Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H6251 Compare Versions

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

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5	5	2025 -- H 6251
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7	7	LC002739
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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 -- GENERAL PROVISIONS
16	16	Introduced By: Representatives Place, J. Brien, and Sanchez
17	17	Date Introduced: April 23, 2025
18	18	Referred To: House State Government & Elections
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20	20
21	21	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
22	22	SECTION 1. Section 17-1-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-1 entitled "General 1
23	23	Provisions" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
24	24	17-1-2. Definitions. 3
25	25	For the purposes this title, except as may otherwise be required by the context: 4
26	26	(1) “Election” means the filling of any public office or the determination of any public 5
27	27	question by vote of the electorate, and includes without limitation any state, town, or city office or 6
28	28	question, and any political party primary election for the nomination of any candidate for public 7
29	29	office; except that it shall not include a financial town meeting or a meeting to elect officers of a 8
30	30	fire, water, or sewer district; 9
31	31	(2) “General election” means an election held on the first Tuesday next after the first 10
32	32	Monday in November in even numbered years for the election of members of the general assembly 11
33	33	and/or for the election of general officers, and/or for the election of presidential electors for 12
34	34	president/vice-president of the United States; 13
35	35	(3) “General officer” means an officer designated as a general officer by chapter 2 of this 14
36	36	title; 15
37	37	(4) “Independent candidate” means a candidate who has no affiliation with any political 16
38	38	party; 17
39	39	(5) “Local board” means a town or city board of canvassers, board of canvassers and 18
40	40	registration, canvassing authority, or any other local board, commission, or officer empowered by 19
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42	42
43	43	LC002739 - Page 2 of 5
44	44	law to have custody of the permanent registration records; 1
45	45	(6) “Local election” means any election limited to the electorate of any city or town, or any 2
46	46	part, at which any city, town, ward, or district officers are to be chosen, or any elective meeting at 3
47	47	which a question is to be submitted to the voters of a city, town, or any subdivision of a city or 4
48	48	town, but it shall not include a financial town meeting; 5
49	49	(7) “Party member” means any person who is a member of a designated political party 6
50	50	pursuant to § 17-9.1-23; 7
51	51	(8) “Party voter” means any qualified voter who is eligible to vote at the primary election 8
52	52	of a political party; 9
53	53	(9) “Political party” or major “party” means: (i) any political organization which, at the 10
54	54	next preceding general election for the election of general officers, nominated a candidate for 11
55	55	governor, and whose candidate for governor at the election polled at least five percent (5%) of the 12
56	56	entire vote cast in the state for governor, or (ii) any political organization which at the next 13
57	57	preceding general election for the election of a president of the United States nominated a candidate 14
58	58	for president and whose candidate for president at the election polled at least five percent (5%) of 15
59	59	the entire vote cast in the state for president, or (iii) any political organization which, on petition 16
60	60	forms provided to the chairperson of the organization by the state board of elections, obtains the 17
61	61	signatures and addresses of that number of registered qualified voters equal to five percent (5%) of 18
62	62	the entire vote cast in the state for governor or president in the immediately preceding general 19
63	63	election. All the signatures must be obtained no earlier than January 1 of the year in which the 20
64	64	political organization desires to place a candidate or candidates on any ballot as a “party” candidate. 21
65	65	If the political organization wishes to select its nominees in a primary election, the petitions, bearing 22
66	66	the requisite number of valid signatures, shall be presented to the appropriate local boards of 23
67	67	canvassers no later than June 1 of the same year. If the petitions are validated by the local boards 24
68	68	as containing the requisite number of valid signatures, the political organization shall be deemed to 25
69	69	be a political party for all elections held during the year and may select its nominees in a primary 26
70	70	election. If the political organization does not wish to select its nominees in a primary election, then 27
71	71	the petitions need not be returned to local boards of canvassers until August 1 of the same year. An 28
72	72	organization qualifying as a political party through the petition process shall qualify as a political 29
73	73	party only during the year in which signatures are obtained unless the candidates for governor or 30
74	74	president of the United States of the party at a general election held in the year, shall receive five 31
75	75	percent (5%) of the vote as provided in this subdivision for either governor or president of the 32
76	76	United States. If the candidates do not receive five percent (5%) of the vote, the organization shall 33
77	77	no longer qualify as a political party unless and until it shall, in a subsequent year, once again 34
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81	81	qualify by the submission of petitions at the last preceding general election, nominated a candidate 1
82	82	for President, United States Senator, Representative of Congress, governor, lieutenant governor, 2
83	83	attorney general, secretary of state, or state treasurer, who received at least two percent (2%) of the 3
84	84	total votes cast in the state, or has one or more members serving in the general assembly, or at least 4
85	85	five thousand (5,000) voters were enrolled in the party as of June 1 of a general election year; 5
86	86	"Minor parties" means any political organization which has yet to reach five thousand 6
87	87	(5,000) registered voters or whose candidate(s) received less than two percent (2%) of the total 7
88	88	votes cast in the previous election; 8
89	89	(10) “Polling place” means the room in which any election or elective meeting is 9
90	90	conducted; 10
91	91	(11) “Primary election” means any election to select the candidates of a political party; 11
92	92	(12) “Proposition” or “public question” means any question put to a referendum of the 12
93	93	electorate of the entire state or any part of it; 13
94	94	(13) “Qualified voter” means any person who is eligible to vote under the requirements of 14
95	95	age, residence, and citizenship prescribed by the state constitution and who is duly registered to 15
96	96	vote, or who is exempt from registration, pursuant to this title, and who is not otherwise disqualified 16
97	97	as a voter pursuant to law; 17
98	98	(14) “Special election” means any election other than a local election or primary election 18
99	99	which is not held on a general election day; 19
100	100	(15) “State board” means the state board of elections constituted pursuant to this title; 20
101	101	(16) “State election” means any election at which any presidential electors, senator or 21
102	102	representatives in congress, general officers of the state, or members of the general assembly are to 22
103	103	be chosen, or at which a public question or an amendment to the Constitution is submitted to the 23
104	104	electors of the state; 24
105	105	(17) “State officer” means the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney 25
106	106	general, general treasurer, state senator, and state representative; 26
107	107	(18) “Vacancy in office” means the condition resulting from any failure to elect or appoint 27
108	108	an eligible and qualified person to public office, or the failure of any person duly elected or 28
109	109	appointed to qualify, or from the death, resignation, or removal of an incumbent prior to the 29
110	110	expiration of his or her term of office and where no fixed term is prescribed upon the death, 30
111	111	resignation, or removal; 31
112	112	(19) “Voting list” means the complete list of all voters prepared from the information 32
113	113	contained in the original permanent registration records in the possession of the local board of 33
114	114	canvassers; 34
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118	118	(20) “Warden” includes “moderator” and vice versa; 1
119	119	(21) Words importing the masculine gender shall include the feminine gender. 2
120	120	SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 3
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127	127	EXPLANATION
128	128	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
129	129	OF
130	130	A N A C T
131	131	RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- GENERAL PROVISIONS
132	132	***
133	133	This act would redefine "Political Party" and define and distinguish between "major 1
134	134	parties" and "minor parties" based on the total number of votes a party's candidate received in the 2
135	135	previous election among other factors. 3
136	136	This act would take effect upon passage. 4
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138	138	LC002739
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