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S 2282Elections & Voting

Elections - Local Canvassing Authorities

This bill updates how towns must notify voters about election questions, early voting times, and registration deadlines using websites and mail.

Held for study
Population
Affected
75
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 23, 2026Committee Senate Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This bill updates the notification requirements for local election boards in Rhode Island. It mandates that information regarding local ballot questions and early voting schedules be posted on municipal websites in a format accessible to people with disabilities. It sets a deadline for publishing ballot questions at least 25 days before an election. Additionally, the bill gives local boards the option to substitute traditional newspaper advertisements with direct mailings or website notices for certain announcements regarding voter registration deadlines and ballot measures, potentially modernizing how voters are informed.

For younger readers

This bill helps make sure people know when and where to vote. It tells the groups in charge of elections in towns that they need to put important information on their websites, like what questions are on the ballot and when early voting happens. It also says they have to share this information at least 25 days before the voting starts. This helps everyone get the information they need to be ready for election day.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Registered VotersLocal Boards of CanvassersNewspaper PublishersDisabled IndividualsMunicipal IT Departments
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Mandates that online election notices meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), ensuring equal access to information for individuals with disabilities.
  • Requires the prominent posting of early voting dates, hours, and locations on municipal websites, promoting broader participation in the democratic process.
  • Modernizes notification methods to include digital platforms, potentially reaching younger and lower-income voters who may not subscribe to traditional newspapers.
  • Allowing boards to substitute newspaper advertisements with website postings could disenfranchise low-income residents and seniors who lack reliable internet access.
  • Reducing the requirement for physical newspaper advertisements may negatively impact the revenue of local independent press outlets.
  • The reliance on digital notifications assumes a level of technological literacy that may exclude marginalized members of the community from receiving critical election information.
For Conservatives
  • Allows municipalities to substitute expensive newspaper advertising with website notices or direct mail, potentially reducing costs for local taxpayers.
  • Increases local government efficiency by utilizing modern digital platforms to disseminate information rather than relying solely on outdated print media.
  • Provides local boards with greater flexibility and discretion in how they choose to communicate with their specific voter base.
  • Imposes new regulatory burdens on municipalities by mandating strict compliance with specific Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
  • Mandates the active promotion of early voting periods, which some may view as an unnecessary expansion of the voting window.
  • The shift away from traditional newspaper notices could be seen as reducing transparency for older constituents who rely on print media and are skeptical of digital government platforms.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 43 additions · 19 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 17-8-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-8 entitled "Local Canvassing Authorities" is hereby amended to read as follows: 17-8-10. Publication of local questions to be submitted to voters.

(a) Prior At least twenty-five (25) days prior to each local election at which public questions are to be submitted, the local board shall cause to be prominently posted in at least three (3) local public locations and advertised at least once in a newspaper of local circulation, or in lieu of the requirement to place the advertisement in a newspaper of local circulation, the City of Pawtucket may mail to the household of each registered voter prior to the election the full text of each legislative act to be acted upon and the election date, or the local board may substitute a description of the text of each act in lieu of the full text, together with the following information:

(1) The designated number of the question;

(2) A brief caption of the question;

(3) A brief explanation of the measure that is the subject matter of the question; and

(4) A notice that voter fraud is a felony and the penalty for voter fraud. This notice shall be in conspicuous lettering and shall contain the following language: “You must be registered to vote from your actual place of residence.”

(b) If the public question involves the issuance of bonds or other evidence of indebtedness or any other long-term financial obligation such as a lease, the notice required by subsection (a) of this section shall also include at least the following information to be provided:

(1) The estimated total cost of the project or program, including financing (using a reasonable assumed rate of interest), legal, and other costs.

(2) The estimated useful life of the project, and the term of the bonds, other indebtedness, or other obligation.

(3) A reasonably detailed description of the project or program, its purposes, and a project timetable.

(c) The local board shall additionally publish a conspicuous and prominent notice, containing all of the same information on the municipality's website for at least twenty-five (25) consecutive days leading up to and including the date of the election, where the local question(s) are certified to appear on the ballot. Said notice shall reasonably comply with the most recent, commonly adopted Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which shall be no less than 2.0 compliance level AA.

(d) The local board may, at its discretion, substitute the newspaper advertising requirements listed in subsection (a) of this section, by mailing a notice containing all of the same information to each voter household in the applicable election jurisdiction, in addition to prominently posting the same in at least three (3) local public locations.

SECTION 2. Chapter 17-8 of the General Laws entitled "Local Canvassing Authorities" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 17-8-11. Publication of early voting dates, hours, and location.

(a) The local board shall advertise the dates, hours, and location of early voting in a newspaper of general circulation in the city or town, at least once prior to the commencement of any in-person early voting period to be conducted by the local board, and at least once while that same early voting period is underway.

(b) The local board shall publish a conspicuous and prominent notice on the municipality's website of the dates, hours, and location of early voting, and said notice shall remain published throughout the duration of any in-person early voting period conducted by the local board. Said notice shall reasonably comply with the most recent, commonly adopted Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which shall be no less than 2.0 compliance level AA.

SECTION 3. Section 17-9.1-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-9.1 entitled "Registration of Voters" is hereby amended to read as follows: 17-9.1-3. Periods when boards receive registrations.

(a) The local boards shall open their respective offices for the purposes of receiving registration registrations of voters throughout the year during the their regular business hours. Registration for any election shall close on the thirtieth (30th) day preceding an election; provided, that local boards shall not receive the registration on Sundays or legal holidays, and may receive the registrations during additional hours each day from the fortieth (40th) to the thirtieth (30th) day before any election. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as restricting the right of local boards, statewide or local registration agents, or members of the general assembly to accept registrations of voters on any day or at any time. The acceptance of registrations at any other time shall not affect the validity of any election.

(b) Notwithstanding any other sections of the general laws to the contrary, all local boards of canvassers shall remain open from eight-thirty (8:30) a.m. until four o’clock (4:00) p.m. on the last day prescribed by law for the taking receiving of voter registrations to permit participation of the voters in the next succeeding election. In the event that the last day prescribed by law for the taking receiving of voter registrations is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, then the local board may;:

(1) Designate one publicly accessible location in the city or town at which voter registrations will be taken received; and

(2) Designate the hours during which voter registration registrations will be taken received at that location, which hours shall include the hours from one o’clock (1:00) p.m. until four o’clock (4:00) p.m.

(c) If a local board does designate a location other than its regular place of business or does designate hours other than eight-thirty o’clock (8:30) a.m. until four o’clock (4:00) p.m., it shall:

(1) Publicly announce Prominently post in at least three (3) local public locations those designation(s) at least ten (10) days prior to the last day provided by law for the taking receiving of voter registrations; and

(2) Advertise those designation(s) in a newspaper of general circulation in the city or town at least twice prior to the last day prescribed by law for the taking receiving of voter registrations. The local board may substitute advertising in a newspaper by posting a conspicuous and prominent notice of those designation(s) on the municipality's website, for at least ten (10) consecutive days leading up to and including the last day prescribed by law for the receiving of voter registrations for any election. Said notice shall reasonably comply with the most recent, commonly adopted Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which shall be no less than 2.0 compliance level AA.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage.