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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- S 0520 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC002175 |
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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 -- MAIL BALLOTS |
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| 16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Senators Bissaillon, Pearson, Gu, Lawson, Burke, and McKenney |
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| 17 | 17 | | Date Introduced: February 26, 2025 |
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| 18 | 18 | | Referred To: Senate Judiciary |
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| 19 | 19 | | |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 1. Section 17-20-9 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-20 entitled "Mail Ballots" 1 |
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| 23 | 23 | | is hereby amended to read as follows: 2 |
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| 24 | 24 | | 17-20-9. Application by permanently disabled or incapacitated voters and nursing 3 |
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| 25 | 25 | | home residents. Application to be placed on the permanent mail ballot application list. 4 |
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| 26 | 26 | | (a) A voter who is indefinitely confined because of physical illness or infirmity or is 5 |
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| 27 | 27 | | disabled for an indefinite period or who is a long-term resident in a nursing home, may, by signing 6 |
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| 28 | 28 | | an affidavit to that effect an application, may request that a mail ballot application be sent to him 7 |
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| 29 | 29 | | or her automatically for every election. The affidavit form application and instructions shall be 8 |
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| 30 | 30 | | prescribed by the secretary of state, and furnished upon request to any elector by each local board 9 |
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| 31 | 31 | | of canvassers. The envelope containing the mail ballot application shall be clearly marked as not 10 |
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| 32 | 32 | | forwardable. If any elector is no longer an eligible voter indefinitely confined or is no longer 11 |
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| 33 | 33 | | residing in a nursing home, he or she shall notify the clerk of the local board of canvassers of this 12 |
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| 34 | 34 | | fact. The clerk local board shall remove the name of any voter from the mailing list established 13 |
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| 35 | 35 | | under this section upon receipt of reliable information that a voter no longer qualifies for the 14 |
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| 36 | 36 | | service. The voter shall be notified of the action within five (5) days after the board takes the action. 15 |
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| 37 | 37 | | (b) The affidavit form application and instructions prescribed in this section shall be mailed 16 |
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| 38 | 38 | | to the applicant along with a stamped return envelope addressed to the local boards of canvassers. 17 |
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| 39 | 39 | | The secretary of state may process applications pursuant to this section through the online mail 18 |
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| 40 | 40 | | ballot application portal established by § 17-20-2.3. 19 |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | LC002175 - Page 2 of 3 |
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| 44 | 44 | | (c) For purposes of this section, “nursing home” refers to facilities defined and licensed by 1 |
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| 45 | 45 | | the department of health. “Long-term” excludes any residents temporarily residing in such a facility 2 |
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| 46 | 46 | | for rehabilitation. 3 |
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| 47 | 47 | | (d) The secretary of state shall maintain a list in the central voter registration system of all 4 |
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| 48 | 48 | | voters who automatically receive applications for mail ballots, pursuant to this section. 5 |
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| 49 | 49 | | (e) [Expires December 31, 2025.] Eligible disabled voters shall be entitled to electronically 6 |
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| 50 | 50 | | receive and return their mail ballot, using the same electronic transmission system as that used by 7 |
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| 51 | 51 | | voters covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). This 8 |
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| 52 | 52 | | electronic process shall satisfy the federal Rehabilitation Act, section 508 concerning accessibility 9 |
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| 53 | 53 | | standards. 10 |
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| 54 | 54 | | (f) [Expires December 31, 2025.] For purposes of this section, “eligible disabled voter” 11 |
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| 55 | 55 | | means a person with disabilities eligible to vote who is incapacitated to such an extent that it would 12 |
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| 56 | 56 | | be an undue hardship to vote at the polls because of illness, mental or physical disability, blindness, 13 |
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| 57 | 57 | | or a serious impairment of mobility. 14 |
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| 58 | 58 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 15 |
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| 59 | 59 | | ======== |
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| 60 | 60 | | LC002175 |
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| 61 | 61 | | ======== |
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| 62 | 62 | | |
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| 63 | 63 | | |
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| 64 | 64 | | LC002175 - Page 3 of 3 |
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| 65 | 65 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 66 | 66 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 67 | 67 | | OF |
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| 68 | 68 | | A N A C T |
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| 69 | 69 | | RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS |
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| 70 | 70 | | *** |
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| 71 | 71 | | This act would modernize and streamline the existing processes for getting on the 1 |
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| 72 | 72 | | permanent mail ballot application list. 2 |
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| 73 | 73 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 3 |
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| 74 | 74 | | ======== |
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| 75 | 75 | | LC002175 |
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| 76 | 76 | | ======== |
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| 77 | 77 | | |
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