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S 3114Elections & Voting

Elections - Mail Ballots

This bill bans campaign workers from handling others' mail ballots but allows family and caregivers to assist voters.

Held for study
Population
Affected
45
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 13, 2026Committee Senate Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation updates the laws regarding how mail ballots are handled and returned in Rhode Island. It specifically prohibits individuals affiliated with political campaigns or candidates from possessing another voter's mail ballot or being present when a voter marks their ballot. Exceptions are made for immediate family members, household members, and caregivers. The bill also ensures that voters with disabilities or those who cannot read or write retain their right to assistance from a person of their choice. Violating these provisions is classified as a misdemeanor offense.

For younger readers

This bill creates new rules for voting by mail to keep elections fair. It says that people working for politicians are not allowed to hold your ballot or watch you vote. This is to make sure no one pressures you to vote for a specific person. However, if you need help, your family members, people you live with, or a caregiver are still allowed to help you and mail your ballot for you. It also promises that people with disabilities can still get the help they need to vote.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
VotersPolitical CandidatesCampaign StaffCaregiversElection Officials
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Protects vulnerable voters from potential coercion or undue influence by political operatives while they are in the private act of marking their ballots.
  • Explicitly preserves the right of voters with disabilities, blindness, or literacy issues to choose a person to assist them, ensuring voting accessibility is maintained.
  • Recognizes the reality of community structures by allowing trusted family members, household members, and caregivers to handle ballots, rather than banning all third-party returns.
  • Criminalizes the collection of ballots by community organizers and campaign volunteers, which limits a grassroots method often used to help marginalized communities participate in elections.
  • Creates a new misdemeanor offense related to voting, which could disproportionately impact minority and low-income populations who are often the targets of strict election law enforcement.
  • May create confusion among voters regarding who is legally allowed to assist them, potentially causing some to abstain from returning their ballots due to fear of breaking the law.
For Conservatives
  • Strengthens election integrity by banning "ballot harvesting" by political operatives and campaign staff who might otherwise manipulate the voting process for gain.
  • Reduces the risk of voter intimidation by legally preventing campaign affiliates from being present when a voter marks their ballot.
  • Imposes criminal penalties (misdemeanor) for violations, establishing a stronger deterrent against election fraud and ensuring consequences for rule-breaking.
  • Retains exceptions for "caregivers" and household members to handle ballots, which could potentially be exploited as a loophole for ballot harvesting if not strictly monitored.
  • Interferes with individual liberty and freedom of association by dictating which private citizens a voter can voluntarily entrust with their mail.
  • Increases government regulation over the specific mechanics of voting, adding more bureaucratic rules to the election process.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 36 additions · 2 deletions

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 17-20-23 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-20 entitled "Mail Ballots" is hereby amended to read as follows: 17-20-23. Marking and certification of ballot.

(a) A voter may vote for the candidates of the voter’s choice by making a mark in the space provided opposite their respective names.

(b) In case a voter desires to vote upon a question submitted to the vote of the electors of the state, the voter shall mark in the appropriate space associated with the answer that the voter desires to give.

(c) The voter shall enclose and seal the ballot in the envelope provided for it. The voter shall then enclose and seal the certified envelope with the ballot in the envelope addressed to the state board and cause the envelope to be deposited into any official drop box or delivered to the state board on or before no later than eight o'clock (8:00) pm on election day.

(d) These ballots shall be counted only if received within the time limited by this chapter.

(e) A voter who receives the ballot by mail may return it via the United States Postal Service, deposit into an official elections drop box, or deliver to the state board of elections no later than eight o'clock (8:00) pm on election day by the voter or immediately by a person deemed authorized by the voter that is not affiliated with a candidate for office or a political campaign.

(f) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (e) of this section, a ballot may be returned by an immediate family member or member of a voter's household, even if that immediate family member or member of the household is a candidate for office or someone affiliated with a political campaign.

(g) No person affiliated with a candidate for office or a political campaign shall possess a voter's mail ballot other than their own, except if the person is an immediate family member, caregiver of the voter, or lives in the same household as the voter, the staff of the state board of elections, staff of the canvassing authority of the city or town in which the voter is registered, the staff of the secretary of state, any official printer of mail ballot forms and its designated carriers, the United States Postal Service, any other carrier, courier or messenger service recognized and approved by the state board of elections, or any person authorized by the state board of elections to receive and process official mail ballot forms and envelopes, including members of the state board of elections and local board of canvassers members.

(h) No person affiliated with a candidate for office or a political campaign shall be knowingly present when a voter executes their mail ballot, unless the person is an immediate family member or lives in the same household as the voter, or is authorized by law to be present, when the mail ballot is executed in the office of the canvassing authority of the city or town in which the voter is registered or the state board of elections or those appointed as provided in § 17-20-14.

(i) For purposes of this subsection, immediate family member means a parent, grandparent, sibling, spouse, partner, child, or grandchild by blood, marriage, or adoption.

(j) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, nothing set forth herein shall limit or restrict any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write, to receive assistance by a person of the voter's choice, other than the voter's employer, or agent of that employer, or officer or agent of the voter's union, in accordance with § 17-19-26.1.

(k) Any reference to "mail ballot" or "ballot by mail'' in in this section shall be construed to also apply to an emergency mail ballot as provided for in § 17-20-2.2. (e)(l) There shall be a space provided on the general election ballot to allow the voter to write in the names of persons not in nomination by any party as provided for in §§ 17-19-31 and 17-20- 24.

(m) A person who knowingly and willfully violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to the penalties provided for in § 17-26-2.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.