2013 -- S 0039

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013

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A N A C T

RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- SECRETARY OF STATE

     Introduced By: Senators Bates, E O`Neill, Lombardo, Kettle, and Hodgson

     Date Introduced: January 16, 2013

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 17-6-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-6 entitled "Secretary of

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State" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     17-6-3. Computer ballots and sample ballots. – (a) The secretary of state shall be

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responsible for the arrangement, preparation, printing, and provision of all computer ballots, to be

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used in conjunction with the optical scan voting equipment authorized pursuant to this title, and

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sample ballots to be used at any election. The secretary of state shall deliver to the state board a

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sufficient quantity of sample ballots to be used by the board in the preparation of voting

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equipment for each election.

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     (b) The secretary of state shall ensure that no ballot, whether a paper ballot or a ballot that

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shall be used in any optical scanning device or otherwise, shall include any option to permit any

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voter to vote for all candidates of one of the respective parties by means of a single mark.

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     SECTION 2. Section 17-19-15 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-19 entitled "Conduct

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of Election and Voting Equipment, and Supplies" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     17-19-15. Party levers. -- In the preparation of the voting equipment for use in any

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election, excluding a primary election, the board of elections shall confirm that the voting

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equipment is programmed to permit prevent any voter to vote from voting for all candidates of

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one of the respective parties by means of a single mark on the computer ballot. The voting

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equipment shall also permit the voter casting a straight party vote to individually vote for

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candidates, and in doing so, the straight party vote will not be counted for that office, and the

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individual vote, or votes in the case where more than one candidate will be elected for an office,

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will override the straight party vote for that office.

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     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N A C T

RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- SECRETARY OF STATE

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     This act would require that voting machines be programmed to prevent a voter from

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voting for a straight party ticket by simply checking one mark on the ballot. The act would also

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require the board of elections to program the ballot scanning machines to prevent straight party

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voting by means of a single mark, and would require the secretary of state to produce ballots that

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do not have an option to vote for a straight party ticket by checking a single box.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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