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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- H 6092 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC002308 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- NOMINATION OF PARTY AND INDEPENDEN T |
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| 16 | 16 | | CANDIDATES |
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| 17 | 17 | | Introduced By: Representatives Voas, Potter, Kazarian, Alzate, and Stewart |
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| 18 | 18 | | Date Introduced: March 14, 2025 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Referred To: House State Government & Elections |
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| 20 | 20 | | (Secretary of State) |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 1. Sections 17-14-4, 17-14-7, 17-14-8, 17-14-11, 17-14-12 and 17-14-13 of the 1 |
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| 24 | 24 | | General Laws in Chapter 17-14 entitled "Nomination of Party and Independent Candidates" are 2 |
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| 25 | 25 | | hereby amended to read as follows: 3 |
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| 26 | 26 | | 17-14-4. Preparation of nomination papers for candidates — Combination of 4 |
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| 27 | 27 | | endorsed candidates — Furnishing of nomination papers to candidates. [Effective January 1, 5 |
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| 28 | 28 | | 2025.] 6 |
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| 29 | 29 | | (a) Upon receipt of the declarations referred to in § 17-14-1, within two (2) business days 7 |
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| 30 | 30 | | of the final date for filing endorsements, the secretary of state for statewide candidates and the local 8 |
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| 31 | 31 | | board for general assembly and local candidates shall prepare nomination papers for each person 9 |
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| 32 | 32 | | who has filed a declaration of candidacy as provided in § 17-14-1. A minimum of three (3) sets of 10 |
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| 33 | 33 | | nomination papers shall be prepared for each candidate whose name appears on nomination papers 11 |
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| 34 | 34 | | containing the name of a candidate for general assembly and for local office. Nomination papers 12 |
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| 35 | 35 | | for voters from the city of Providence for the offices enumerated in § 17-14-1 shall be furnished by 13 |
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| 36 | 36 | | the secretary of state. Nomination papers shall be prepared with the name of the candidate as it 14 |
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| 37 | 37 | | appears on the voting list, notwithstanding that the candidate may have signed their declaration of 15 |
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| 38 | 38 | | candidacy other than as the candidate’s name appears on the voting list. Candidates for nomination 16 |
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| 39 | 39 | | for different offices endorsed by the appropriate committee of any party shall be combined on the 17 |
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| 40 | 40 | | same nomination papers. The names of candidates for different offices not endorsed by the 18 |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | LC002308 - Page 2 of 9 |
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| 44 | 44 | | appropriate committee of any party shall not be combined on the same nomination papers. 1 |
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| 45 | 45 | | Nomination papers for candidates for general assembly shall be furnished by the local board of the 2 |
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| 46 | 46 | | general assembly candidate. Nomination papers shall be furnished to the local boards by the 3 |
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| 47 | 47 | | secretary of state and each shall bear the imprint of the state coat of arms and any additional 4 |
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| 48 | 48 | | language required by law. Nomination papers shall be appropriately marked or color coded to 5 |
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| 49 | 49 | | indicate the different political parties, the endorsed and unendorsed candidates of those parties, and 6 |
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| 50 | 50 | | independent candidates. 7 |
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| 51 | 51 | | (b) Candidates for nomination may, at their own expense, have nomination papers 8 |
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| 52 | 52 | | duplicated in exact appearance and as prescribed in subsection (a) of this section. 9 |
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| 53 | 53 | | (c) Nomination papers furnished by the secretary of state shall be personally issued to the 10 |
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| 54 | 54 | | candidate, or in the case of combined nomination papers to one of the candidates, for whom they 11 |
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| 55 | 55 | | were prepared, or to an individual presenting written authorization from the candidate, or one of 12 |
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| 56 | 56 | | the candidates appearing on them, to receive the nomination papers. 13 |
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| 57 | 57 | | (d) During the timeframe prescribed in subsection (a) of this section and pursuant to § 17-14 |
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| 58 | 58 | | 14-4.2, the secretary of state shall make available the online nomination paper portal for voters to 15 |
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| 59 | 59 | | electronically sign nomination papers of the candidate(s) for any office the voter may lawfully vote 16 |
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| 60 | 60 | | for at the general election. 17 |
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| 61 | 61 | | 17-14-7. Number of signers required for nomination papers. Number of signers 18 |
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| 62 | 62 | | required for nomination papers and online nomination portal. 19 |
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| 63 | 63 | | (a) United States senator or governor. The nomination papers of a candidate for the party 20 |
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| 64 | 64 | | nomination or an independent candidate for presidential elector, United States senator, or governor 21 |
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| 65 | 65 | | shall be signed, in the aggregate, by at least one thousand (1,000) voters. Notwithstanding the 22 |
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| 66 | 66 | | foregoing, for the 2020 election only, the nomination papers of a candidate for the party nomination 23 |
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| 67 | 67 | | or an independent candidate for United States senator shall be signed, in the aggregate, by at least 24 |
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| 68 | 68 | | five hundred (500) voters. 25 |
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| 69 | 69 | | (b) Representative in Congress. The nomination papers of a candidate for the party 26 |
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| 70 | 70 | | nomination or an independent candidate for representative in Congress shall be signed, in the 27 |
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| 71 | 71 | | aggregate, by at least five hundred (500) voters. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for the 2020 28 |
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| 72 | 72 | | election only, the nomination papers of a candidate for the party nomination or an independent 29 |
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| 73 | 73 | | candidate for representative in Congress shall be signed, in the aggregate, by at least two hundred 30 |
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| 74 | 74 | | fifty (250) voters. 31 |
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| 75 | 75 | | (c) General state offices. The nomination papers of a candidate for the party nomination or 32 |
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| 76 | 76 | | an independent candidate for any of the general offices of the state, excluding governor, shall be 33 |
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| 77 | 77 | | signed, in the aggregate, by at least five hundred (500) voters. 34 |
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| 78 | 78 | | |
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| 79 | 79 | | |
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| 80 | 80 | | LC002308 - Page 3 of 9 |
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| 81 | 81 | | (d) State senator. The nomination papers of a candidate for a party nomination or 1 |
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| 82 | 82 | | independent candidate for senator in any senatorial district shall be signed, in the aggregate, by at 2 |
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| 83 | 83 | | least one hundred (100) voters of the senatorial district. 3 |
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| 84 | 84 | | (e) State representative. The nomination papers of a candidate for party nomination or an 4 |
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| 85 | 85 | | independent candidate for a member of the house of representatives from any representative district 5 |
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| 86 | 86 | | shall be signed, in the aggregate, by at least fifty (50) voters of the representative district. 6 |
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| 87 | 87 | | (f) City offices. The nomination papers of a candidate for party nomination or an 7 |
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| 88 | 88 | | independent candidate for any local office to be filled by the voters of any city at large shall be 8 |
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| 89 | 89 | | signed, in the aggregate, by at least two hundred (200) voters of the city, provided that in the city 9 |
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| 90 | 90 | | of Newport, for at-large candidates or candidates for school committee, at least one hundred (100) 10 |
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| 91 | 91 | | signatures shall be required; provided, further, that in the city of Woonsocket, for candidates for 11 |
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| 92 | 92 | | citywide nonpartisan office, including city council, mayor, and candidates for school committee, if 12 |
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| 93 | 93 | | elected, at least one hundred (100) signatures shall be required; and provided, further that in the 13 |
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| 94 | 94 | | city of Providence, at least five hundred (500) signatures shall be required. 14 |
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| 95 | 95 | | (g) Voting district moderator or clerk. The nomination papers for a candidate for voting 15 |
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| 96 | 96 | | district moderator or clerk in any town shall be signed, in the aggregate, by at least ten (10) voters 16 |
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| 97 | 97 | | of the voting district. 17 |
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| 98 | 98 | | (h) Other offices. The nomination papers of a candidate for party nomination for other 18 |
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| 99 | 99 | | offices covered by § 17-15-7, or for the election of delegates or for unendorsed party committee 19 |
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| 100 | 100 | | candidates, shall be signed, in the aggregate, by fifty (50) voters. 20 |
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| 101 | 101 | | (i) Electronic signatures via the online nomination paper portal pursuant to § 17-14-4.2(a) 21 |
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| 102 | 102 | | shall count towards a candidate's aggregate total signatures as prescribed in subsections (a) through 22 |
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| 103 | 103 | | (h) of this section. 23 |
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| 104 | 104 | | 17-14-8. Signing of nomination papers. Signing of nomination papers and electronic 24 |
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| 105 | 105 | | signature(s) in the online nomination paper portal. 25 |
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| 106 | 106 | | Not all endorsers of a candidate need sign on the same nomination papers, but endorsers 26 |
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| 107 | 107 | | who are voters in different cities and towns shall not sign the same sheet. Every voter signing a 27 |
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| 108 | 108 | | nomination paper shall sign in person with his or her name, place of residence, and street number, 28 |
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| 109 | 109 | | as it appears on the voting list. The signature shall be accepted as valid if it can be reasonably 29 |
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| 110 | 110 | | identified to be the signature of the voter it purports to be. A variation of the voter’s signature by 30 |
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| 111 | 111 | | the insertion or omission of identifying titles or by the substitution of initials for the first or middle 31 |
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| 112 | 112 | | names, or both, shall not in itself be grounds for invalidation of the signature. Any voter who is 32 |
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| 113 | 113 | | unable to write may sign by making his or her mark “X” on the nomination paper in the presence 33 |
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| 114 | 114 | | of two (2) witnesses who shall subscribe their names on the paper as witnesses to the signing. For 34 |
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| 115 | 115 | | |
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| 116 | 116 | | |
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| 117 | 117 | | LC002308 - Page 4 of 9 |
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| 118 | 118 | | voters who electronically sign nomination papers using the online nomination paper portal, the 1 |
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| 119 | 119 | | voter's electronic signature shall be accepted if the voter meets all of the requirements prescribed 2 |
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| 120 | 120 | | by § 17-14-4.2(d). 3 |
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| 121 | 121 | | 17-14-11. Checking and certification of nomination papers — Challenge. [Effective 4 |
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| 122 | 122 | | January 1, 2025.] 5 |
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| 123 | 123 | | (a) Each nomination paper, including those on the online nomination paper portal, for party 6 |
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| 124 | 124 | | and independent candidates shall be submitted before four o’clock (4:00) p.m. on the sixtieth (60th) 7 |
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| 125 | 125 | | day before the primary to the local board of the city or town where the signers appear to be voters 8 |
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| 126 | 126 | | or, in the case of special elections for state and local office, on the twenty-eighth (28th) day before 9 |
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| 127 | 127 | | the primary, or in the case of special elections for federal office, on the fifty-third (53rd) day before 10 |
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| 128 | 128 | | the primary. Nomination papers, including those on the online nomination paper portal, for 11 |
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| 129 | 129 | | independent presidential candidates and presidential candidates of political parties, other than those 12 |
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| 130 | 130 | | defined in § 17-1-2(9), shall be filed not later than sixty (60) days prior to the general election. Each 13 |
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| 131 | 131 | | local board shall immediately proceed to check signatures on each nomination paper filed with it 14 |
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| 132 | 132 | | and each electronic signature submitted via the online nomination paper portal against the voting 15 |
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| 133 | 133 | | list as last canvassed or published according to law. 16 |
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| 134 | 134 | | (b) The local boards shall certify a sufficient number of names appearing on the nomination 17 |
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| 135 | 135 | | papers and via the online nomination paper portal that are in conformity with the requirements of 18 |
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| 136 | 136 | | § 17-14-8 to qualify the candidate for a position on the ballot, and after considering any challenge 19 |
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| 137 | 137 | | under this section and, if necessary, certifying any additional valid names, shall immediately file 20 |
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| 138 | 138 | | nomination papers for statewide office, general assembly, and state and district committee 21 |
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| 139 | 139 | | candidates with the secretary of state; provided, that nomination papers for local candidates shall 22 |
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| 140 | 140 | | be retained by the local board. 23 |
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| 141 | 141 | | (c) If any candidate or an individual presenting written authorization from the candidate, 24 |
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| 142 | 142 | | or the chairperson of any party committee questions the validity or authenticity of any signature on 25 |
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| 143 | 143 | | the nomination paper or electronic signature via the online nomination paper portal, the local board 26 |
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| 144 | 144 | | shall immediately and summarily decide the question, and for this purpose, shall have the same 27 |
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| 145 | 145 | | powers as are conferred upon the board by the provisions of § 17-14-14. 28 |
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| 146 | 146 | | (d) If any challenged signature or electronic signature is found to be invalid, for any reason 29 |
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| 147 | 147 | | in law, or forged, then the signature or electronic signature shall not be counted. 30 |
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| 148 | 148 | | (e) The local canvassing clerk shall immediately notify the state board in writing and via 31 |
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| 149 | 149 | | electronic mail if the local canvassing clerk suspects a consistent pattern of forgery as prescribed 32 |
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| 150 | 150 | | by § 17-23-17 on the nomination papers or in the online nomination paper portal of a local, state, 33 |
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| 151 | 151 | | or federal candidate. 34 |
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| 152 | 152 | | |
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| 153 | 153 | | |
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| 154 | 154 | | LC002308 - Page 5 of 9 |
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| 155 | 155 | | (1) The state board, upon notification of allegations of any consistent pattern of suspected 1 |
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| 156 | 156 | | forged signatures on nomination papers or electronic signatures via the online nomination paper 2 |
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| 157 | 157 | | portal of a local, state, or federal candidate, shall review the allegations and, if determined to be 3 |
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| 158 | 158 | | with reasonable cause, shall, as soon as feasible notify all corresponding local canvassing clerks of 4 |
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| 159 | 159 | | the allegations of suspected forgery. 5 |
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| 160 | 160 | | (2) The state board, if it deems necessary, shall order a review of all nomination papers of 6 |
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| 161 | 161 | | a local, state, or federal candidate whose nomination papers include a consistent pattern of 7 |
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| 162 | 162 | | suspected forged signatures as prescribed in this subsection. The state board, if it deems necessary, 8 |
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| 163 | 163 | | may order a review of all electronic signatures via the online nomination paper portal. The state 9 |
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| 164 | 164 | | board, in consultation with the Elections Committee of the Rhode Island Town and City Clerks’ 10 |
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| 165 | 165 | | Association, shall promulgate rules and regulations on the process to review nomination papers of 11 |
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| 166 | 166 | | a local, state, or federal candidate whose nomination papers include a consistent pattern of 12 |
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| 167 | 167 | | suspected forged signatures as prescribed in this subsection. 13 |
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| 168 | 168 | | (3) The state board shall explicitly determine and deliver, in writing and via electronic mail 14 |
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| 169 | 169 | | to the secretary of state, the findings of the review of the local, state, or federal candidate whose 15 |
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| 170 | 170 | | nomination papers include suspected forged signatures as prescribed in this subsection, and whether 16 |
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| 171 | 171 | | the determination affects a candidate’s qualification for a position on the ballot. 17 |
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| 172 | 172 | | 17-14-12. Filing of nomination papers. 18 |
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| 173 | 173 | | All nomination papers, including those nomination papers on the online nomination paper 19 |
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| 174 | 174 | | portal, for state offices or officers and all certified lists of candidates for local offices or officers 20 |
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| 175 | 175 | | shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state (the certified lists by the respective local boards), 21 |
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| 176 | 176 | | not later than fifty-four (54) days before the date of the primary held to nominate candidates for 22 |
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| 177 | 177 | | general election; but when there is a primary to nominate candidates for any office mentioned in § 23 |
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| 178 | 178 | | 17-15-7 to be voted upon at a special election for state and local office, all nomination papers and 24 |
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| 179 | 179 | | lists of local candidates shall be filed in the office on or before the twenty-sixth (26th) day preceding 25 |
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| 180 | 180 | | the day of the special primary election, or when there is a primary to nominate candidates for any 26 |
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| 181 | 181 | | office listed in § 17-15-7 to be voted upon at a special election for federal office, all nomination 27 |
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| 182 | 182 | | papers and lists of local candidates shall be filed in the office on or before the forty-nineth (49th) 28 |
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| 183 | 183 | | day preceding the day of the special primary election. Nomination papers, including those 29 |
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| 184 | 184 | | nomination papers on the online nomination paper portal, for independent presidential candidates 30 |
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| 185 | 185 | | and presidential candidates of political parties other than those defined in § 17-1-2(9) shall be filed 31 |
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| 186 | 186 | | in the office of the secretary of state by the local boards of canvassers not later than fifty-four (54) 32 |
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| 187 | 187 | | days before the date of the election. 33 |
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| 188 | 188 | | 17-14-13. Objections to eligibility of candidate or sufficiency of papers. 34 |
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| 189 | 189 | | |
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| 190 | 190 | | |
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| 191 | 191 | | LC002308 - Page 6 of 9 |
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| 192 | 192 | | When nomination papers, including those nomination papers on the online nomination 1 |
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| 193 | 193 | | paper portal, have been duly filed and are in apparent conformity with § 17-14-11, they shall be 2 |
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| 194 | 194 | | conclusively presumed to be valid, unless written objections to them are made as to the eligibility 3 |
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| 195 | 195 | | of the candidate or the sufficiency of the nomination papers or the signatures including electronic 4 |
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| 196 | 196 | | signatures on them. All objections shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state or of the local 5 |
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| 197 | 197 | | board, as the case may be, by four o’clock (4:00) p.m. on the next business day after the last day 6 |
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| 198 | 198 | | fixed for filing nomination papers in the appropriate office as provided in this chapter. Nothing in 7 |
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| 199 | 199 | | this section shall be construed to prevent the secretary of state or the local board, as the case may 8 |
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| 200 | 200 | | be, from disqualifying a candidate based on the determination of the secretary of state or the local 9 |
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| 201 | 201 | | board, acting on its own motion, that the candidate is ineligible or the nomination papers or the 10 |
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| 202 | 202 | | signatures on them are invalid or insufficient. 11 |
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| 203 | 203 | | SECTION 2. Chapter 17-14 of the General Laws entitled "Nomination of Party and 12 |
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| 204 | 204 | | Independent Candidates" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following sections: 13 |
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| 205 | 205 | | 17-14-4.2. Online nomination paper portal. 14 |
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| 206 | 206 | | (a) In addition to any other available means of signing nomination papers, the secretary of 15 |
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| 207 | 207 | | state shall establish and maintain an online nomination paper portal through which voters may 16 |
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| 208 | 208 | | electronically sign nomination papers of the candidate(s) for any office the voter may lawfully vote 17 |
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| 209 | 209 | | for at the general election. 18 |
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| 210 | 210 | | (b) The online nomination paper portal shall provide voters the ability to electronically sign 19 |
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| 211 | 211 | | the nomination papers for candidates for any office the voter may lawfully vote for at the general 20 |
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| 212 | 212 | | election. An electronic signature shall be considered the same as the voter's signature on a 21 |
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| 213 | 213 | | nomination paper as prescribed in this chapter. 22 |
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| 214 | 214 | | (c) A voter’s electronic signature shall be considered submitted on the calendar date and 23 |
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| 215 | 215 | | time the authorization is initially transmitted by the voter through the online nomination paper 24 |
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| 216 | 216 | | portal. 25 |
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| 217 | 217 | | (d) A voter shall electronically sign a candidate’s nomination paper when the voter: 26 |
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| 218 | 218 | | (1) Provides the voter’s first name, last name, date of birth, and zip code to access the 27 |
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| 219 | 219 | | online nomination paper portal; 28 |
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| 220 | 220 | | (2) Verifies the voter’s identity through the online nomination paper portal by providing 29 |
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| 221 | 221 | | the voter’s valid Rhode Island driver’s license number or state identification number; 30 |
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| 222 | 222 | | (3) Selects the intended candidate’s name using the online nomination paper portal as 31 |
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| 223 | 223 | | prescribed in this section; and 32 |
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| 224 | 224 | | (4) Affirms, subject to penalty of perjury, that the information the voter has provided is 33 |
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| 225 | 225 | | true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and belief. 34 |
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| 226 | 226 | | |
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| 227 | 227 | | |
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| 228 | 228 | | LC002308 - Page 7 of 9 |
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| 229 | 229 | | (e) To ensure full, equal, and independent access to all voters with disabilities, the online 1 |
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| 230 | 230 | | nomination paper portal shall comply, at minimum, with all requirements under Title II of the 2 |
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| 231 | 231 | | Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131-12165, and Web Content Accessibility 3 |
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| 232 | 232 | | Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 compliance level AA. 4 |
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| 233 | 233 | | (f) The online nomination paper portal shall be fully implemented for the nomination paper 5 |
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| 234 | 234 | | process for the 2028 presidential preference primary and all subsequent elections thereafter. This 6 |
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| 235 | 235 | | subsection shall not be construed to prohibit the secretary of state from implementing the online 7 |
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| 236 | 236 | | nomination paper process for any special election that occurs prior to the 2028 presidential 8 |
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| 237 | 237 | | preference primary. 9 |
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| 238 | 238 | | (g) The secretary of state may promulgate rules and regulations to establish, maintain, and 10 |
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| 239 | 239 | | implement the online nomination paper portal as prescribed in this section. 11 |
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| 240 | 240 | | 17-14-9.1. Application of electronic signature(s) via the online nomination paper 12 |
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| 241 | 241 | | portal. 13 |
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| 242 | 242 | | A voter may electronically sign the nomination paper for any number of candidate(s) for 14 |
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| 243 | 243 | | any office the voter may lawfully vote for at the general election. 15 |
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| 244 | 244 | | 17-14-10.1. Voter attestation when using the online nomination paper portal. 16 |
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| 245 | 245 | | Voters using the online nomination paper portal shall affirm, subject to penalty of perjury, 17 |
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| 246 | 246 | | that the information the voter has provided via the online nomination paper portal is true and 18 |
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| 247 | 247 | | accurate to the best of their knowledge and belief. Voters using the online nomination paper portal 19 |
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| 248 | 248 | | shall meet all of the requirements prescribed by § 17-14-4.2(d). 20 |
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| 249 | 249 | | SECTION 3. Section 17-23-17 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-23 entitled "Election 21 |
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| 250 | 250 | | Offenses" is hereby amended to read as follows: 22 |
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| 251 | 251 | | 17-23-17. Violations with respect to elections. 23 |
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| 252 | 252 | | (a) Any person is guilty of a felony who: 24 |
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| 253 | 253 | | (1) Makes a declaration of candidacy or obtains, circulates, or causes to be circulated his 25 |
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| 254 | 254 | | or her nomination papers for an office, knowing or with good reason to know that he or she is not 26 |
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| 255 | 255 | | qualified as provided in this title to be his or her party’s candidate for the office; 27 |
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| 256 | 256 | | (2) Knowingly or without reasonable and proper investigation makes any substantial 28 |
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| 257 | 257 | | misstatement in any declaration of candidacy, nomination paper, or affidavit provided for in this 29 |
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| 258 | 258 | | title; 30 |
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| 259 | 259 | | (3) Signs a nomination paper when he or she knows that he or she is not qualified to sign; 31 |
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| 260 | 260 | | (4) Votes or attempts to vote at any election when he or she knows or should know that he 32 |
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| 261 | 261 | | or she is not qualified to vote; 33 |
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| 262 | 262 | | (5) Votes or attempts to vote more than once at any election, or votes or attempts to vote 34 |
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| 263 | 263 | | |
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| 264 | 264 | | |
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| 265 | 265 | | LC002308 - Page 8 of 9 |
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| 266 | 266 | | in more than one political party’s primary on the same day; 1 |
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| 267 | 267 | | (6) Votes or attempts to vote at any election under the name of any other person; 2 |
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| 268 | 268 | | (7) Willfully hinders the orderly conduct of any election; 3 |
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| 269 | 269 | | (8) Gives a false answer to any election official relative to his or her right to vote at the 4 |
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| 270 | 270 | | election; 5 |
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| 271 | 271 | | (9) Aids or abets a person not entitled to vote at any election in voting or attempting to vote 6 |
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| 272 | 272 | | under a name other than the voter’s name or in voting twice upon the voter’s name; 7 |
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| 273 | 273 | | (10) Willfully alters or makes any change, erasure, or additional check upon the voting list 8 |
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| 274 | 274 | | used or to be used at any election; or 9 |
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| 275 | 275 | | (11) Willfully violates any provisions of chapters 12 — 15 of this title for which violation 10 |
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| 276 | 276 | | a specific penalty is not provided. 11 |
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| 277 | 277 | | (b) Any person who unlawfully and knowingly signs the name of any other person on any 12 |
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| 278 | 278 | | nomination papers shall be guilty of a felony. 13 |
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| 279 | 279 | | (c) Any public officer or officer of a political party who willfully violates any of the 14 |
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| 280 | 280 | | provisions of chapters 12 — 15 of this title, or refuses or willfully neglects and omits to perform, 15 |
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| 281 | 281 | | in the manner and within the time prescribed, any duty imposed upon the officer by these chapters, 16 |
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| 282 | 282 | | or suffers or permits any alteration, erasure, or additional check to be made upon a voting list in the 17 |
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| 283 | 283 | | officer’s custody or control, shall be guilty of a felony. 18 |
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| 284 | 284 | | (d) For purposes of this chapter, “online nomination paper portal” shall also be construed 19 |
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| 285 | 285 | | to mean a “nomination paper” as prescribed in § 17-14-4.2. 20 |
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| 286 | 286 | | SECTION 4. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2027. 21 |
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| 287 | 287 | | ======== |
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| 288 | 288 | | LC002308 |
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| 289 | 289 | | ======== |
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| 290 | 290 | | |
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| 291 | 291 | | |
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| 292 | 292 | | LC002308 - Page 9 of 9 |
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| 293 | 293 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 294 | 294 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 295 | 295 | | OF |
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| 296 | 296 | | A N A C T |
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| 297 | 297 | | RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- NOMINATION OF PARTY AND INDEPENDENT |
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| 298 | 298 | | CANDIDATES |
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| 299 | 299 | | *** |
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| 300 | 300 | | This act would make several amendments to provide for an online nomination paper portal 1 |
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| 301 | 301 | | for election nomination papers. 2 |
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| 302 | 302 | | This act would take effect on January 1, 2027. 3 |
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| 303 | 303 | | ======== |
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| 304 | 304 | | LC002308 |
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| 305 | 305 | | ======== |
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