Rhode Island § 17-19-20 § 17-19-20. Repair or replacement of defective machines.

Rhode Island Statutes

§ 17-19-20 — § 17-19-20. Repair or replacement of defective machines.

Rhode Island § 17-19-20

Title 17Elections

Ch. 17-19Conduct of Election and Voting Equipment, and Supplies

This text of Rhode Island § 17-19-20 (§ 17-19-20. Repair or replacement of defective machines.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-20 (2026).

Text

§ 17-19-20. Repair or replacement of defective machines.
If an optical scan precinct count unit becomes out of order, the warden shall notify
            the voting equipment technician assigned to respond to those calls. While repairing
            or otherwise attending to the repair of any voting machine equipment, the voting equipment
            technician shall display, in a visible manner and on his or her clothing, an identification
            furnished by the state board of elections, and which shall include, whenever possible,
            a photograph of the voting equipment technician. In the event that repairs are made
            to the voting equipment, the voting equipment technician shall make the repai

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§ 17-19-20. Repair or replacement of defective machines.

If an optical scan precinct count unit becomes out of order, the warden shall notify the voting equipment technician assigned to respond to those calls. While repairing or otherwise attending to the repair of any voting machine equipment, the voting equipment technician shall display, in a visible manner and on his or her clothing, an identification furnished by the state board of elections, and which shall include, whenever possible, a photograph of the voting equipment technician. In the event that repairs are made to the voting equipment, the voting equipment technician shall make the repairs in the presence of a bi-partisan pair of election officials, and the technician shall note on the official document provided the nature and extent of the repairs made by the technician, the number of the optical scan precinct count unit, the time required to make the repairs, and the probable cause of the failure to operate properly. If any optical scan precinct count unit cannot be repaired by the technician within a period of thirty (30) minutes, the technician and the board shall at once substitute another optical scan precinct count unit for the out of order unit, and at the close of the polls the records of both units shall be taken. During the time in which the optical scan precinct count unit is not accepting ballots, the warden shall, in the presence of the clerk, unlock the emergency bin compartment of the optical scan unit and shall direct voters to place their voted ballots into that compartment. Upon the repair of the unit, the warden, in the presence of the clerk, shall remove the ballots, deposit them in the appropriate ballot slot for counting by the unit, and shall then close and lock the emergency compartment slot.

Legislative History

P.L. 1935, ch. 2195, § 15; P.L. 1938, ch. 2640, § 2; G.L. 1938, ch. 318, § 11; P.L. 1940, ch. 818, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 17-19-23; G.L. 1956, § 17-19-20; P.L. 1958, ch. 18, § 1; P.L. 1978, ch. 388, § 1; P.L. 1996, ch. 277, § 12; P.L. 1996, ch. 298, § 12.