Rhode Island General Laws 17-19-26.1. Voting assistance
(a) Any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may be given assistance by a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer, or an officer or agent of the voter’s union.
Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 17-19-26.1
- Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
- person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
- Warden: includes moderator and vice versa; and
(7) "Write-in candidate" means any individual receiving votes or seeking election to office by virtue of having irregular ballots cast for him or her pursuant to § 17-19-31. See Rhode Island General Laws 17-19-1
(b) Every voter who requires assistance pursuant to this section, and every person furnishing assistance to a voter pursuant to this section, shall make and file with the warden an affidavit in substantially the following form:
AFFIDAVIT OF VOTER REQUIRING ASSISTANCE
Under the penalty prescribed by law I hereby make affidavit that
| I, _______________________________________ , | of _______________________________________ |
| Print Name of Voter | Street Address of Voter |
| _______________________________________ , hereby choose _______________________________________ | |
| City/Town of Voter | Print Name of Assistant |
to provide assistance to me because I am either blind, disabled or unable to read or write in the English language and do hereby certify that the person chosen to assist me is not my employer, or agent of my employer, or officer or agent of my union.
_______________________________________
Signature of Voter
Under the penalty prescribed by law I hereby make affidavit that
I, _______________________________________
Print Name of Person Assisting Voter, of
_________________________________________
Street and City/Town Address of Person Assisting Voter
having been chosen by _______________________________________
Print Name of Voter
to provide assistance to voter by reason of either blindness, disability or inability to read or write in the English language on the part of the voter, do hereby certify that I am not the voter’s employer, or agent of that employer, or officer or agent of the voter’s union.
_______________________________________
Signature of Person Assisting Voter
Subscribed and sworn to on this ___________ day of _____________________ A.D. 20___________ .
_______________________________________
Signature of Warden
Voter’s Ballot Application No. ___________
(c) An affidavit will be made available only upon request by the voter to the warden in the polling place.
(d) Every person who makes a false affidavit under this section shall be guilty of a felony.
(e) Under the penalty prescribed by law, the “assistant” is prohibited from marking a vote on the computer ballot, unless otherwise requested by the voter who, due to a physical disability, is unable to mark his or her ballot.
(f) No person may approach a voter and ask if he or she needs assistance, once the voter is within the voting place or waiting in line to vote or within fifty (50) feet of the entrance or entrances to the building as prescribed in §?17-19-49.
History of Section.
P.L. 1988, ch. 176, § 2; P.L. 1991, ch. 293, § 1; P.L. 1996, ch. 277, § 12; P.L. 1996, ch. 298, § 12; P.L. 1999, ch. 83, § 40; P.L. 1999, ch. 130, § 40.