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H 7786Elections & Voting

Elections - General State Officers - Non-Partisan Election of Secretary of State

Starting in 2030, elections for the RI Secretary of State and Attorney General will be non-partisan without party labels.

Held for study
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 12, 2026Committee House State Government & Elections

Plain-English Summary

This legislation mandates that, beginning with the 2030 election, the Rhode Island Secretary of State shall be elected in a non-partisan election. Candidates for this office will no longer be nominated or elected as official representatives of a political party and will not have a party label on the ballot. They must follow the filing procedures set for independent candidates. Additionally, Section 4 of the bill text indicates that the Attorney General would also be elected in a non-partisan election starting in 2030, despite the primary focus of the other sections being on the Secretary of State.

For younger readers

This bill changes the rules for how Rhode Island picks the Secretary of State, who is the person in charge of voting records and elections. Right now, people running for this job usually belong to a team, like the Democrats or Republicans. Starting in the year 2030, the law says these candidates will not run as part of a team. Their names will be on the ballot without a party label. The bill also says the Attorney General (the state's top lawyer) will be picked the same way, without a party label.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
VotersSecretary of State CandidatesAttorney General CandidatesPolitical PartiesElection Officials
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Reduces the influence of partisan politics on the administration of elections, potentially ensuring a more neutral and fair voting process for all citizens.
  • May encourage a more diverse field of candidates to run for office who might otherwise be excluded by established party gatekeeping and machinery.
  • Shifts the focus of the campaign from party loyalty to professional competency and qualifications, which is crucial for the office managing state records and civic engagement.
  • Removes party labels which serve as important information for voters, potentially making it harder for low-income or time-poor voters to identify candidates who align with their values.
  • Could disadvantage working-class candidates who rely on party infrastructure and funding, giving an upper hand to wealthy, self-funded candidates.
  • May lead to lower voter interest and turnout in these specific down-ballot races if voters feel confused or uninformed about the candidates' stances without party indicators.
For Conservatives
  • Disrupts the entrenched political establishment's control over state offices, potentially allowing for leadership that is not beholden to the dominant party machine.
  • Aligns with the principle that the interpretation and administration of the law and elections should be impartial and detached from partisan political platforms.
  • Encourages candidates to appeal to a broader base of the electorate rather than catering solely to the radical elements of a specific political party base.
  • Obscures the true ideological leanings of candidates, potentially allowing individuals with radical views to hide their political philosophy from voters.
  • Undermines the traditional role of political parties in vetting candidates, which serves as a safeguard to ensure aspirants hold established community values.
  • Reduces accountability by allowing candidates to distance themselves from the track record and platform of the party they would otherwise represent.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 19 additions · 2 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 17-2-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-2 entitled "General State Officers" is hereby amended to read as follows: 17-2-1. General officers enumerated — Election and terms. The governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and general treasurer shall be known as general officers. They shall be elected at a general election, quadrennially, in accordance with the provisions of this title, and shall hold their respective offices for four (4) years beginning on the first Tuesday of January next succeeding their election and until the election and qualification of their respective successors. Commencing with the election to be held in 2030, the secretary of state shall be elected in a non-partisan election, without any party label, and is not to be nominated or elected as an official representative of a political party.

SECTION 2. Section 17-12-13 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-12 entitled "Party Committees and Conventions" is hereby amended to read as follows: 17-12-13. State conventions. There shall be held not later than October 14 of every even year a state convention for each political party. The nominees of a party for senator and for representatives in congress, for the five

(5) general offices, and for membership in the general assembly shall be delegates to the state convention of that party. In presidential election years, these conventions shall select the party nominees for presidential electors and their names shall be placed on the ballot for the forthcoming election. Commencing with the election to be held in 2030, the secretary of state shall be elected in a non-partisan election, without any party label, and is not to be nominated or elected as an official representative of a political party.

SECTION 3. Section 17-14-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-14 entitled "Nomination of Party and Independent Candidates" is hereby amended to read as follows: 17-14-1. Declarations of candidacy. During the last consecutive Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in June in the even years and during the thirty-ninth (39th) and fortieth (40th) days preceding a primary election for a special election for state or local office, or for an election for state or local office regularly scheduled for a time other than the biennial general statewide election, or during the sixty-seventh (67th) and sixty- eighth (68th) days preceding a primary election for a special election for federal office, or for an election for federal office regularly scheduled for a time other than the biennial general statewide election, each voter desiring to be a candidate at the upcoming primary or an independent candidate on final nomination papers shall, on a form that shall be provided by the secretary of state, file a declaration of their candidacy not later than four o’clock (4:00) p.m. of the last day for the filing with the secretary of state for congressional and statewide general offices, or with the local board of the place of the candidate’s voting residence for general assembly, or state committee or senatorial and representative district committee, or with the appropriate local board for local officers. The declaration shall be signed by the candidate as the candidate’s name appears on the voting list. The signature shall be accepted as valid if it can be reasonably identified to be the name and signature of the voter it purports to be. A variation of the voter’s signature by the insertion or omission of identifying titles or by the substitution of initials for the first or middle names or both shall not in itself be grounds for invalidation of the signature. The declaration shall also include the following information:

(1) The candidate’s name as it appears on the voting list, subject to the same provisions as relate to the voter’s signature on the declaration;

(2) The address as it appears on the voting list, provided that an address that is substantially the same as the address on the voting list shall be valid;

(3) The party declaration if seeking to run in a party primary;

(4) The office sought;

(5) The place and date of birth;

(6) The length of residence in the state and in the town or city where the candidate resides;

(7) A certification that the candidate is neither serving a sentence, including probation or parole, for which the candidate was imprisoned upon final conviction of a felony imposed on any date nor serving any sentence, whether incarcerated or suspended, on probation or parole, upon final conviction of a felony committed after November 5, 1986;

(8) A certification that the candidate has not been lawfully adjudicated to be non compos mentis, of unsound mind;

(9) In the case of candidates for party nomination, a certification that the candidate has not been a member of a political party other than the declared party within ninety (90) days of the filing date, except in the case of candidates for party nomination for a special election for federal office, or for an election for federal office regularly scheduled for a time other than the biennial general statewide election, that person shall not have been a member of a political party other than the declared political party within thirty (30) days of the filing of their declaration of candidacy; and

(10) If a person is a candidate for a state or local office, a certification that the person has not within the preceding three (3) years served any sentence, incarcerated or suspended, on probation or parole, for a crime committed after November 5, 1986, upon a plea of nolo contendere or guilty or upon a conviction of a felony or for a misdemeanor for which a sentence of imprisonment for six (6) months or more, whether suspended or to be served was imposed.; and

(11) Commencing with the election to be held in 2030, the secretary of state shall be elected in a non-partisan election, without any party label, and is not to be nominated or elected as an official representative of a political party and shall follow the procedure set forth for independent candidates set forth herein.

SECTION 4. Section 42-8-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-8 entitled "Department of State" is hereby amended to read as follows: 42-8-1. Head of department — Duties.

(a) There shall be a department of state. The head of the department of state shall be the secretary of state. The secretary of state shall perform the duties required by this chapter and by chapter 2 of title 6; chapters 1 to 4, inclusive, of title 7; chapters 16, 19, and 20 of title 17; chapters 3 and 10 of title 22; chapters 1 to 3 and 4, of title 29; chapter 1 of title 36; chapter 7 of title 37; chapter 30 of this title; chapters 1 and 2 of title 43; chapter 6 of title 44; and any and all other provisions of the general laws and public laws insofar as such powers and duties relate to the secretary of state and the department of state.

(b) Commencing with the election to be held in 2030, the attorney general shall be elected in a non-partisan election, without any party label, and is not to be nominated or elected as an official representative of a political party.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2030.