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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Shanley, Noret, Amore, Craven, Batista, and Tanzi

     Date Introduced: February 09, 2022

     Referred To: House State Government & Elections

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Sections 17-20-10 and 17-20-26 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-20

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entitled "Mail Ballots" are hereby amended to read as follows:

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     17-20-10. Certification of applications -- Issuance of ballots -- Marking of lists --

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Mailing address.

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     (a) Upon receipt of the application, the local board shall immediately examine it and

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determine whether it complies with each of the requirements set forth by this chapter and compare

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the signature on the ballot application with the signature contained on the original registration card

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or on the central voter registration system, except as may be otherwise provided by law, to satisfy

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itself that the applicant is a qualified voter. Upon determining that it does meet each requirement

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of this chapter and that the signature appears to be the same, the local board shall mark the

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application "accepted" and record in the space provided on the ballot application the senatorial,

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representative, and voting district in which the applicant should vote.

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     (b) The local board shall also record the city or town code and district information in the

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mailing label section of the mail ballot application. The local board shall also print or type the name

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of the elector and the complete mailing address in that section. If the local board does not accept

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the application, the local board shall return the application to the elector, together with a form

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prescribed by the secretary of state, specifying the reason or reasons for the return of the application.

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     (c) Not later than 4:00 p.m. on the eighteenth (18th) day before the day of any election

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referred to in this chapter or within seven (7) days of receipt by the local board, whichever occurs

 

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first, the local board shall certify the applications to the secretary of state through the CVRS system

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central voter registration system as this procedure is prescribed by the secretary of state. Upon the

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certification of a mail ballot application to the secretary of state, the local board shall enter on the

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voting list the fact that a mail ballot application for the voter has been certified and shall cause the

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delivery of the certified mail ballot applications together with the signed certified listing thereof in

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sealed packages to the state board of elections.

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     (d)(1) Upon the ballots becoming available, the secretary of state shall immediately issue

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and mail, by first-class mail, postage prepaid, a mail ballot to each eligible voter who has been

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certified. With respect to voters who have applied for these mail ballots under the provisions of §

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17-20-2(1), the secretary of state shall include with the mail ballots a stamped, return envelope

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addressed to the board of elections.

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     (2) The secretary of state shall include on the mail ballot envelope a numerical or

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alphabetical code designating the city or town where the voter resides. The secretary of state shall

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immediately thereafter indicate on the voter's record that the secretary of state has sent mail ballots;

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provided that this mark shall serve solely to indicate that a mail ballot has been issued and shall not

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be construed as voting in the election.

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     (e) Prior to each election, the secretary of state shall also furnish to the chairperson of the

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state committee of each political party a list of the names and residence addresses of all persons to

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whom mail ballots have been issued. The secretary of state shall also furnish to a candidate for

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political office, upon request, a list of the names and residence addresses of all persons to whom

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mail ballots have been issued within his or her district.

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     (f) If a ballot is returned to the secretary of state by the postal service as undeliverable, the

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secretary of state shall consult with the appropriate local board to determine the accuracy of the

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mailing address, and the secretary of state shall be required to remail the ballot to the voter using

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the corrected address provided by the local board. If the local board is unable to provide a different

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address than that to which the ballot was originally mailed, the ballot shall be reissued by the

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secretary of state to the board of canvassers in the city or town where the voter resides utilizing the

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numerical or alphabetical code established in subsection (d) of this section. The board shall then

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attempt to notify the voter at his or her place of residence that the ballot has been returned as

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undeliverable. The ballot must be voted and witnessed in accordance with the provisions of this

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chapter.

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     (g) The acceptance of a mail ballot application by the board of canvassers and the issuance

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of a mail ballot by the secretary of state shall not create any presumption as to the accuracy of the

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information provided by the applicant or as to the applicant's compliance with the provisions of

 

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this chapter. Any inaccuracy in the provided information or irregularity in the application may be

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raised as a challenge to the ballot before the board of elections at the time of certification. If the

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challenge raised at that time is meritorious, the ballot shall be voided.

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     (h) Within two (2) business days of receipt by the local board, the board shall certify

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emergency mail ballot applications and shall cause the delivery of the emergency mail ballot

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applications, and certification sheet in sealed packages to the state board of elections.

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     17-20-26. Opening and counting of ballots.

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     (a)(1) Beginning prior to and continuing on election day the state board, upon receipt of

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mail ballots, shall keep the ballots in a safe and secure place that shall be separate and apart from

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the general public area and sufficiently monitored through security measures including security

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cameras. The board shall:

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     (i) Open the outer envelope and attach the matching ballot application to the inner

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certifying envelope;

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     (ii) Beginning fourteen (14), beginning twenty (20) days prior to and continuing on election

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day, proceed to certify the mail ballots.

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     (2) Notice of these sessions shall be given to the public on the state board of elections'

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website, and the secretary of state's website, and announcements in newspapers of general

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circulation published posted at least twenty-four (24) hours before the commencing of any session.

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All candidates for state and federal office, as well as all state party chairpersons, shall be given

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notice by telephone, email or otherwise of the day on which ballots affecting that candidate's district

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will be certified; provided, that failure to effect the notice shall in no way invalidate the ballots.

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     (b) This processing shall be done within a railed space in the room in which it takes place,

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and the board shall admit within the railed space, in accordance with those rules that the board shall

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adopt, to witness the processing and certification of the ballots, the interested voter or the voter's

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representative, the candidates, or at least one representative of each candidate for whom votes are

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at the time being processed, and an equal number of representatives of each political party. These

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representatives shall be authorized in writing by the voter, the candidate, or the chairperson of the

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state committee of the political party, respectively, as the case may be. The board shall also, in

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accordance with these rules, admit representatives of the press and newscasting agencies and any

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other persons that it deems proper.

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     (c) At these sessions, and before certifying any ballot, the state board shall:

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     (1) Determine the city or town in which the voter cast his or her ballot and classify

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accordingly; and

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     (2) Compare the name, residence, and signature of the voter with the name, residence, and

 

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signature on the central voter registration system ballot application for mail ballots and satisfy itself

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that both signatures are identical. The board shall designate two (2) persons, to review and compare

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each voter's signature with the voter's signature found in the central voter registration system. If

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both designees agree that the signatures match, the mail ballot shall proceed to be processed,

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certified and tabulated. In the event that one or both designees find a discrepancy with the voter's

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signature, the certification envelope shall then be reviewed by a pair of supervising board staff

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members. If the pair of supervising board staff members find that the signatures match, then the

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mail ballot shall proceed to be processed, certified and tabulated. In the event that one or both

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supervising board staff members find a discrepancy in the voter's signature, the supervising board

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staff shall compare the signature on the certification envelope to the voter's ballot application. If

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the pair of supervising board staff members find that those signatures match, then the mail ballot

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shall proceed to be processed, certified and tabulated. In the event that one or both supervising

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board staff members find a discrepancy in the voter's signature, the supervising board staff shall

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compare the signature on the certification envelope to the voter's ballot application. If the pair of

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supervising board staff members find that the signatures match, then the mail ballot shall proceed

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to be processed, certified and tabulated. In the event that one or both supervising board staff

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members find a discrepancy in the voter's signature, the certification envelope shall be segregated,

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and the board will notify the voter of the discrepancy, in accordance with regulations and

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procedures promulgated by the board. Any segregated certification envelope that has not been

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cured or fully addressed by the voter, in accordance with the board's promulgated regulations and

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procedures, shall be reviewed by the board to make a final determination on the signature set forth

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on the certification envelope.

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     (d) [Deleted by P.L. 2015, ch. 259, § 1.]

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     (e) The board shall establish guidelines setting forth the grounds for challenging the

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certification of mail ballots. These guidelines shall recognize that if a ballot can be reasonably

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identified to be that of the voter it purports to be, and if it can reasonably be determined that the

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voter was eligible to vote by mail ballot and if the requirements of § 17-20-2.1 were complied with,

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it should not be subject to frivolous or technical challenge. The burden of proof in challenging a

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mail ballot as not obtained and/or cast in conformance with this chapter is on the person challenging

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the ballot. Once the irregularity is shown, the burden of proof shall shift to the person defending

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the ballot to demonstrate that it is the ballot of the voter it purports to be, that the voter was eligible

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to vote by mail ballot, and that all of the applicable requirements of § 17-20-2.1 were complied

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with. The guidelines shall be adopted at a public meeting of the board and shall be made available

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prior to the start of the certification process for mail ballots. The board shall promulgate regulations

 

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that allow for challenges to the certification process by the interested voter, the voter's

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representative, the candidates and representatives of the recognized political parties. Such

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challenges shall be made to the executive director of the board, or the executive director's designee.

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The decision of the executive director or designee, shall be subject to review by the board.

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     (f) After processing and certification of the mail ballots, they shall be separated in packages

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in accordance with their respective cities and towns, in the presence of the board and all other

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interested parties. Thereupon, in each instance the board staff shall open the enclosing envelope,

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and without looking at the votes cast on the enclosed ballot, shall remove the ballot from the

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envelope. The state board staff shall proceed to tabulate the ballots through the use of a central

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count optical-scan unit with the same effect as if the ballots had been cast by the electors in open

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town or district meetings.

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     (g) When a local election is held at a time other than in conjunction with a statewide

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election, the state board, after the processing and certification of the mail ballots cast in the local

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election, shall package the local ballots to be promptly delivered in sealed packages, bearing upon

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the seals the signatures of the members of the board, to the appropriate local board which shall [a]

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thereupon proceed to count the ballots in the same manner and with the same effect as state mail

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ballots are counted by the state board.

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     (h) When a local election is held in New Shoreham at a time other than in conjunction with

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a statewide election, the state board, after the processing and certification of the mail ballots cast

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in the local election, shall have the authority to count the ballots in the same manner and with the

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same effect as state mail ballots are counted by the state board in a statewide election. Once the

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ballots are counted, the results shall be sent via facsimile to the local board in New Shoreham.

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     SECTION 2. 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 -- MAIL BALLOTS

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     This act would allow the board of elections to begin the certification of mail ballots twenty

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(20) days prior to election day. It also establishes a new and more comprehensive mail ballot voter

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signature verification process.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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