§ 17-7-3. Appointment of members — Vacancies.
(a) The governor shall forthwith upon June 8, 1979, appoint seven (7) members of initial
terms as follows: one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of two
(2)years; one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of four (4)
years; one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of six (6) years;
one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of eight (8) years; one
member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of ten (10) years; one member
upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of twelve (12) years; one member upon
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§ 17-7-3. Appointment of members — Vacancies.
(a) The governor shall forthwith upon June 8, 1979, appoint seven (7) members of initial
terms as follows: one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of two
(2) years; one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of four (4)
years; one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of six (6) years;
one member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of eight (8) years; one
member upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of ten (10) years; one member
upon initial appointment shall serve for a term of twelve (12) years; one member upon
initial appointment shall serve for a term of fourteen (14) years; and upon the expiration
of the terms, the governor shall appoint persons for succeeding terms of fourteen
(14) years, respectively. All members of the board appointed or reappointed after
January 1, 2008, shall serve for terms of nine (9) years beginning in January 2008,
and in January of every even numbered year thereafter, the chairperson and vice chairperson
of the board shall be elected by majority vote of the members of the board.
(b) In the event a vacancy occurs in the office of chairperson or vice chairperson after
January 1, 2008, the board shall in the manner provided in subsection (a) elect another
of its members to be chairperson or vice chairperson, to fill the vacancy; provided,
if the vacancy occurs as a result of death or resignation, the new chairperson or
vice chairperson shall only fill the unexpired term.
(c) In the event a vacancy occurs on the board, the governor shall appoint within thirty
(30) days a new member to fill the vacancy; provided if the vacancy occurs as a result
of death or resignation, the new member shall only fill the unexpired term. All appointments
to fill vacancies shall be made in accordance with Article IX, section 5 of the Constitution
of the state of Rhode Island and §§ 36-1-10 through 36-1-12.
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of § 17-7-2 and in order to facilitate communication between the department of state and the
board of elections, the secretary of state shall designate a liaison (the director
of elections or the deputy secretary of state who oversees the elections division)
to serve as a reporting and informational resource at all board of elections meetings
with the exception of when the board meets in executive session or is engaged in agenda
items addressing issues related to campaign finance or appeal. The board may call
upon the department of state liaison to offer insight or clarification, or answer
any direct questions, through the chair, from members, in real time, at any time during
a meeting, The board of elections shall make a platform available to the liaison to
facilitate this process.