Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island Senate Bill S0815 Compare Versions

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

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5	5	2025 -- S 0815
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7	7	LC001235
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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: Senators Patalano, Thompson, Vargas, Tikoian, Britto, Dimitri, and
17	17	LaMountain
18	18	Date Introduced: March 14, 2025
19	19	Referred To: Senate Judiciary
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21	21
22	22	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
23	23	SECTION 1. Section 17-20-26 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-20 entitled "Mail 1
24	24	Ballots" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
25	25	17-20-26. Opening and counting of ballots. 3
26	26	(a)(1) Beginning prior to and continuing on election day the state board, upon receipt of 4
27	27	mail ballots, shall keep the ballots in a safe and secure place that shall be separate and apart from 5
28	28	the general public area and sufficiently monitored through security measures including security 6
29	29	cameras. The board shall, beginning twenty (20) days prior to and continuing on election day, 7
30	30	proceed to certify the mail ballots. 8
31	31	(2) Notice of these sessions shall be given to the public on the state board of elections’ 9
32	32	website and the secretary of state’s website posted at least twenty-four (24) hours before the 10
33	33	commencing of any session. All candidates for state and federal office, as well as all state party 11
34	34	chairpersons, shall be given notice by telephone, email or otherwise of the day on which ballots 12
35	35	will be certified; provided, that failure to effect the notice shall in no way invalidate the ballots. 13
36	36	(b) This processing shall be done within a railed space in the room in which it takes place, 14
37	37	and the board shall admit within the railed space, in accordance with those rules that the board shall 15
38	38	adopt, to witness the processing and certification of the ballots, the interested voter or the voter’s 16
39	39	representative, the candidates, or at least one representative of each candidate for whom votes are 17
40	40	at the time being processed, and an equal number of representatives of each political party. These 18
41	41	representatives shall be authorized in writing by the voter, the candidate, or the chairperson of the 19
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44	44	LC001235 - Page 2 of 4
45	45	state committee of the political party, respectively, as the case may be. The board shall also, in 1
46	46	accordance with these rules, admit representatives of the press and newscasting agencies and any 2
47	47	other persons that it deems proper. 3
48	48	(c) At these sessions, and before certifying any ballot, the state board shall: 4
49	49	(1) Determine the city or town in which the voter cast his or her ballot; and 5
50	50	(2) Compare the name, residence, and signature of the voter with the name, residence, and 6
51	51	signature on the central voter registration system for mail ballots and satisfy itself that both 7
52	52	signatures are identical. The board shall designate two (2) persons, to review and compare each 8
53	53	voter’s signature with the voter’s signature found in the central voter registration system. If both 9
54	54	designees agree that the signatures match, the mail ballot shall proceed to be processed, certified, 10
55	55	and tabulated. In the event that one or both designees find a discrepancy with the voter’s signature, 11
56	56	the certification envelope shall then be reviewed by a pair of supervising board staff members. If 12
57	57	the pair of supervising board staff members find that the signatures match, then the mail ballot shall 13
58	58	proceed to be processed, certified, and tabulated. In the event that one or both supervising board 14
59	59	staff members find a discrepancy in the voter’s signature, the supervising board staff shall compare 15
60	60	the signature on the certification envelope to the voter’s ballot application. If the pair of supervising 16
61	61	board staff members find that those signatures match, then the mail ballot shall proceed to be 17
62	62	processed, certified, and tabulated. In the event that one or both supervising board staff members 18
63	63	find a discrepancy in the voter’s signature, the supervising board staff shall compare the signature 19
64	64	on the certification envelope to the voter’s ballot application. If the pair of supervising board staff 20
65	65	members find that the signatures match, then the mail ballot shall proceed to be processed, certified, 21
66	66	and tabulated. In the event that one or both supervising board staff members find a discrepancy in 22
67	67	the voter’s signature, the certification envelope shall be segregated, and the board will notify the 23
68	68	voter of the discrepancy, in accordance with regulations and procedures promulgated by the board. 24
69	69	Any segregated certification envelope that has not been cured or fully addressed by the voter, in 25
70	70	accordance with the board’s promulgated regulations and procedures, shall be reviewed by the 26
71	71	board to make a final determination on the signature set forth on the certification envelope. 27
72	72	(d) [Deleted by P.L. 2015, ch. 259, § 1.] 28
73	73	(e) The board shall promulgate regulations that allow for challenges to the certification 29
74	74	process by the interested voter, the voter’s representative, the candidates, and representatives of the 30
75	75	recognized political parties. Such challenges shall be made to the executive director of the board, 31
76	76	or the executive director’s designee. The decision of the executive director or designee shall be 32
77	77	subject to review by the board. 33
78	78	(f) After processing and certification of the mail ballots, they shall be separated in packages 34
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82	82	in accordance with their respective cities and towns, in the presence of all interested parties. 1
83	83	Thereupon, in each instance the board staff shall open the enclosing envelope, and without looking 2
84	84	at the votes cast on the enclosed ballot, shall remove the ballot from the envelope. The board staff 3
85	85	shall proceed to tabulate the ballots through the use of a central count optical-scan unit with the 4
86	86	same effect as if the ballots had been cast by the electors in open town or district meetings. 5
87	87	(g) When a local election is held at a time other than in conjunction with a statewide 6
88	88	election, the state board, after the processing and certification of the mail ballots cast in the local 7
89	89	election, shall package the local ballots to be promptly delivered in sealed packages, bearing upon 8
90	90	the seals the signatures of the members of the board, to the appropriate local board which shall 9
91	91	thereupon proceed to count the ballots in the same manner and with the same effect as state mail 10
92	92	ballots are counted by the state board have the authority to count the ballots in the same manner 11
93	93	and with the same effect as state mail ballots are counted by the state board in a statewide election. 12
94	94	Once the ballots are counted, the results shall be transmitted to the local board. 13
95	95	(h) When a local election is held in New Shoreham at a time other than in conjunction with 14
96	96	a statewide election, the state board, after the processing and certification of the mail ballots cast 15
97	97	in the local election, shall have the authority to count the ballots in the same manner and with the 16
98	98	same effect as state mail ballots are counted by the state board in a statewide election. Once the 17
99	99	ballots are counted, the results shall be sent via facsimile to the local board in New Shoreham. 18
100	100	SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 19
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107	107	EXPLANATION
108	108	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
109	109	OF
110	110	A N A C T
111	111	RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS
112	112	***
113	113	This act would allow the board of elections to tabulate mail ballots in local special elections 1
114	114	in the same manner as it tabulates mail ballots in statewide elections. 2
115	115	This act would take effect upon passage. 3
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