| Chapter 069 |
| 2019 -- S 0474 SUBSTITUTE A Enacted 06/28/2019 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO ELECTIONS - VOTING DISTRICTS AND OFFICIALS |
| Introduced By: Senators Crowley, Quezada, Sheehan, Lombardi, and Nesselbush |
| Date Introduced: February 27, 2019 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 17-11-1.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-11 entitled "Voting |
| Districts and Officials" is 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 at which there shall be submitted to the |
| voters a question or questions for their approval or rejection but or 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) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the board of |
| canvassers of the city of Woonsocket or the town of Cumberland may combine two (2) or more |
| voting districts for the senate district 20 special election in April, 2008 and when combined shall |
| be treated as a voting district, but only upon the approval of the board of elections. |
| If voting districts are combined pursuant to this subsection, the local board must advertise |
| the combination of districts in a newspaper of general circulation in the city or town no less than |
| three (3) days before the special election. |
| 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, but only upon the approval of the board of elections. |
| SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC001940/SUB A |
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