Ballot Signature Requirements (H 7901 Sub A)

H 7901A attempted to address the need for emergency electoral measures during COVID-19 by halving the ballot signature requirement which is required to run for federal office, but did not adequately confront the core concerns that this bill was created into response to.

The COVID-19 pandemic created a need for emergency voting and electoral measures which balanced public health and simultaneously ensured that voters and candidates are not disenfranchised. Although H 7901 Sub A attempted to do this by halving the ballot signature count which is required to run for federal office, this legislation did not adequately address the core concerns which this bill was created in response to.

In our testimony, we noted that solely reducing the signature count -- and doing so for only two federal offices, and no state or local elections -- does not minimize the risk that is taken by collecting signatures, as collection of any physical signature violated social distancing protocol and placed individuals at risk of contracting the virus. We instead suggested that Rhode Island follow in the path of other states and enact a one-year-only modification which both reduces the signature requirement number and, critically, allows for electronic collection of signatures.