2024 -- S 2447 | |
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LC004531 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- STATEWIDE REFERENDA ELECTIONS | |
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Introduced By: Senators McKenney, Lawson, Acosta, Cano, and Gallo | |
Date Introduced: February 12, 2024 | |
Referred To: Senate Judiciary | |
(Secretary of State) | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Sections 17-5-1.1, 17-5-3 and 17-5-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-5 |
2 | entitled "Statewide Referenda Elections" are hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 17-5-1.1. Special referenda elections. |
4 | Any proposition of amendment of the Constitution or any other public question submitted |
5 | to the electors of the state at any election not a general election pursuant to § 17-1-2(2) shall be |
6 | held on the first Tuesday next after the first Monday of any month and shall be voted upon at town, |
7 | ward, and district meetings, in accordance with the following procedure: |
8 | (1) When an act of the general assembly is passed authorizing the submission of a question |
9 | to all of the electors of the state, the secretary of state is authorized to rephrase the question to |
10 | appear on the ballot in a manner that would clearly apprise the voters of the question to be voted |
11 | upon and to cause the ballot to contain a concise caption of the question, and the full text of the |
12 | question as adopted by the general assembly need not appear on the ballot except for proposed |
13 | amendments to the Constitution of the state of Rhode Island., but shall: |
14 | (i) Require that the question shall be stated in plain language reasonably calculated to be |
15 | understood by persons with an eighth-grade reading level; and |
16 | (ii) The secretary of state shall cause each question appearing on the ballot prepared by him |
17 | or her to be designated by number, the first question to be designated by the numeral I and |
18 | additional questions shall follow numbered so that all questions submitted to all the electors of the |
19 | state and appearing upon the ballot are numbered consecutively; provided that local questions shall |
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1 | be printed on a distinctive colored background. |
2 | (2) Prior to the election at which public questions are to be submitted, the secretary of state |
3 | shall cause to be printed and shall send one copy of the full text of each legislative act to be acted |
4 | upon and applicable to the state at large, or the secretary of state may substitute a description of the |
5 | text of each act in lieu of the full text, to each residential unit in Rhode Island together with the |
6 | following information: |
7 | (i) The designated number of the question appearing on the ballot; |
8 | (ii) A brief caption of the question appearing on the ballot; and |
9 | (iii) A brief explanation of the measure being the subject matter of the question. |
10 | (3) Voting on a proposition of amendment of the Constitution or of a public question of |
11 | statewide impact shall be by means of optical-scan voting equipment and computer ballots |
12 | authorized pursuant to this title. |
13 | 17-5-3. Publication of questions to be submitted to voters. |
14 | (a) Prior to each general election at which public questions are to be submitted, the |
15 | secretary of state shall cause to be printed and shall send one copy of the full text of each legislative |
16 | act to be acted upon and applicable to the state at large, or the secretary of state may substitute a |
17 | description of the text of each act in lieu of the full text, to each residential unit in Rhode Island |
18 | together with the following information: |
19 | (1) The designated number of the question; |
20 | (2) A brief caption of the question; |
21 | (3) A brief explanation of the measure that is the subject matter of the question stated in |
22 | plain language reasonably calculated to be understood by persons with an eighth-grade reading |
23 | level; and |
24 | (4) A notice that voter fraud is a felony and the penalty for voter fraud. This notice shall be |
25 | in conspicuous lettering and shall contain the following language: “You must be registered to vote |
26 | from your actual place of residence.” |
27 | (b) If the public question involves the issuance of bonds or other evidence of indebtedness |
28 | or any other long term financial obligation such as a lease, the notice required by subsection (a) of |
29 | this section shall also include at least the following information to be provided by the agency or |
30 | department for which the bonds or other evidence of indebtedness or any other long term financial |
31 | obligation is intended: |
32 | (1) The estimated total cost of the project or program, including financing (using a |
33 | reasonable assumed rate of interest), legal, and other costs. |
34 | (2) The estimated useful life of the project, and the term of the bonds, other indebtedness, |
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1 | or other obligation. |
2 | (3) A reasonably detailed description of the project or program, its purposes, and a project |
3 | timetable. |
4 | 17-5-5. Language contained on computer ballots. |
5 | (a) Notwithstanding the authority of the secretary of state to determine the design and |
6 | content of the computer ballots by rules and regulations, all computer ballots shall contain a clear |
7 | and concise statement of the nature of each question stated in plain language reasonably calculated |
8 | to be understood by persons with an eighth-grade reading level, presented without the necessity of |
9 | repeating the full text of the question as adopted by the general assembly; provided, that in the case |
10 | of proposed amendments to the Constitution of the state of Rhode Island, the full text as adopted |
11 | by the general assembly shall be reprinted on the computer ballots. The secretary of state shall |
12 | cause each question appearing on the computer ballot prepared by the secretary to be designated |
13 | by number, the first question to be designated by the number I, and additional questions shall be |
14 | submitted with numbers in consecutive order. |
15 | (b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the general election to be held on November 2, 2004, |
16 | in order to avoid a two-sheet statewide ballot, given the number of public questions to be submitted |
17 | to the electors at such general election, the secretary of state may prepare the ballot in such manner |
18 | that the statewide public questions involving the issuance of bonds or other evidence of |
19 | indebtedness, or other long-term financial obligation, shall appear on the ballot with only a caption |
20 | and the amount of financial obligation to be incurred, but without the clear and concise statement |
21 | of each question, as otherwise required. Provided, however, that such clear and concise statement |
22 | of such question shall instead appear in a conspicuous location within each privacy voting booth at |
23 | each polling place with additional copies thereof available at each polling place; and for mail ballot |
24 | voters, each such ballot sent to a mail ballot voter shall be accompanied by a clear and concise |
25 | statement of each question printed on a separate sheet of paper. |
26 | (c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the general election to be held on November 4, 2014, |
27 | in order to avoid a multiple page statewide ballot, given the number of public questions to be |
28 | submitted to the electors at such general election, the secretary of state may prepare the ballot in |
29 | such manner that the statewide public questions involving the issuance of bonds or other evidence |
30 | of indebtedness, or other long-term financial obligation, shall appear on the ballot with only a |
31 | caption and the amount of financial obligation to be incurred, but without the clear and concise |
32 | statement of each question, as otherwise required; provided, however, that such clear and concise |
33 | statement of such question shall instead appear in a conspicuous location within each privacy voting |
34 | booth at each polling place with additional copies thereof available at each polling place; and for |
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1 | mail ballot voters, each such ballot sent to a mail ballot voter shall be accompanied by a clear and |
2 | concise statement of each question printed on a separate sheet of paper. |
3 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC004531 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- STATEWIDE REFERENDA ELECTIONS | |
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1 | This act would amend certain election statutes to require ballot questions be written in plain |
2 | language reasonably calculated to be understood by persons with an eighth-grade reading level. |
3 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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