| Frequently Asked Questions |
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| The Board of Elections is pleased to present the
results of federal, state and local elections throughout Rhode Island. To
help you better understand what the results mean, when you can expect the
results, and what sort of data is available, we have prepared the following
list of anticipated questions and answers. |
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| How Results Are Reported | Registering to Vote and Voting |
| General Information | Absentee Voting |
| Provisional Voting | Elected Officials |
| Poll Opening Times | Primary and General Elections |
| Campaign Finance Disclosure |
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| How many eligible voters are there in Rhode Island? | ||||||||||||||||
As of February 7, 2008,
there were 665,091 eligible
voters in Rhode Island. |
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| How many precincts (voting locations) are there in Rhode Island? | ||||||||||||||||
There were 565 precincts (voting locations) throughout
the state for the 2006 General Election. |
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| Provisional Voting | ||||||||||||||||
| What is Provisional Voting? | ||||||||||||||||
Provisional
Voting is a process to insure that all registered
voters are allowed to participate in the election
process. These qualified voters will be allowed
to cast the same ballot as all others however,
the disposition (full ballot, federal offices
only, or disqualified) of that ballot will be
determined by the voter’s local board
of canvassers. The voter may then determine
the disposition of their ballot by clicking
on here or by calling the Board of Elections
at 222-2345. |
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| Who is allowed to vote a provisional ballot? | ||||||||||||||||
| ... An individual
whose name does not appear on the list of registered voters for
the voting district or the community but claims they have registered
to vote ... An individual whose name does not appear on the list of registered voters for the voting district but does appear on the community list and the voter contends they are voting in the correct voting district ... An individual who does not have an approved form of identification, as required ... An individual has been challenged by an election official |
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Registering To Vote And Voting |
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| How do I register to vote? | ||||||||||||||||
You can register to vote in Rhode Island by completing a Voter Registration Form which may be obtained at your local Board of Canvassers or the RI Board of Elections. You can pick up the form - or have someone else pick it up for you at either place or call to request that a form be mailed to you. You may also print a registration form from this website by clicking here. Many agencies which serve the public, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Human Services, Department of Mental Health etc. also offer registration services to their clients as mandated by the National Voter Registration Act. If
you are a first-time applicant
for voter registration in Rhode Island,
you must
provide
either
your
valid driver's
license
number or valid RI ID number issued by the RI Division of Motor Vehicles. If you do not have a valid RI driver's license or RI ID number, you must provide the
last 4 digits of your social security
number. An
applicant
who is
registering
to vote
for the
first time
in Rhode
Island
who indicates that he/she does not
have a RI driver's license or
RI ID number or social
security
number or whose driver's
license
or social
security number cannot
be verified
or who fails to complete section
2 on
the registration form will be required
to present one of the forms of identification
listed below at the time of registration, prior to voting or at the time of voting. |
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| I need to update my registration record because I have:
...moved ...changed my last name ...wish to change my party affiliation |
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| You can change your registration record on the same form that is used
for an original registration. See previous question for more information |
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| If I register by mail, how do I know my registration has been received and processed? | ||||||||||||||||
| If you register to vote or change your name and/or address by mail or
at an agency, you will receive a notice informing you that your registration
has been received by the local board of canvassers. (You will also be notified by mail if your registration does not meet the requirements for any reason.) If the post office cannot deliver the notice to the address you gave when you registered, your name will be placed on the "inactive" list and you may not be able to vote. If you do not receive a notice acknowledging receipt of your registration within three (3) weeks, call your local board of canvassers. |
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| What is the deadline for registering to vote in a primary or election? | ||||||||||||||||
| You must register at least
30 days before a primary or election in which you wish to vote. |
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| How long do I have to live in a city/town in Rhode Island to vote there? | ||||||||||||||||
| You can register to vote as soon as you move to that city/town as long
as you intend to make your primary residence here. However, you cannot
vote for local candidates or issues until you have been registered at
that address for 30 days. |
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| How old do I have to be to register to vote? | ||||||||||||||||
| You may register to vote before you turn 18, but you must be 18 on election
day in order to vote. |
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| What (senate) (representative) (voting) district do I live in? | ||||||||||||||||
| These district numbers are shown on the acknowledgement card you were sent when you registered to vote.
If you do not have your acknowledgement card, call your Local
Board of Canvassers for this information. |
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| I was convicted of a felony, but have served my time and am on probation. Can I register to vote? | ||||||||||||||||
| Yes. Legislation passed in the
November 7, 2006 election states that "No
person who is incarcerated in a correctional facility
upon a felony conviction shall be permitted
to vote until such person is discharged from
the facility. Upon discharge, such person's
right to vote shall be restored." |
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| I own two residences in Rhode Island in different communities. Am I eligible to vote in both places for local candidates and issues? | ||||||||||||||||
| No. You must choose one place as your primary residence and that will
determine where you are eligible to vote. Click here for more information on "residence" for voting purposes. |
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| I have a Power of Attorney for my (wife) (husband). Can I register or vote for her/him? | ||||||||||||||||
| No. Each person must sign or make a mark on an application when registering
to vote or voting. No one can do this for someone else. |
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Do I need to cancel my RI voter registration if I move to another state? |
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No. When you register to vote in another state, there will be a place on the form to list the previous address at which you were registered. A notice is then sent to the city/town in RI where you were registered, indicating that you have registered elsewhere. The local board of canvassers in the RI municipality where you were registered will then cancel your RI registration. If you like, you may send written notice to the local board, requesting the cancellation of your registration. You can find the address of your local board here. |
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| I need help when I vote. What are my options? | ||||||||||||||||
| You may bring anyone you choose to assist you with voting except your
employer, an agent of your employer or an officer or agent of your union.
You may also ask the warden at the polling place to provide a pair of
bi-partisan supervisors to assist you. You and those helping you will
be asked to sign an affidavit stating that you have requested assistance. |
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| What type of identification do I need at the polling place? | ||||||||||||||||
You do not need identification at the polling place. You will be asked your name which will be checked on the voter list. |
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| Can I register to vote as an "independent"? | ||||||||||||||||
| Rhode Island does not have an independent party. You may choose to register
as "unaffiliated" which means you will not be considered a member
of any political party - unless and until you vote in a political party
primary. If you do vote in a party primary you will be considered a member
of that party and will not be able to vote in another party's primary
until you have been disaffiliated for 90 days. You may pick up a disaffiliation
form at any polling place after you have voted in a primary or obtain
one from your local board of canvassers. |
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Absentee Voting | ||||||||||||||||
| I am leaving town before election day and want to vote. How can I do that? | ||||||||||||||||
| You can request that an absentee
ballot be sent to you at an address out of
state or vote an absentee ballot at your local
board of canvassers before you leave. Click here for more information
about voting by mail. The deadline to apply
for a regular absentee ballot falls on the
21st day prior to the election. If the circumstances
that make you eligible for an absentee ballot
arise after that deadline, you may be eligible
for an emergency ballot.
Check with your Local
Board of Canvassers for more detailed information.
The deadline to apply for an emergency ballot
is 4:00 pm on the day before the election. |
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| I received my absentee ballot by mail as I requested, but my plans have changed and I will be home on election day and want to vote at my polling place. What should I do with my absentee ballot? | ||||||||||||||||
| When a voter applies for an
absentee ballot, that fact is recorded at the Local Board of Canvassers
and the voter's name is taken off the list of eligible voters for his/her
polling place. In order to be able to vote at the polling place, you must
return the absentee ballot to the Local Board |
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| Is there any way I can have absentee ballots automatically sent to me for every election? | ||||||||||||||||
| No. If you are permanently
incapacitated to the extent that it would be a hardship to go to the polling
place, you may request that the Local Board of Canvassers put your name
on their list to automatically receive absentee ballot applications for a period of 5 years. Call
your Local Board for more information. |
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| My son/daughter attends a college which is in Rhode Island but not in the town where he/she is registered to vote? Does he/she have to make the trip to his/her polling place on election day? | ||||||||||||||||
| No. Your son/daughter can apply for an absentee ballot which will be mailed
to your child's address at the college or university or to his/her
voting residence. |
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| I am a U.S. citizen residing in another country. Can I vote by absentee ballot? | ||||||||||||||||
| Yes. See an explanation HERE. | ||||||||||||||||
Elected Officials |
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CURRENT FEDERAL & STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS: |
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| U.S. Senator in Congress | Sheldon WHITEHOUSE (Democrat) | |||||||||||||||
| U.S. Senator in Congress | Jack REED(Democrat) | |||||||||||||||
| U.S. Congress - District 1 | Patrick J. KENNEDY (Democrat) | |||||||||||||||
| U.S. Congress - District 2 | James R. LANGEVIN (Democrat) | |||||||||||||||
| Governor | Donald L. CARCIERI (Republican) | |||||||||||||||
| Lieutenant Governor | Elizabeth H. Roberts (Democrat) | |||||||||||||||
| Secretary of State | A. Ralph MOLLIS (Democrat) | |||||||||||||||
| Attorney General | Patrick C. LYNCH (Democrat | |||||||||||||||
| General Treasurer | Frank T. CAPRIO (Democrat) | |||||||||||||||
| How can I find out who my state legislators and city/town elected officials are? | ||||||||||||||||
| Click for a list of Rhode
Island state senators and representatives by district. If you don't know
your district, you can get this information from your Local
Board of Canvassers. They will also be able to give you the names
of your local elected officials. You can also find information on Rhode
Island's elected officials at the website http://www.state.ri.us. |
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| How many delegates does Rhode Island send to the electoral college? | ||||||||||||||||
| Four. | ||||||||||||||||
| How many U.S. Congressional Districts does Rhode Island have? | ||||||||||||||||
| Rhode Island has two U.S. Congressional Districts. Click here
for map. |
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| Primary and General Elections | ||||||||||||||||
| What type of Primary Election does the state of Rhode Island conduct? | ||||||||||||||||
| Rhode Island has a 'closed' or party primary
system. This means that you may only vote in one party's primary. If you
are registered as "unaffiliated" you may vote in the primary
of any party you choose. Once you vote in a primary, however, you are
considered a member of that party until and unless you "disaffiliate".
You may do this by signing an affidavit of disaffiliation at the polling place after
you vote or by filling out a new registration form at any time. The disaffiliation takes
effect in 90 days. If you indicated a party preference when you registered to vote,
you may only vote in that party's primary. If you wish
to vote in another party's primary, you must disaffiliate at least 90
days before the primary date. |
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| Pollworkers are chosen and paid by the Local Boards of Canvassers in each city and town. They just attend a training session conducted by the Board of Elections. |
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| When does my polling place open? When does it close? | ||||||||||||||||
| Polls are open during
the hours listed on the chart below for general elections. Check with your Board of Canvassers to see if poll opening hours will differ for the statewide primary. | ||||||||||||||||
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