§ 17-19-24 — § 17-19-24. Procedure for voting.

§ 17-19-24. Procedure for voting.

(a) Each person desiring to vote shall provide proof of identification as required by § 17-19-24.2 and state his or her name and residence, including that person's street address, if he or she has any, to the pair of bi-partisan supervisors, who shall then announce the name and residence in a loud and distinct voice, clear and audible.

(b) A bipartisan pair shall locate the voter's name on the certified voting list for the voting district. Upon finding the voter's name on the certified voting list for the district, the voter shall sign their name on the line next to their printed name on the certified voter list, and the bipartisan pair shall initial the certified voter list in the place provided next to the voter's signature entered on the certified list of voters. The bipartisan pair shall also make a proper notation on the certified voter list that the applicant has voted in the election. If the bipartisan pair cannot locate the voter's name on the certified voting list for the voting district the bipartisan pair shall direct the voter to the clerk who shall review the certified list for the city or town and determine if the voter is registered to vote and in which voting district they are eligible to vote. The bipartisan pair of supervisors shall provide the voter with the appropriate computer ballot and security sleeve. The warden shall direct the voter to the voting booth which the voter shall use, and unless the voter needs instruction or assistance as provided in this chapter, the voter shall cast his or her vote, and if he or she desires place the voted computer ballot in a security sleeve, and shall proceed to the optical scan precinct count unit and shall personally place his or her voted ballot into the designated ballot slot on the unit, and after doing so, shall leave the enclosure at once. No voter shall remain within the voting booth longer than ten (10) minutes, and if the voter refuses to leave after the lapse of ten (10) minutes, the voter shall be removed from the voting booth by order of the warden. Except for the election officials and the election inspector, not more than two (2) voters in excess of the number of voting booths shall be permitted within the enclosed space at any time.

(c) The optical scan precinct count unit shall be programmed to return a ballot to the voter if the voter has cast votes for more persons than which he or she is entitled to cast. The warden, by reading the message given on the optical scan precinct count unit, must advise the voter of the fact that the ballot has been over-voted. The voter will be instructed by the warden to remove his or her own ballot from the optical scan precinct count unit ballot slot. The warden will then ask the voter to surrender the ballot as void and receive a new ballot. If the voter agrees, the voter will make additional marks on the ballot so as not to identify the actual votes intended by the voter for the ballot. The ballot will be marked void by the warden and deposited in the receptacle for void ballots provided at the polling place. If the voter insists on casting the over-voted ballot, he or she will be advised that all races, other than the over-voted race, will be counted by the optical scan precinct count unit, and if he or she still insists, the warden will manually override the appropriate control on the unit and allow for the ballot to be entered and counted for all races other than the over-voted race.

(d) In the event a voter incorrectly marks a ballot by indicating his or her choices other than in the spaces provided for them, the ballot will be returned to the voter. The warden, by reading the message given on the optical scan precinct count unit, must advise the voter of the fact that the ballot has been marked incorrectly. The voter will be instructed by the warden to remove his or her own ballot from the optical scan precinct unit ballot slot. The warden will then advise the voter to surrender the ballot as void and receive a new ballot. If the voter agrees, the voter will make additional marks on the ballot so as not to identify the actual votes intended by the voter for the ballot. The ballot will be marked void by the warden and deposited in the receptacle for void ballots provided at the polling place. The warden will then provide for the instruction of the voter on the correct manner of marking his or her vote and the voter will be issued a new ballot. If the voter insists on casting the incorrectly marked ballot, the warden will manually override the appropriate control on the optical scan precinct count unit and allow for the ballot to be accepted.

Legislative History

P.L. 1935, ch. 2195, § 16; P.L. 1938, ch. 2640, § 2; G.L. 1938, ch. 318, § 12; P.L. 1940, ch. 818, § 1; impl. am. P.L. 1947, ch. 1886, §§ 36, 39; G.L. 1956, § 17-19-25; G.L. 1956, § 17-19-24; P.L. 1958, ch. 18, § 1; P.L. 1966, ch. 116, § 15; P.L. 1994, ch. 171, § 8; P.L. 1996, ch. 277, § 12; P.L. 1996, ch. 298, § 12; P.L. 2004, ch. 295, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 472, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 315, § 3; P.L. 2006, ch. 460, § 3; P.L. 2011, ch. 199, § 1; P.L. 2011, ch. 201, § 1.