State Settles ACLU "Provisional Ballot" Lawsuit; Ballots of Voters Without ID Will Be Counted
Responding to an ACLU lawsuit filed earlier this morning, the state Board of Elections has agreed to count all provisional ballots cast by voters who are unable to provide identification at their polling place. The Board had previously indicated that it would disqualify all such ballots cast by individuals who had registered to vote by mail since January 1, 2003 but who did not submit an identification document with their application. ACLU volunteer attorney John W. Dineen called the Board’s reversal of position “a vindication of the voting rights of hundreds of Rhode Island residents.”