You must be registered thirty days before an election to vote in a municipal or state election. Voters will be asked for ID. Voters who do not bring ID to the polls can vote using a standard provisional ballot, which will be counted if the signature they give at the polling place matches the signature on their voter registration card. In Presidential Election years, you may register on the day of the Election to vote for President/Vice-President Only at places designated.
To vote, you must be 18 years old on or before Election Day, a U.S. citizen and a Rhode Island resident, but you may register as early as age 16. Any person who has not yet reached age eighteen (18), but will be age eighteen (18) at the time of a general election, may vote in a primary election, in which candidates are nominated for a general or special election.
You are ineligible to vote if you have been judged "mentally incompetent" in a court of law or if you have been convicted of a felony and have not completed your term in prison. You must re-register if you have moved or changed your name. Your name may be removed from the voting rolls if official mail sent to your voting address is returned as undeliverable. Rhode Islanders can register to vote, change party affiliation, update their voting address, find a polling place, view sample ballots, and track ballots online at the Secretary of State's Voter Information Center. (Spanish)
Rhode Island has a 'semi-closed' party primary system. This means that you may only vote in your party's primary, but if you are registered as "Unaffiliated" you may vote in the primary of any party you choose. If you indicated a party preference when you registered to vote, you may only vote in that party's primary. If you wish to vote in another party's primary, you must disaffiliate at least 30 days before the primary date.
A Voter who moved before the election but did not update his or her address with the Secretary of State or Board of Canvassers is in some cases eligible to update his or her address at the polling place. Guidelines for a voter updating his/her address at the polling place
VOTER INFORMATION SOURCES
RI Secretary of State - Voter Information Center (Spanish)
Register to Vote, Check/Update Your Voter Record, Vote by Mail, Vote by Emergency Ballot, Vote at the Polls, Accessibility and Voting Assistance, Voter Rights, Voter ID, Elections Calendar, Candidates
RI Board of Elections
Voter Registration, Voter ID, At the Polling Place, Mail Ballot, Provisional Ballot, President/Vice-President Only Ballot, Limited Ballot, Voter Registration Agencies, Accessible Voting System, Upcoming Elections, Early Voting/Emergency Mail Ballots, Drop Boxes, Polling Place Hours of Operation, Rules and Regulations for Mail Ballot Certification Process (410-RICR-20-00-23) - includes Protocol to Cure Deficiencies and Omissions
Federal Voting Assistance Program
Military or Overseas Voting
Launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF) in October of 2006, VOTE411.org is a "one-stop-shop" for election related information. It provides nonpartisan information to the public with both general and state-specific information on voting.
votesaferi.org
Vote Safe RI is a voter education project supported by a coalition of community organizations (including the LWVRI) working to provide information and resources to Rhode Island voters.
VOTER REGISTRATION EVENTS
Voter registration events should be listed in the calendar. If none are scheduled, please go to the Secretary of State's Voter Information Center to register, or call your Local Board of Canvassers for more options.
