Chapter
087
2006 -- S 2860
Enacted 06/13/06
A N A
C T
RELATING TO ELECTIONS
Introduced By: Senator M.
Teresa Paiva-Weed
Date Introduced: February
16, 2006
It is
enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION
1. Section 17-10-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-10 entitled
"Canvassing
the
Lists of Qualified Electors" is hereby amended to read as follows:
17-10-3.
Publication of preliminary lists. -- (a) Immediately after the close of
registration
for each general election and each primary election for a general election, the
local
board
shall publish and post a preliminary list of all persons who appear from the
registration
cards to
be duly registered to vote at the next ensuing election. The preliminary list
for a primary
election
shall be subject to the requirements of chapter 13 of this title. The
preliminary list shall
contain
the names and addresses of registered voters arranged in the same order as the
file of
original
registration cards. The preliminary list may shall be prepared
or duplicated by
typewriting,
printing, mimeographing, multi-graphing, photographic process, or may be computer
generated
from the statewide central voter registry system. The list shall be
available for public
inspection
in at least three (3) public places as well as the local board of
canvassers and, where
possible,
the public library in the city or town,
where the list shall be open to examination at all
reasonable
times. The local board shall, upon request, furnish without charge and without
unreasonable
delay, five (5) copies of the preliminary list to the state, city, or town
chairperson of
any
political party.
(b) The preliminary list shall be deemed a public record; and any elector of
the city or
town,
upon request, shall be given a copy of the list upon payment of no more than
the actual cost
of
reproduction.
(c) The preliminary list shall contain the following language in bold print:
"You must be registered to vote from your actual place of residence."
SECTION
2. Section 17-13-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-13 entitled "Primary
Voting
Lists" is hereby amended to read as follows:
17-13-1.
Preparation and posting of preliminary lists. -- (a) In conformity with
the
requirements
of chapter 10 of this title relating to preliminary lists generally, preceding
the next
primary
election of a political party prior to a general election, each local board
shall, for the
party,
prepare and post in one public place in each of the voting districts in its
city or town a the
local
board of canvassers a separate list
of voters with their addresses in the districts who are
eligible
to participate in the primary of the respective party in accordance with the
provisions of
chapter
15 of this title. Each list shall be plainly marked with the name of the party
for which it is
prepared.
(b) In the preparation of any preliminary list, the names of all persons who
are ineligible
by
reason of the provisions of section 17-15-24 shall be stricken from the list,
and those persons
are
debarred from participating in the primary.
SECTION
3. Section 17-19-8.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-19 entitled
"Conduct
of
Election and Voting Equipment, and Supplies" is hereby amended to read as
follows:
17-19-8.1.
Ballots for voters who are blind, visually impaired or disabled. -- (a)
Any
voter
who is blind or visually impaired or disabled is eligible to request a special
ballot for voting
by mail
ballot or in person at the polls on election day. Special mail
ballots are available in
Braille,
or tactile, or other accessible format.
(b) Requests must be made in writing to the local board of canvassers where the
person
is
registered to vote at least forty-five (45) days before the election for which
the voter is
requesting
the special ballot. In addition, the request will be valid for all elections
held during the
calendar
year in which the request was received and in which the voter is eligible to
participate.
Applicants
must also file the appropriate mail ballot application as required by chapter
20 of this
title
for each election in which they wish to participate.
(c) The office of the secretary of state shall prepare and provide the
appropriate form,
which
shall be available at local boards and upon request from the office of the
secretary of state.
The
voter may also choose to submit his or her request in writing without using the
form
provided,
as long as the communication contains all of the required information. The
request shall
include
the following information:
(1) The name and registered address of the voter;
(2) A daytime telephone number;
(3) An indication of whether this request is for the entire calendar year or
only for the
next
upcoming election;
(4) The voter's political party affiliation, if the request for a special
ballot is also for
primaries;
(5) A statement indicating whether the person will be voting at the polls on
election day
or
voting by mail ballot. Persons indicating that they will be casting their vote
by mail ballot must
also
file the appropriate mail ballot applications as required by chapter 20 of this
title;
(6)(5) Indicate the special ballot format.
(d) All requests received by local boards must be processed and forwarded to
the office
of the
secretary of state within twenty-four (24) hours of receipt. The secretary of
state shall
maintain
a list of all persons requesting special Braille, or tactile,
or other accessible format mail
ballots
and must forward a copy of the list to the state board of elections at least
eighteen (18)
days
before the date of any election.
(e) The state board of elections may adopt rules and regulations for the
procedure for the
casting
and the tabulation of Braille, tactile, or other accessible format ballot voted
on election
day
at the polls. The state board may also
adopt rules and regulations for the procedure for the
manual
reproduction of voted ballots, when necessary, and the tabulation of Braille
and tactile
mail
ballots or other accessible format ballots.
(f) The office of the secretary of state shall be responsible for the
preparation and
distribution
of special Braille, and tactile, or other accessible format
mail ballots. Whenever
possible,
the secretary of state shall prepare the Braille, or tactile,
or other accessible format mail
ballot
so that the voted ballot can be read by the tabulation equipment, rather than
being manually
reproduced
by election officials onto a machine readable ballot.
(g) The office of the secretary of state may adopt rules and regulations
setting forth the
procedure
for the preparations and distribution of the Braille, and tactile,
or other accessible
format mail ballots.
(h) The office of the secretary of state shall prepare and publish a guide
describing the
types of
ballots available and the manner in which each ballot can be voted. This guide
shall be
revised
whenever the types of ballots available are updated. This guide shall be
available in print,
Braille,
audio, or other accessible formats.
(i) The office of the secretary of state shall establish a special Braille and
tactile ballot
program
for voters who are blind or visually impaired. The office of the secretary of
state shall
expand
the special ballot service to other voters with disabilities, as feasible, as
determined by the
secretary
of state, and incorporate other accessible formats as technology and resources
allow.
(j)
In accordance with the Help America Vote Act of 2003, the voting system at each
polling
place shall be accessible for individuals with disabilities, including
nonvisual accessibility
for
the blind and visually impaired, in a manner that provides the same opportunity
for access and
participation
as for other voters.
SECTION
4. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC02276
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