§ 17-11-1 — § 17-11-1. Division of towns and representative district into voting districts.

§ 17-11-1. Division of towns and representative district into voting districts.

(a) The local board of any city or town may, on or before the sixtieth (60th) day preceding any election, divide or redivide the city or town, or any representative district in the city or town, into voting districts. The local board of each city or town shall determine voting districts by geographical boundaries and by no other means. No voting district shall at any time comprise parts of two (2) or more wards. It shall be the duty of the board to divide the city or town, representative district, or ward so that substantially not more than three thousand five hundred (3,500) total eligible registered voters shall be served by the same polling place; provided, however, that any divisions conducted by the local board pursuant to this section shall not result in creating a polling place serving less than five hundred (500) total eligible registered voters, except when a polling place is located in a low-income or elderly residential development, or when it is caused by legislative district boundaries; and provided, further, that no existing polling place that is presently located in a low-income or elderly residential development shall be eliminated. Upon the establishment and approval of any polling place by the state board, changes to the polling place shall not be allowed until the next redistricting by the general assembly, unless the polling place becomes unavailable to the city or town or no longer meets polling place minimum requirements as established by the state board, then the city or town may take the appropriate action to replace the polling place. A polling place may be located either within or without the voting district for which it is established; provided, that a polling place may be located outside the district only upon unanimous determination of the local board and subject to the approval of the state board that a suitable place is not available within the voting district.

(b) Uniform standards for polling place location. When cities and towns shall, subject to the approval of the state board, designate polling locations in accordance with the provisions of this section and § 17-19-3.2, they shall take into account the following factors:

(1) Accessibility of the polling place to historically disenfranchised communities, including cultural groups, ethnic groups, and minority groups;

(2) Proximity of polling places to dense concentrations of voters;

(3) Accessibility of polling places by public transportation;

(4) Ensuring equitable distribution of polling places in the city or town; and

(5) Maximizing voter participation, including through the use of community centers and public gathering places as polling places.

(c) Established polling places unaffected. Any polling place established by the local board and approved in accordance with subsections (a) and (b) of this section that, in the course of the normal rise and fall of voter registrations, exceeds the total registered voter threshold established by this section for a biennial general election, shall be permitted to continue over the cap set by subsection (a) of this section until such time as polling places are reestablished following the next decennial redistricting, only upon unanimous approval of the local board and additional certification by the board of elections that the polling place can sufficiently serve the anticipated voter turnout for each separate general election that the polling place will be utilized.

Legislative History

P.L. 1951 (s.s.), ch. 2870, § 14; G.L. 1956, § 17-11-1; P.L. 1958, ch. 18, § 1; P.L. 1961, ch. 70, § 2; P.L. 1964, ch. 190, § 1; P.L. 1966, ch. 116, § 7; P.L. 1966, ch. 184, § 1; P.L. 1970, ch. 199, § 1; P.L. 1974, ch. 234, § 1; P.L. 1994, ch. 171, § 6; P.L. 2002, ch. 326, § 1; P.L. 2012, ch. 26, § 1; P.L. 2012, ch. 28, § 1; P.L. 2012, ch. 436, § 1; P.L. 2012, ch. 476, § 1; P.L. 2023, ch. 250, § 1, effective June 22, 2023; P.L. 2023, ch. 251, § 1, effective June 22, 2023; P.L. 2025, ch. 407, § 1, effective July 2, 2025; P.L. 2025, ch. 408, § 1, effective July 2, 2025.