§ 17-6-1. General powers and duties. (a) The secretary of state shall have those functions, powers, and duties relating to elections that may be provided by this title or any other law not inconsistent with this chapter. The secretary of state shall maintain a central roster of all elected and appointed officers of the state, […]
§ 17-6-1.1. Central voter register. In addition to any other powers and duties given to the secretary by this title, the secretary of state is authorized to issue rules and regulations relative to the central voter register, and local boards of canvassers are hereby directed to comply with reasonable requests by the secretary of state […]
§ 17-6-1.2. Statewide central voter register. (a) Given the development of the necessary technology and the potential availability of federal funds, the secretary of state shall procure a statewide central voter register in accordance with all relevant state purchasing requirements. The system shall include, but not be limited to: (1) A statewide database maintained by […]
§ 17-6-1.3. Designation of Chief State Election Official under the National Voter Registration Act. The secretary of state is designated as the chief state election official under section 10 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg-8) to be responsible for the coordination of the State of Rhode Island’s responsibilities under that […]
§ 17-6-1.4. Election systems cybersecurity review board. (a) The secretary of state shall establish an election systems cybersecurity review board. The review board shall be comprised of the secretary of state, or designee; the executive director of the board of elections, or designee; the executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, […]
§ 17-6-10. Availability of registration lists. These lists shall be made available by the secretary of state not later than June 1 in any year. History of Section.P.L. 1976, ch. 207, § 1; P.L. 2000, ch. 109, § 28.
§ 17-6-11. Lists not deemed official. Registration lists purchased pursuant to §§ 17-6-5 — 17-6-10 are not to be deemed to be the official voting lists for any districts. The official lists are those prepared and published by the several local boards. History of Section.P.L. 1976, ch. 207, § 1.
§ 17-6-12. Form of lists. The lists may be distributed as requested in the form of either printed lists or magnetic tapes. History of Section.P.L. 1976, ch. 207, § 1.
§ 17-6-13. Electoral process education — Voter information hotline. (a) During each year in which a general election is to be held, the secretary of state shall identify communities within the state in need of electoral process education by outreaching community organizations. Electoral process education shall consist of instruction on how a person may become […]
§ 17-6-14. Cybersecurity training for local boards of canvassers. The secretary of state shall offer training annually regarding cybersecurity best practices to local boards of canvassers. History of Section.P.L. 2022, ch. 59, § 2, effective June 15, 2022; P.L. 2022, ch. 60, § 2, effective June 15, 2022.
§ 17-6-2. Primary elections. (a) The secretary of state shall, as otherwise provided by this title, prepare, print, and distribute the following forms relating to primary elections: (1) Declaration of candidacy; (2) Endorsement by party; (3) Primary nomination papers for national and state offices; (4) Certifications of the list of local candidates where primaries are […]
§ 17-6-3. Computer ballots and sample ballots. The secretary of state shall be responsible for the arrangement, preparation, printing, and provision of all computer ballots, to be used in conjunction with the optical scan voting equipment authorized pursuant to this title, and sample ballots to be used at any election. The secretary of state shall […]
§ 17-6-4. Absentee, shut-in, and war ballots. The secretary of state shall prepare, print, and furnish all application forms for absentee, shut-in, and war ballots. The secretary of state shall arrange, print, and distribute all these ballots, together with instruction sheets and the required envelopes, in accordance with the requirements of this title. History of […]
§ 17-6-5. Registration lists available to political parties and candidates. (a) Upon application in writing, the secretary of state shall, upon request, furnish prepaid at a reasonable price to be established annually by the secretary and at a reasonable time, to the state chairperson of each political party and to each person proposing to be […]
§ 17-6-6. Oath required as to use of lists. Every person receiving the registry lists shall take and subscribe to the following oath: “I understand that the lists requested by me are the property of the state of Rhode Island and (I affirm that I am the state chairperson of the ____ party); (I proposed […]
§ 17-6-7. Penalty for violating §§ 17-6-5 and 17-6-6. Every person who violates the provisions of §§ 17-6-5 and 17-6-6 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. History of Section.P.L. 1976, ch. 207, § 1; P.L. 1978, ch. 201, § 3.
§ 17-6-8. Exception for local canvassing authorities. The secretary of state shall furnish, without charge, to the canvassing authorities of the several cities and towns, lists of registrants pertaining to those respective cities and towns. History of Section.P.L. 1976, ch. 207, § 1.
§ 17-6-9. Public record. All requests for registration lists, and the action taken on those requests by the secretary of state, shall be deemed to be public records and shall be open for inspection during regular business hours. History of Section.P.L. 1976, ch. 207, § 1.
