Legislation

While a majority of the states have a process for in-person early voting, Rhode Island’s voters remain restricted to voting on Election Day, although in recent years the General Assembly has expanded the opportunities for absentee voting.

While an increasing amount of business is conducted online, becoming a registered voter or changing your registration in Rhode Island still has to be done in person or through the mail. Legislation sought to change that by allowing for electronic voter registration.

When it comes to drawing new voting districts, any individuals incarcerated at the ACI in Cranston on the day the Census worker comes through are recorded as living on Howard Avenue, including individuals awaiting or serving misdemeanor sentences during which they are still allowed to vote.

Rhode Island has grappled for a number of years with several election issues, including questions of when and how recounts can be conducted, how votes are counted, and even how the rules regarding elections are made.

The ACLU opposed to the voter ID law remain concerned with the severe disenfranchisement the new photo ID requirement will impose on the poor, the elderly, racial minorities and other vulnerable groups that are least likely to have identification or the documents necessary to obtain ID.

In April, the ACLU testified in support of comprehensive election reform legislation. This perennial legislation proposed a number of critical amendments to current election practices, including expanding the number of provisional ballots counted and the procedures for recounts.

Following years of inaction, the Senate in May passed legislation addressing the problem of prison-based gerrymandering.