Chapter
352
2006 -- S 2783
Enacted 07/07/06
A N A
C T
RELATING TO ELECTIONS
- VOTING
Introduced By: Senator
James C. Sheehan
Date Introduced: February
14, 2006
It is
enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION
1. Sections 17-11-1.1 and 17-11-7.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-11
entitled
"Voting Districts and Officials" are hereby amended to read as
follows:
17-11-1.1.
Combination of voting districts for special election. -- (a) The
board of
canvassers
of any city or town, for any special election to be held in that city or town
at which
there
will be submitted to the voters a question or questions for their approval or
rejection but at
which
no state or local officials will be elected, shall have the power to combine
two (2) or more
voting
districts within the same ward or senatorial and representative district, when
in its
judgment
the combination is advisable, and when these districts are combined they shall
be
treated
as a voting district. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions, for any special
election at
which
there is on the ballot for all offices to be filled at the election only one
candidate for each
office,
the board of canvassers of the city or town shall have the authority to combine
likewise
two
(2) or more voting districts, but only upon the approval of the board of
elections. The board
of
canvassers of any city or town at which there shall be submitted to the voters
a question or
questions
for their approval or rejection but at which no state or local officials will
be elected,
shall
have the authority to combine two (2) or more voting districts, when in its
judgment the
combination
is advisable, and when combined shall be treated as a voting district, but only
upon
the
approval of the board of elections.
(b) If voting districts are combined as provided in subsection (a) of this
section, the local
board
must advertise the combination of districts in a newspaper of general circulation
in the city
or town
no less than seven (7) days and no more than twenty-one (21) days before the
special
election.
(c) The board of canvassers of the town of Coventry shall have the power to
combine
two
(2) or more voting districts within the same ward or senatorial and
representative districts,
notwithstanding
subsection (a) of this section, for a special election to be held on April 22,
2003.
17-11-7.1.
Pool of election officials. -- Notwithstanding any other general law to
the
contrary,
local boards are authorized to create a pool of election officials who shall be
available to
fill
vacancies wherever needed. These election officials shall have the same
training and duties as
regular
election officials, but shall not be restricted to being electors of the voting
district to
which
they may be assigned, but must be electors of the city or town state.
SECTION
2. Section 17-15-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-15 entitled "Primary
Elections"
is hereby amended to read as follows:
17-15-5.
Combination of voting districts. -- Local boards shall have the power
to
combine
two (2) or more voting districts within the same ward, and senatorial or
representative
district,
when the absence of local contests within the combined voting districts
makes this
combination
possible, and the combined district shall be treated as a voting district.
SECTION
3. Section 17-18-15 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-18 entitled
"Elective
Meetings"
is hereby amended to read as follows:
17-18-15.
Closing of schools. -- At each general election as defined in section
17-1-2(2)
and
statewide primary as defined in section 17-15-1, all public elementary and secondary schools
throughout
the state shall not be in session. On the day of the general election and
statewide
primary, the use of school buildings or premises shall be
restricted to use only as polling places
for
election purposes. Notwithstanding the previous provisions, school staff
development days
may be
held.
SECTION
4. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC01749
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