2013 -- S 0449

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LC01753

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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 - MAIL BALLOTS

     Introduced By: Senator Michael J. McCaffrey

     Date Introduced: February 28, 2013

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 17-20-27 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-20 entitled "Mail

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Ballots" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     17-20-27. Sealing of ballots and voting list. -- The state board shall, at the completion of

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the count of all votes cast at any election, securely store all ballots cast in the election, and after

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the certification of the results of the elections, the state board shall place all ballots received from

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mail voters together with the certified envelopes containing the ballots in a steel box or package

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and shall seal the ballots and envelopes in open meetings of the board by affixing at least four (4)

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adhesive labels, and the members of the board shall sign the labels by affixing their signatures in

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ink to each of the labels, and thereafter no steel box or package shall upon any pretense be

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reopened by any person, except upon order of the general assembly or a court of competent

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jurisdiction, but shall be held by the board until the first day of September in the second (2nd)

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year after the ballots were cast for twenty-two (22) months, when they may then be destroyed.

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The certified copies of the voting lists of mail voters and the applications referred to in section

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17-20-10 shall likewise be safely sealed and kept by the board for the same length of time.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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LC01753

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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 change the date that all ballots cast at an election, whether it be regular

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ballots or mail in ballots may be destroyed. The date would change from the first day of

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September in the second (2nd) year after the ballots were cast to twenty-two (22) months

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thereafter.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC01753

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