94	(c) Wherever used in this chapter, “employed outside of the United States” includes any 13
95	95	person who is: 14
96	96	(1) Employed by any agency, department, or division of the United States government and 15
97	97	who, by reason of that employment, resides outside of the continental United States; 16
98	98	(2) Employed outside the territorial limits of the United States; or 17
99	99	(3) A spouse or dependent residing with persons so employed. 18
100	100	(d) Wherever used in this chapter, “services intimately connected with military operations” 19
101	101	includes members of religious groups or welfare agencies assisting members of the armed forces 20
102	102	who are officially attached to and serving with the armed forces and their spouses and dependents, 21
103	103	and the spouses and dependents of members of the armed forces and of the merchant marine; 22
104	104	provided, that the spouses and dependents are residing outside of the state with the members of the 23
105	105	armed forces, merchant marine, or members of the religious or welfare agencies. 24
106	106	(e) Whenever a signature is required by a voter in this chapter, “signature” also means the 25
107	107	voter’s mark if the person is unable to sign their name because of blindness, disability, or inability 26
108	108	to read or write, or by affixing the voter’s signature by a person providing assistance to the voter in 27
109	109	accordance with the requirements of this chapter. 28
110	110	(f) Whenever used in this chapter, “bipartisan” means not of the same recognized political 29
111	111	party. 30
112	112	(g) Whenever used in this chapter, “emergency” voting pursuant to § 17-20-2.2(g) shall be 31
113	113	construed to mean “early” voting. 32
114	114	SECTION 2. Chapter 17-19 of the General Laws entitled "Conduct of Election and Voting 33
115	115	Equipment, and Supplies" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 34
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119	119	17-19-24.4. Early voting. 1
120	120	(a) An early voting ballot application may be completed in person using an electronic poll 2
121	121	pad provided by the board of canvassers, upon presentation by the voter of valid proof of identity, 3
122	122	pursuant to § 17-19-24.2. Upon the completion of the poll pad application, the voter shall be 4
123	123	provided with a ballot issued by the secretary of state and upon completion of the ballot by the 5
124	124	voter, the voter shall place the ballot into the state-approved electronic voting device provided by 6
125	125	the board of elections and secured in accordance with the policy adopted by the board of elections. 7
126	126	(b) Early voting shall be limited to a total of ten (10) nonconsecutive days preceding 8
127	127	election day and shall include the weekend days immediately preceding the election and eight (8) 9
128	128	weekdays. 10
129	129	(c) As practicable, all the voter and election protections and procedures, provided by 11
130	130	chapter 19 of title 17 on election day, shall govern the prior ten (10) days of early voting. 12
131	131	SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. 13
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138	138	EXPLANATION
139	139	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
140	140	OF
141	141	A N A C T
142	142	RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS
143	143	***
144	144	This act would authorize early voting for the ten (10) calendar days except the second 1
145	145	weekend prior immediately preceding election day, while requiring, as is practicable, that all the 2
146	146	election day protections and procedures be afforded to early voters. 3
147	147	This act would take effect upon passage. 4
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