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H 7092Elections & Voting

Elections - Primaries for Election of Delegates to National Conventions and for Presidential Preference

This bill lowers signature requirements for convention delegates and adjusts deadliness for submitting election nomination paperwork.

Signed into law71 Yea0 Nay4 Not voting
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 14, 2026Committee House State Government & Elections

Plain-English Summary

This legislation modifies the requirements for individuals seeking to become delegates to national political conventions during the presidential primary process. Specifically, it significantly reduces the number of signatures a candidate for delegate must collect from registered voters, lowering the requirement from 150 signatures to 50. Furthermore, the bill adjusts the timeline for the election process, moving the deadline for submitting nomination papers to local boards and the deadline for submitting candidate approval documentation to the Secretary of State closer to the date of the presidential preference primary.

For younger readers

Every four years, political parties have big meetings to choose their candidate for President. People called "delegates" go to these meetings to vote. To become a delegate, a person usually has to get signatures from neighbors to show they have support. This bill makes it easier to become a delegate. Instead of needing 150 signatures, a person only needs 50. It also gives these people a few extra days to finish their paperwork and turn it in to the election officials.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Convention Delegate CandidatesLocal Boards of CanvassersSecretary of StateRegistered VotersPolitical Parties
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Democratizes the political process by significantly lowering the barrier to entry for grassroots activists and working-class individuals who may lack the resources to gather large numbers of signatures.
  • Encourages a more diverse slate of delegates by making it easier for underrepresented groups and political outsiders to participate in national conventions.
  • Provides slightly more flexibility in the election timeline, potentially reducing administrative friction for candidates operating without large campaign staffs.
  • Could theoretically allow fringe or disruptive elements to clutter the ballot more easily, potentially distracting from serious policy debates or candidates.
  • Shortening the window between submission deadlines and the primary might place stress on local election boards, potentially leading to processing errors that could inadvertently disenfranchise candidates.
  • Represents a minor procedural tweak rather than a comprehensive reform of the electoral system, which some might view as a missed opportunity for broader voting rights expansion.
For Conservatives
  • Reduces government bureaucracy and red tape by lowering the arbitrary hurdle of signature collection for individual citizens wishing to participate in the political process.
  • Promotes political competition by making it easier for challengers and non-establishment figures to run for delegate positions against entrenched party insiders.
  • Aligns with the principle of individual liberty by removing unnecessary state-imposed obstacles to political participation.
  • Drastically lowering the signature requirement by two-thirds could diminish the seriousness of the position and allow unqualified individuals to clutter the system.
  • Compressing the timeline for verification by moving deadlines closer to the election could weaken election integrity safeguards and oversight capabilities.
  • Erodes the traditional vetting process that ensures candidates have a minimum level of community support before appearing on a ballot.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 5 additions · 3 deletions

SECTION 1. Sections 17-12.1-6 and 17-12.1-7 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-12.1 entitled "Primaries for Election of Delegates to National Conventions and for Presidential Preference" are hereby amended to read as follows: 17-12.1-6. Number of signers required. The nomination papers of a candidate for delegate to a national convention shall be signed, in the aggregate, by at least one hundred fifty (150) fifty (50) eligible voters. 17-12.1-7. Checking and certification of nomination papers.

(a) Each nomination paper of a candidate for delegate shall be submitted on or before four o’clock (4:00) p.m. in the afternoon of the fifty-sixth (56th) fifty-fourth day before the presidential preference primary to the local board of the city or town where the signers appear to be voters, and the nomination papers shall be checked, processed, and certified to the secretary of state by the local boards before four o’clock (4:00) p.m. in the afternoon of the fifty-third (53rd) day before the presidential preference primary. In addition, each candidate for delegate to a national convention may, on or before four o’clock (4:00) p.m. in the afternoon of the fifty-third (53rd) fiftieth day before the presidential primary, submit to the secretary of state documentation from a candidate, as set forth in § 17-12.1-4, that he or she has the approval of the candidate for presidential nominee or approval from the steering/screening committee to name the candidates’ delegates to be identified with him or her. Names of delegates pledged to a presidential candidate who do not receive approval of the candidate for presidential nominee or approval from the steering/screening committee to name the candidates’ delegates to be identified with him/her, who are otherwise qualified, shall appear on the ballot in accordance with party rules.

(b) When nomination papers have been duly certified by the appropriate local boards of canvassers, they shall be conclusively presumed to be valid, unless written objections to them are made as to the eligibility of the candidate or the sufficiency of the nomination papers or the signatures on them. All objections shall be filed with the state board of elections by four o’clock (4:00) p.m. on the next business day after the last day fixed for local boards to file nomination papers with the secretary of state. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the secretary of state from disqualifying a candidate based on the determination of the secretary of state that the nomination papers or the signatures on them are invalid or insufficient.

(c) The decision of the state board shall be rendered not later than four o’clock (4:00) p.m. on the forty-seventh (47th) day before the presidential preference primary and shall immediately be certified by the state board to the secretary of state.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.