We Have To Fix That

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! ! We!have!to!fix!that:!! Documenting!and!assessing!problems!with!the!! 2012!Rhode!Island!general!election!

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! ! By!John!Marion!
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Prepared!by!the!Common!Cause!Education!Fund!for!presentation!to!the!House! Committee!on!Oversight,!February!7,!2013.!
About!the!Common!Cause!Education!Fund!
The!Common!Cause!Education!Fund!is!the!research!and!public!education!affiliate!of! Common!Cause,!a!nonEpartisan,!nonEprofit!advocacy!organization!founded!in!1970! by!John!Gardner!as!a!vehicle!for!citizens!to!make!their!voices!heard!in!the!political! process!and!to!hold!their!elected!leaders!accountable!to!the!public!interest.!With!a! 40!+!year!track!record,!chapters!in!35!states,!and!nearly!400,000!members!and! supporters!across!the!country,!Common!Cause!is!one!of!the!nations!oldest,!largest! and!most!effective!grassroots!advocacy!organizations!dedicated!to!reforming! government!and!strengthening!democracy!in!America.!Together,!Common!Cause! and!the!Common!Cause!Education!Fund!work!to!promote!representative!democracy! by!ensuring!open,!ethical,!accountable,!effective!government!processes!at!the!local,! state!and!national!level!by!educating!and!mobilizing!the!citizens!of!Rhode!Island!and! the!nation.!
Acknowledgements!
! This!report!could!not!have!been!possible!without!the!assistance!of!many!people.! First!among!them!is!Caroline!Dean!who!coordinated!volunteer!efforts!before!and!on! Election!Day.!!Additionally,!the!dozens!of!individuals!who!braved!the!cold!and!dark! to!document!what!occurred!on!November!6th,!2012,!some!of!whom!are!mentioned! by!name!in!this!report.!!Finally,!we!would!like!to!acknowledge!the!timely!and! courteous!assistance!members!of!the!staff!of!Rhode!Island!Secretary!of!State!A.! Ralph!Mollis,!including!Chris!Barnett!and!Rob!Rock.!!Any!errors!contained!in!this! report!are!solely!the!responsibility!of!the!author.!!!
Table!of!Contents!
! Introduction! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Recent!changes!to!Rhode!Island!election!law!! ! What!happened!on!November!6th!in!Rhode!Island! ! Case!Study!#1:!Ballot!handling! ! ! ! Case!Study!#2:!Juanita!Sanchez!Complex! ! ! Why!the!long!lines?! ! ! ! ! ! ! Nature!of!the!2012!election! ! ! ! ! Statutory!changes!! ! ! ! ! ! Election!administration!problems! ! ! ! Other!factors! ! ! ! ! ! ! Possible!solutions! ! ! ! ! ! ! Conclusions! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Appendices! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !1! !2! !4! !7! !8! 11! 11! 12! 14! 17! 17! 19! 21!
We$have$to$fix$that$ !
Common$Cause$Education$Fund$
Introduction+ ! On!the!evening!of!November!6th,!2012,!during!his!acceptance!speech!in! Chicago,!President!Barack!Obama!expressed!his!gratitude!to!voters,!whether! you!voted!for!the!first!time,!or!waited!in!line!for!a!very!long!time.!!He!then! quickly!added,!by!the!way!we!have!to!fix!that.1!The!presidents!adJlib!got!a! rousing!ovation.!!People!recognize!that!long!lines!are!anathema!to!a!truly! democratic!system!of!elections.! ! Common!Cause!Rhode!Island!believes!that!long!lines,!as!some!voters! experienced!in!Rhode!Island!on!November!6th,!should!not!be!tolerated.!! When!voters!are!forced!to!wait,!they!are!potentially!being!disenfranchised.2!! As!one!Common!Cause!Rhode!Island!volunteer!observer!wrote!about!the! Juanita!Sanchez!Complex:! ! By!the!mid![day]Jshift!I!noticed!a!rather!extensive!line!start!to! form!(nearly!out!the!door!by!the!dinner!hour).!By!the!evening! shift! people! were! waiting! up! to! 3! hours! just! to! vote.! I! have! never!experienced!anything!like!it.!I!had!many!people!express! deep!frustration!about!the!situation!and!many!of!these!people! didn't!have!the!time!to!wait!in!line!for!3!hours,!and!instead!just! decided!not!to!vote.3 As!a!democracy!we!expect!individuals!to!exercise!their!right!to!vote.!! However,!the!government!should!not!put!an!undue!burden!on!voters!as!they! try!and!exercise!that!right.!!As!this!report!will!demonstrate,!in!some! situations!in!2012!the!State!of!Rhode!Island!and!its!municipalities!did!exactly! that.!!! ! The!history!of!the!State!of!Rhode!Island,!and!the!United!States!more! generally,!demonstrates!a!lengthy!expansion!of!access!to!the!ballot!box.!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1!Dan!Froomkin,!Obama$on$Long$Lines$at$the$Polls:$We$Have$To$Fix$That,! Huffington!Post,!Nov.!7,!2012,!available$at$ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/obamaJlongJlinesJ polls_n_2086291.html! 2!Scott!Powers!and!David!Damron,!Analysis:$201,000$in$Florida$Didnt$Vote$ Because$of$Long$Lines.!Orlando!Sentinel,!Jan.!29,!2013,!available$at$ http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013J01J29/business/osJvoterJlinesJ statewideJ20130118_1_longJlinesJsentinelJanalysisJstateJkenJdetzner;! Benjamin!Highton,.!Long$Lines,$Voting$Machine$Availability,$and$Turnout:$The$ Case$of$Franklin$County$,$Ohio$in$the$2004$Presidential$Election!39!PS:!Pol.!Sci.! and!Pols.!65!(2006).! 3!Interview,!Keela!Potter,!Common!Cause!Rhode!Island!volunteer,!!Feb.!3,! 2013!(on!file!with!author).! ! 1!
I.
In!Rhode!Island,!an!armed!insurrection!known!as!the!Dorr!War,!that! occurred!in!the!1840s!was!partially!motivated!by!the!desire!to! eliminate!the!monetary!requirement!for!voting.4!!! The!U.S.!Civil!War!resulting!in!the!13th!and!14th!Amendment!to!the!U.S.! Constitution.!!! The!populist!movement!resulting!in!the!direct!election!of!U.S.!Senators! in!the!17th!Amendment.! The!suffragette!movement!resulting!in!the!extension!of!voting!rights! to!women!in!the!19th!Amendment!! The!Civil!Rights!movement!resulting!in!the!Voting!Rights!Act!of!1965! The!social!upheaval!of!the!1960s!that!resulted!in!lowering!the!voting! age!to!18!courtesy!of!the!26th!Amendment.!!!
! The!arc!of!history!bends!toward!providing!greater!access!to!the!ballot,!and! the!events!of!2012!general!election!run!counter!to!that.!!! ! In!this!report!we!will!discuss!some!of!the!problems!we,!and!others,! documented!in!the!November!6th!election!in!Rhode!Island.!!We!will!then!turn! to!examining!some!of!the!possible!causes!for!the!problems!we!saw!and! documented.!!Next!we!will!draw!some!conclusions!as!to!what!we!believe!to! be!the!source!of!some!of!the!problems.!!Finally,!we!finish!with!a!set!of!policy! recommendations!and!next!steps!for!avoiding!similar!problems!in!the!future.!!! ! We!want!to!acknowledge!at!the!beginning!of!our!report!that!the!vast!majority! of!voters!in!Rhode!Island!did$not$experience!problems!on!Election!Day.!!Many! professionals!at!the!state!and!local!levels!performed!their!duties!up!to!high! standards.!!The!majority!of!poll!workers,!who!experienced!a!very!high! volume!of!voters,!did!their!jobs!as!they!were!trained!to!do!them.!!By! examining!the!problems!on!Election!Day,!which!we!will!demonstrate!were! significant!in!nature,!we!are!not!singling!out!the!behavior!of!individuals!for! criticism.!!Rather,!we!are!evaluating!the!system!for!electing!our!leaders!and! recommending!changes!to!make!that!system!perform!better!in!the!future.! ! II. Recent!changes!to!Rhode!Island!election!law! ! We!feel!the!most!appropriate!place!to!begin!an!examination!of!what!occurred! on!November!6th!is!to!look!at!the!many!changes!in!Rhode!Island!election!law! that!have!occurred!since!the!last!presidential!election.!!This!list!does!not! include!changes!to!campaign!finance!laws,!which!do!not!impact!the! experience!of!the!voters!at!the!polls!directly!or!changes!in!law!affecting!only! candidates.!!Nor!does!it!include!the!resolution!authorizing!votes!on!casino! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4!Rory!Raven,!The$Dorr$War:$Treason,$Rebellion$and$the$Fight$for$Reform$in$ Rhode$Island,$(2010)!The!History!Press.! ! 2!
We$have$to$fix$that$
gambling!in!Newport!and!Lincoln!or!the!creation!of!study!commissions!or! any!bills!dealing!with!a!single!jurisdiction!or!the!election!of!moderators.!! When!taken!in!total!the!number!of!changes!made!is!quite!impressive.!!! ! Expanded!notice!to!lapsed!voters:!!In!2010!the!General!Laws!(H! 7963/S!2453)!were!changed!to!require!local!boards!of!canvassers!to! mail!notices!of!current!polling!places!to!those!who!have!not!voted!in! last!five!(5)!years.!! ! New!law!allowing!preJregistration!of!16!&!17!yearJolds:!!In!2009!the! General!Assembly!passed!(HJ5005/S!366)!a!law!allowing!16!and!17! yearJolds!to!preJregister!to!vote!if!they!will!be!turning!18!prior!to!the! next!election.! ! First!phase!of!the!voter!identification!law:!!In!2011!the!General! Assembly!passed!(H!5680/S!400)!a!law!creating!a!system!for! requiring!voter!identification!at!the!polls.!!The!first!phase!of!that!law,! taking!effect!in!2012,!requires!poll!workers!to!ask!for!a!nonJphoto!ID.!! In!the!absence!of!such!an!ID!a!voter!is!to!be!offered!a!full!provisional! ballot,!which!will!be!counted!if!the!signature!on!the!ballot!application! matches!the!signature!on!the!voters!registration!card.! ! Mandated!statewide!redistricting!and!redrawing!of!precinct!lines:!! After!completion!of!the!2010!U.S.!Census!Rhode!Island!was!required! to!redraw!all!legislative!boundaries!to!meet!the!equal!population! standard!established!by!the!U.S.!Supreme!Court!in!Baker$v.$Carr$ (1963).!!That!was!completed!with!passage!in!2012!of!H!7209/S!2178.!! Subsequent!to!passage!of!that!law,!each!city!and!town!underwent! redistricting!where!every!precinct!was!redrawn!in!the!state.!!! ! Statutory!raising!of!the!maximum!number!of!registered!voters!per! precinct!from!1900!to!3000:!!Prior!to!the!redrawing!of!the!precincts! the!General!Assembly!passed!(2012)!H!7055/S!2489!which!raised!the! maximum!number!of!registered!voters!in!a!precinct!from!1900!to! 3000.!!!The!original!version!of!those!bills!set!the!maximum!number!at! 4000!voters.!! ! HighJrise!exception!to!precinct!size:!Later!in!the!2012!session!the! General!Assembly!passed!an!exception!(H!8093/S!2977)!to!the! increased!precinct!size!law!prohibiting!movement!of!polling!places! from!highJrise!apartment!buildings.! ! Creation!of!noJexcuse!absentee!ballot!law:!In!2011!the!General! Assembly!passed!a!law!(H!5748/S!392)!eliminating!the!requirement! that!a!voter!provide!a!reason!for!requesting!an!absentee!ballot.!
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Change!in!poll!closing!time!from!9!p.m.!to!8!p.m.:!!In!2011!the!General! Assembly!changed!state!law!(H!5661/S!341)!moving!the!uniform!poll! closing!time!from!9!p.m.!to!8!p.m.!and!setting!(with!exceptions)!a! uniform!time!for!polls!opening!at!7!a.m.! ! In!addition!to!these!changes,!other!state!laws!of!note!in!this!period! include:! o Changes!to!law!regarding!casting!provisional!ballots!by!those! not!registered!to!vote,!or!those!whose!registration!has!been! cancelled!(2011JH!5933/S!391)! o Change!to!absentee!ballot!law!for!members!of!the!military! (2012JH!7100/S!2335)! o Use!of!P.O.!boxes!for!address!changes!on!registrations!(2012JH! 7561/S!2673)! o Changes!to!the!dates!for!election!of!delegates!in!presidential! primaries!(2011JH!5653/S!399)! o Changes!regarding!signers!of!nomination!papers!(2010!HJ 7894)! o Include!victims!of!domestic!violence!in!address!confidentiality! law!preventing!disclosure!of!their!addresses!(2010!H!7526/SJ 2558)!(2009JH!5370/S!323)! o Call!for!a!special!election!in!the!event!of!a!vacancy!for!federal! elective!office!(2009JH!5094/S!201)!
! Determining!the!relative!impact!of!any!of!these!changes!is!a!difficult!task.!!In! all!likelihood!it!was!the!totality!of!many!changes!that!caused!problems!on! November!6th.!!Nonetheless,!based!on!voter!experiences,!in!Section!IV!of!this! report!we!will!begin!to!tease!out!the!relationship!between!changes!in!Rhode! Island!election!law!in!the!last!four!years!and!the!many!problems!we!saw!on! November!6th.! + III. What+happened+on+November+6th+in+Rhode+Island?+ ! Since!the!2008!presidential!election!there!have!been!at!least!eight!major! changes!to!Rhode!Island!election!law!that!directly!affect!voters!as!well!as! numerous!other!minor!changes.5!!Prior!to!November!6th!Common!Cause! recognized!that!the!totality!of!these!changes!might!potentially!impact!the! voting!experience,!and!set!out!to!document!any!problems.!!We!recruited! volunteers!from!our!membership,!other!groups!(including!the!League!of! Women!Voters),!as!well!as!the!general!public.!!Over!sixty!people!were! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5!See!section!II.! ! 4!
deployed!to!fifteen!(15)!polling!places!throughout!the!state!(see!Appendix!A! for!locations).!!! ! The!firstJhand!testimonials!presented!in!this!report!come!from!those! volunteers,!voters!they!spoke!with,!and!Common!Cause!members!whom!we! spoke!to,!or!corresponded!with!on!and!after!Election!Day.6!!Likewise,! Common!Cause!monitored!news!reports!from!throughout!Rhode!Island!on! and!after!Election!Day!for!accounts!of!any!problems.!!! ! In!addition!to!the!testimonials!and!contemporaneous!media!accounts,!we! refer!to!an!ongoing!national!study!of!election!administration.!!Those!surveys,! led!by!an!MIT!researcher,!provide!a!window!into!the!scope!of!the!problem!in! Rhode!Island!and!place!us!in!comparison!to!other!jurisdictions.!! ! We!want!to!start!with!empirical!evidence!that!Rhode!Islanders!faced,!on! average,!longer!lines!on!Election!Day.!!Charles!Stewart!III,!an!MIT!political! scientist,!conducted!a!survey!of!10,200!voters!nationwide!in!the!week! following!November!6th.!7!!His!sample!included!approximately!200!Rhode! Island!voters.!!It!replicated!a!study!done!by!him,!and!others,!after!the!2008! presidential!election.8!!The!results!are!stark;!Rhode!Island!had!one!of!the! largest!percentage!increases!in!wait!times!in!the!last!four!years!of!any!of!the! 50!states!(Figure!1).! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Figure!1!Average!wait!times!(2008!vs.!2012!in!minutes)! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6!Correspondence!on!file!with!the!author.! 7!Charles!Stewart!III,!!2012$Survey$of$the$Performance$of$American$Elections!! Presentation!at!the!Voting!in!America!conference,!Dec.!10,!2012,!available$ at$www.pewstates.org/.../2012/CharlesStewartJDay%201.pptx.! 8!R.!Michael!Alvarez!et!al.!2008$Survey$of$the$Performance$of$American$ Elections:$Final$Report$(2009)!available$at$ www.vote.caltech.edu/sites/.../Final%20report20090218.pdf! ! ! 5!
Source:!2012!Survey!of!the!Performance!of!American!Elections! ! According!to!the!results!of!the!Survey!of!the!Performance!of!American! Elections!study,!thirty!two!(32)!states!had!wait!times!that!were,!on!average,! shorter!than!Rhode!Island!which!averaged!slightly!under!15!minutes.9!!That! compares!to!the!2008!survey!results!that!had!Rhode!Island!wait!times!as! sixth!shortest!out!of!fortyJnine!states!with!an!average!wait!of!5.5!minutes.10!!! ! While!the!average!wait!time!is!not!that!long!in!Rhode!Island,!we!went!from! having!five!states!with!shorter!average!wait!times,!to!32!states!with!shorter! average!lines!in$the$course$of$a$single$presidential$election$cycle.!!That!trend!is! clearly!in!the!wrong!direction.!!The!purpose!of!this!paper!is!to!help! determine!what!happened!between!2008!and!2012!that!led!to!this!increase,! and!how!to!prevent!this!from!happening!again.!!! ! Two!case!studies!illustrate!extreme!examples!of!problems!that!may!have! driven!up!the!wait!times!in!Rhode!Island.! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 9!Stewart,!supra.!!That!number!is!out!of!49!states!since!Oregon!votes! exclusively!by!mail!and!therefore!does!not!have!wait!times.! 10!Alvarez!et!al.,!supra!pp.!73J74.!!! ! 6!
Case+#1:++Ballot+handling+ ! The!first!sign!of!problems!on!November!6th!came!from!news!accounts!that! the!incorrect!ballots!were!delivered!to!several!municipalities!in!Rhode!Island.!! Media!reports!indicate!that!incorrect!ballots!were!delivered!to!at!least!two! locations:! ! West!Kingston!Elementary!School!received!ballots!for!North! Kingstown!High!School.11! West!Warwick!Elks!Lodge!received!ballots!meant!for!Woonsocket.12! ! News!accounts!indicate!the!West!Kingston/North!Kingstown!problem! resulted!from!precinct!numbers!being!transposed.!!It!is!unclear!what!led!to! the!wrong!ballots!being!delivered!in!West!Warwick.!!According!to! NorthKingstown!Patch,!the!former!problem!was!cleared!up!by!8!a.m.!after! having!been!discovered!soon!after!the!polls!opened!at!7!a.m.13!In!the!West! Warwick!case!the!correct!ballot!were!not!delivered!until!9!a.m.14! Nonetheless,!voters!were!turned!away!and!it!is!impossible!to!know!how! many!returned!later!in!the!day.!!! ! Unfortunately!Common!Cause!did!not!have!volunteers!at!either!of!these! locations,!and!it!is!difficult!to!assess!how!long!the!lines!were!that!developed! as!a!result!of!the!ballots!being!delivered!to!the!incorrect!polling!places.!!It!is! reasonable!to!surmise!that!some!individuals!waited!for!the!proper!ballots!to! be!delivered,!while!others!left!the!polling!location.!!Whether!the!latter! returned!or!not!is!also!difficult!to!determine.!!! + Case+#2++Juanita+Sanchez+Complex+ ! The!Common!Cause!volunteer!quoted!in!the!introduction!to!this!report! indicated!that!at!the!Juanita!Sanchez!Complex!in!South!Providence!wait!times! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 11!Courtney!Caligiur,!Wrong$ballots$delivered,$voters$turned$away,!WPRI.com,!! Nov.!6,!2012,!available$at$http://www.wpri.com/dpp/elections/wrongJ ballotsJdeliveredJvotersJturnedJaway.! 12!Michelle!R.!Smith,!Wrong$ballots$delivered$to$some$RI$polling$places,!Nov.!6,! 2012,!Woonsocket!Call,!available$at$ http://www.woonsocketcall.com/node/6641.! 13!Samantha!Turner,!Ballots$for$NKHS$delivered$to$SK,!Nov.!6,!2012,!! NorthKingstownPatch.com,!available$at$ http://northkingstown.patch.com/articles/ballotsJforJnkhsJdeliveredJtoJsk.! 14!Maria!Armental,!!West$Warwick$polling$site$reopens$after$correct$ballots$ delivered,!!Nov.!6,!2012!!Providencejournal.com,!available$at$ http://news.providencejournal.com/breakingJnews/2012/11/wrongJ ballotsJdeliveredJinJwestJwarwickready.html.! ! 7!
reached!at!least!three!hours!on!Election!Day.!!This!testimonial!is! corroborated!by!news!accounts,!as!well!as!testimony!given!before!a! Providence!City!Council!meeting!after!the!election.15!!The!full!accounting!by! our!volunteer!was:! ! I! was! positioned! at! the! Juanita! Sanchez! Complex! for! all! three! shifts.! By! the! mid! [day]Jshift! I! noticed! a! rather! extensive! line! start!to!form!(nearly!out!the!door!by!the!dinner!hour).!By!the! evening!shift!people!were!waiting!up!to!3!hours!just!to!vote.!I! have! never! experienced! anything! like! it.! I! had! many! people! express!deep!frustration!about!the!situation!and!many!of!these! people! didn't! have! the! time! to! wait! in! line! for! 3! hours,! and! instead! just! decided! not! to! vote.! Many! mothers! with! their! children!couldnt!wait!in!the!long!line!because!they!needed!to! put!their!kids!to!bed,!there!were!also!people!who!had!to!go!to! work! that! evening! and! didnt! have! time! to! stand! in! line.! The! mayor!was!finally!called!in!to!help!solve!this!line!issue.!There! wasn't!a!poll!person!helping!direct!people!to!their!designated! lines,! overall! it! seemed! that! people! were! just! uninformed.! There!weren't!signs!on!the!doors!that!told!people!they!couldn't! register!to!vote!at!the!polling!place,!so!many!people!waited!in! line! and! then! couldn't! vote! because! they! needed! to! register! elsewhere.! I! had! a! few! people! ask! me! if! this! was! their! designated! polling! place,! because! apparently! other! polling! places! around! the! area! had! been! closed! down;! this! confused! people.16 ! Long!lines!were!not!the!exclusive!province!of!the!Juanita!Sanchez!Complex,! and!Aspray!Boat!House!in!Warwick,!however.17!!A!Common!Cause!volunteer! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 15!Richard!Dujardin!and!Karen!Lee!Ziner,!!Long$lines,$breakdowns$and$ complaints$of$improper$pizza,!!Providence!Journal,!Nov.!7,!2012,!available$at$ http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Ar chive&Skin=ProvidenceJournal&Source=MyColl&ViewMode=GIF&AppName =2&BaseHref=TPJ/2012/11/07&EntityId=Ar01300&PageLabelPrint=A13.;!! Alisha!Pina,!Chaos$for$voters$at$Juanita$Sanchez,!!Providence!Journal,!!Nov.!8,! 2012,!available$at$ http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Ar chive&Skin=ProvidenceJournal&Source=MyColl&ViewMode=GIF&AppName =2&BaseHref=TPJ/2012/11/08&EntityId=Ar00901&PageLabelPrint=A9.!!! 16!Potter,!supra.$ 17!Paul!Edward!Parker,!For$some,$the$wait$was$longer,!Providence!Journal.!! Nov.!7,!2012,!available$at$ http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Ar ! 8!
at!the!William!J.!Donovan!Manor!in!Newport!provided!the!following! testimonial:! ! I!stationed!myself!at!the!appropriate!distance!from!the!poll!site! entrance.!!There!were!many!in!line!and!hundreds!more!inside! the! building.! ! Immediately! I! had! voters! approaching! me! with! complaints.! ! Some! had! waited! in! line! for! 90! minutes! or! more! before!voting.!!Others!were!leaving!after!having!waited!for!30! minutes!or!much!longer!and!had!to!leave.!!They!were!learning! from!others!in!line!of!the!wait!and!obvious!confusion.! ! I!witnessed!many!who!stated!they!could!not!come!back.!!Others! thought!they!would!try!later.!!! ! There! were! many! handicapped! or! challenged! in! ways! that! would!not!allow!them!to!stand!for!more!than!minutes.!!! ! The!lines!outside!the!building!were!not!moving.!!There!were!no! poll! workers! outside! to! offer! guidance! or! direction.! ! There! seemed!to!be!no!poll!workers!inside!the!entrance!hall!to!greet! voters!and!answer!their!questions.18! ! Common!Cause!volunteers!and!voters!we!corresponded!with!reported! significant!delays!at!Temple!Beth!El,!Nathan!Bishop!Middle!School,!Summit! Nursing!Home,!Mt.!Pleasant!Fire!Station!in!Providence,!West!Kingston! Elementary!School!in!South!Kingstown,!Cardi!Furniture!in!West!Warwick,!the! National!Guard!Armory!in!Bristol,!and!the!Guadet!Middle!School!in! Middletown.!!! ! Highlights!of!their!comments!include:! ! [T]his!year!it!appeared!that!several!polling!places!on!the!East!Side! were!combined!into!one![at!Nathan!Bishop!Middle!School].!In! addition,!the!only!scanner!for!the!approximately!10J12!voting!booths! was!broken!for!a!while!in!the!earlyJmid!morning.!This!resulted!in!a! line!of!maybe!150!voters!or!more!all!morning.! a!very!long!line!at!Summit!Nursing!Home!on!Hillside!Ave.!in! Providence.! Long!lines!extending!through!the![Cardis!Furniture]!store![in!West! Warwick]!and!funneling!into!a!narrow!doorway!where!people!were! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! chive&Skin=ProvidenceJournal&Source=MyColl&ViewMode=GIF&AppName =2&BaseHref=TPJ/2012/11/07&EntityId=Ar00806&PageLabelPrint=A8.! 18!Correspondence,!Jane!Koster,!Common!Cause!volunteer,!Nov.!10,!2012!(on! file!with!author).! ! 9!
! The!preponderance!of!the!evidence,!both!empirical!and!anecdotal,!is!that! many!Rhode!Islanders!experienced!longer!lines!than!they!have!in!recent! elections.!!The!Rhode!Island!Board!of!Elections!claims!that!about!20! locations!out!of!some!450!appear!to!have!had!waits!of!30!minutes!or! longer.19!!While!in!the!media!account!of!a!Board!of!Elections!workshop,!this! number!drew!praise!from!board!members,!Common!Cause!rejects!the!idea! that!approximately!5%!of!polling!locations!experiencing!such!lines!is! acceptable.20!!!When!recent!Rhode!Island!elections!have!been!decided!by!just! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 19!Randal!Edgar.!Board$of$Elections$discusses$improvements,!Providence! Journal,!Nov.!21,!2012,!available$at$ http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Ar chive&Skin=ProvidenceJournal&Source=MyColl&ViewMode=GIF&AppName =2&BaseHref=TPJ/2012/11/21&EntityId=Ar00505&PageLabelPrint=A5.!!! 20!Edgar,!supra.! ! 10!
also!exiting...!to!vote!in!what!looked!like!a!loading!dock.!There!were! many!elderly!people,!some!with!canes,!as!well!as!people!with!children! in!line!with!no!place!to!sit!while!waiting.!!I!was!in!line!for!at!least!1/2! hour!.!.!.!There!were!many!more!people!in!line!when!I!left!than!when!I! arrived.....I'm!sure!the!people!after!me!waited!in!line!well!over!an! hour,!if!not!two.! The!lines!were!long!(over!35!minutes!to!an!hour)!At!11:00!AM![at!Mt.! Pleasant!Fire!Station].!!I!was!turned!away!because!the!machines!were! down.!I!came!back!at!4:30!and!waited!in!the!cold!for!35!minutes.!My! wife!waited!over!an!hour!at!6:00!to!vote.! one!hour!+!lines[at!National!Guard!Armory!in!Bristol].! I!worked!for!a!candidate!outside!the![Gaudet!Middle!School!in! Middletown]!poll!from!7:30am!until!noon.!As!the!time!approached! 10am,!people!were!coming!out!very!frustrated.!One!elderly!man!had! no!ID.!Several!people!stood!in!line!for!40min!or!more!to!find!out!they! were!at!the!wrong!polling!site.!More!than!several!(the!most! disheartening!to!hear)!were!folks!who!could!not!wait!any!longer!&! "hoped"!to!come!back.!Some!were!too!frail!to!stand!in!the!long!line.!I! stood!right!at!the!handicap!parking!spots!so!watched!them!struggle! into!the!school!only!to!return!visibly!tired!out!without!voting.!My! husband!&!I!had!planned!to!go!in!at!noon!but!the!lines!were!out!of!the! building.!People!were!complaining!that!there!were!2!lines.!One!for!"A!J! L"!names!and!a!2nd!for!the!"MJZ"!names.!The!first!line!was!VERY!long! (I!hr.!+)!while!the!2nd!line!was!never!more!than!a!few!people!at!a! time.! The!wait!time![at!Temple!Beth!El!in!Providence]!was!45!minutes,! which!is!modest!by!comparison!to!other!sites,!but!it!was!absolutely! needless.!
a!handful!of!votes,!making!sure!the!ballot!is!accessible!to!every!qualified! individual!is!not!a!luxury,!but!a!necessity.21! ! IV. Why+the+long+lines?+ + The!most!general!conclusion!we!can!draw!is!that!the!problems!encountered! on!November!6th!were!the!result!of!four!broad!categories!of!factors:! The!high!turnout!election!of!the!2012!presidential!election! Changes!to!the!Rhode!Island!General!Laws! Problems!with!election!administration!! Other!local!situations!! ! In!this!section!we!attempt!to!connect!what!we!have!previously!documented! to!these!four!categories!of!factors.!!! ! a. Nature!of!2012!election! i. High!turnout!presidential!election! ! The!easiest!variable!to!explain!the!lines!voters!encountered!on!November!6th! is!the!high!turnout!nature!of!the!election.!!According!to!the!Rhode!Island! Secretary!of!State!the!2012!presidential!election!had!the!2nd!highest!turnout! of!any!election!in!Rhode!Island!history.!!A!total!of!more!than!450,030!ballots! were!cast!statewide.22!!! ! Clearly!election!administrators,!in!some!instances,!were!not!prepared!for!the! large!turnout,!and!in!other!situations!were!not!properly!prepared!to!deal! adequately!with!problems!once!they!arose.!!That!is!one!of!the!broad!lessons! from!the!Juanita!Sanchez!Complex.23!!However,!since!2008!was!the!highest! turnout!election!in!Rhode!Island!history,!and!there!is!little!evidence!of! exceptional!lines!from!that!year,!the!source!of!our!problems!in!2012!has!to!be! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 21!For!a!further!discussion!on!problems!involving!the!Rhode!Island!system! for!tabulating!ballots,!and!recounts!see;!John!Marion,!After$San$Bento$v.$ Tobon,$heres$how$to$fix$voting$in$RI,$WPRI.com,!Sept.!25,!2012,!available$at$ http://blogs.wpri.com/2012/09/25/marionJafterJsanJbentoJvJtobonJheresJ howJtoJfixJvotingJinJri/.! 22!Numbers!provided!by!Rob!Rock,!Elections!Division!of!Rhode!Island! Secretary!of!States!office.!!Feb.!6,!2013.!!Include!thirtyJnine!(39)!alternate! polling!locations!provided!for!same!day!registrations.!!! 23!Alisha!Pina,!Council,$officials$aim$to$fix$election$difficulties,!Providence! Journal.!!Dec.!7,!2012,!available$at! http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Ar chive&Skin=ProvidenceJournal&Source=MyColl&ViewMode=GIF&AppName =2&BaseHref=TPJ/2012/12/07&EntityId=Ar00401&PageLabelPrint=A4.! ! 11!
more!than!simply!turnout.!!In!reality!it!is!most!likely!the!interaction!of!the! high!turnout!with!the!other!three!categories!we!will!discuss!next.!!! ! b. Statutory!changes! ! In!addition!to!the!high!turnout,!several!changes!in!state!law!meant!more! voters!per!polling!place,!and!less!time!to!process!them.!!Clearly,!moving!from! a!maximum!of!1900!voters!per!precinct!to!3000!(down!from!a!proposed! 4000)!meant!more!voters!in!many!locations.!!By!way!of!reference,!Appendix! B!demonstrates!the!minimum!and!maximum!number!of!voters!allowed!per! polling!location!in!all!states!that!impose!such!limits!(as!well!as!the!original! proposed!limit!of!4000!in!Rhode!Island).!!! ! In!many,!if!not!most!instances,!raising!the!limit!did!not!result!in!problems.!! However,!as!we!have!documented,!more!than!a!trivial!number!of!locations! did!not!adequately!handle!the!increase.! ! When!the!maximum!number!of!voters!at!a!polling!location!was!allowed!to! increase!that!oftentimes!meant!new!polling!locations!for!voters.!!In!2008! Rhode!Island!had!620!polling!locations!and!in!2012!a!total!of!492.24!!Common! Cause!did!not!have!time!to!determine!the!number!of!poll!locations!that! changed!in!the!last!four!years,!although!that!information!was!available!to!us.!! The!total!number!of!voters!moved!to!new!poll!locations!is!not!publicly! available,!as!best!we!can!determine.!!! ! Common!Cause!heard!several!testimonials!about!problems!with!voters! finding!their!new!polling!locations:! Several!people!stood!in!line!for!40!min.!or!more!to!find!out!they!were! at!the!wrong!polling!site.! Other!than!some!people!showing!up!at!the!wrong!location!there!was! little!trouble.! ! The!author!spent!six!hours!outside!the!Neutaconkanut!Recreation!Center! polling!location!and!encountered!numerous!voters!who!appeared!at!the! incorrect!location.!!! ! Another!indication!of!the!problem!created!by!new!poll!locations!for!voters! comes!from!numbers!provided!by!the!Secretary!of!States!office.!The!Voter! Information!Center!(VIC)!website!maintained!by!the!Secretary!of!State!saw!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 24!Rock,!supra.! ! 12!
so!much!traffic!from!voters!looking!for!their!polling!places,!101,000! pageviews!on!Election!Day,!the!system!experienced!technical!problems.25!!! ! The!mandated!redistricting!process!also!contributed!to!changes!in!polling! locations.!!Its!important!to!note,!however,!that!every!state!is!required!to! redistrict!in!the!period!between!the!Census!and!the!next!federal!election.!!If! redistricting!contributed!to!Rhode!Islands!wait!times,!it!was!because!the! state!did!not!handle!the!changes!as!well!as!the!other!49!states!required!to!do! so.! ! Besides!the!increase!in!the!number!of!voters!per!polling!place,!and!the! changes!in!polling!locations,!shortening!Election!Day!by!one!hour!meant!the! second!largest!number!of!voters!in!Rhode!Island!history!were!processed!in! less!time.!!Quite!simply!the!math!tells!us!that!a!shorter!day!meant!voters! must!be!processed!more!efficiently!in!order!to!prevent!lines!from!growing,! assuming!no!increase!in!capacity!to!process!voters.! ! Another!statutory!change!since!the!2008!presidential!election!was!the! creation!of!no!excuse!absentee!ballots.!!Despite!this!change!Rhode!Island! saw!only!a!modest!increase!in!the!number!of!absentee!ballots!cast!from! 23,824!in!2008!to!26,083!in!2012.26!!The!increase!of!0.5%!ballots!cast!by!mail! does!not!seem!likely!to!have!helped!take!pressure!off!the!inJperson!voting! that!occurred!at!polling!locations.!!!! ! Perhaps!the!most!controversial!new!election!law!of!the!last!four!years!is!the! Voter!ID!requirement.!!The!new!voter!ID!law!requires!that!poll!workers! provide!a!provisional!ballot!to!anyone!unable!or!unwilling!to!show!necessary! identification.!!It!could!be!hypothesized!that!an!increase!in!provisional!ballot! use!(which!requires!a!different!process!than!casting!a!regular!ballot)!would! slow!down!the!voting!process!and!possibly!lead!to!longer!lines.!!Rhode!Island! did!see!an!increase!in!the!number!of!provisional!ballots!cast,!from!918!in! 2008!to!2230!in!2012.27!!! ! Additionally,!we!did!receive!anecdotal!evidence!that!the!voter!ID! requirement!slowed!the!process:! A!poll!worker!there!all!day!told!me!only!one!person!had!appeared! with!improper!registration.!!However,!no!question!that!the!ID!check! took!time!and!slowed!the!process.! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 25!Press!release,!A.!Ralph!Mollis,!Secretary$of$State$Mollis$says$turnout$wasnt$ the$only$huge$number$on$Election$Day!(Nov.!15,!2012),!available$at$ http://www.ri.gov/press/view/17973.! 26!Rock,!supra.! 27!Rock,!supra.! ! 13!
Insufficient!data!exists!to!evaluate!the!impact!of!the!final!major!statutory! change.!!As!best!Common!Cause!Rhode!Island!can!find,!the!state!has!not! published!any!data!on!the!number!of!16!&!17!year!old!voters!who!have!preJ registered.!!If!a!large!number!of!first!time!voters!were!casting!ballots!in!2012! theoretically!the!need!for!some!of!them!to!show!a!voter!ID!under!the!Help! America!Vote!Act!(HAVA)!could!have!slowed!the!administration!of!the! election.!!! ! It!is!difficult,!if!not!impossible,!to!tease!out!the!relative!impact!of!any!of!the! statutory!changes!made!in!the!last!four!years.!!Nonetheless!the!General! Assembly!should!consider!them!all!to!be!potential!causes!of!the!longer!lines! and!pursue!any!further!evidence!as!to!their!impact.! ! c. Election!administration!problems! ! As!indicated!in!the!first!case!study,!election!administration!problems,!in!at! least!some!instances,!directly!contributed!to!the!problems!on!November!6th.!! According!to!testimony!witnessed!by!the!author,!the!Board!of!Elections!has! pinpointed!the!source!of!the!ballot!delivery!mistake!and!indicated!the! necessary!steps!needed!to!correct!it!in!the!future.28!!Executive!Director! Robert!Kando!has!indicated!that!insufficient!checks!were!in!place!to!confirm! the!proper!ballots!were!in!the!proper!bins!before!they!left!possession!of!the! Board!of!Elections.!!His!testimony!before!the!Board!indicated!that!budgetary! considerations!led!directly!to!that!error.!!The!General!Assembly!should! consider!resources!available!to!the!Board!as!part!of!the!budget!process.!!! ! Problems!with!administration!of!the!election,!besides!the!aforementioned! ballot!delivery!problem,!fall!into!four!categories:! Signage/Division!of!poll!books! Poll!worker!training! Inadequate!locations! Machine!performance/maintenance! ! Perhaps!the!most!frequent!complaint!Common!Cause!encountered,!besides! the!lines!in!general,!were!problems!with!signage,!confusion!over!the!division! of!the!poll!books!by!last!name,!and!a!lack!of!poll!workers!monitoring!the! lines.!!Many!people!commented!on!the!problems!created!by!the!existing! division!of!voters!by!last!name:29! The!problem!I!had!in!voting!on!Tuesday!at!West!Kingston! Elementary!in!South!Kingstown!was!waiting!in!a!long!long!L!to!Z!line! while!the!A!to!K!line!was!very!short.!!This!made!no!sense!!!When!I! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 28!Authors!observation!of!report!by!Executive!Director!Robert!Kando!to! Rhode!Island!Board!of!Elections!on!November!20,!2012.!!! 29!Parker,!supra.! ! 14!
finally!got!in!the!room!I!noticed!that!the!roll!book!for!L!to!Z!!for!the! voters!in!that!area!was!indeed!MORE!than!twice!as!thick!as!the!A!to!K! book.!!Why!on!earth!would!anyone!divide!the!lines!by!just!taking!the! first!half!vs!the!second!half!of!the!alphabet!to!establish!the!lines?! the!line!for!my!alphabetical!N!was!shorter!than!the!AJL! The!moderator!came!out!periodically!and!told!the!people!in!line!A!JK! on!the!left;!LJZ!on!the!right.!!Naturally,!every!time!she!did!this!J!the! lines!reshuffled.!The!entire!process!would!have!moved!along!faster!if! there!were!3!or!4!lines!instead!of!2!J!and!3!or!4!stations!to!check!in!the! voters!!but!no!way!could!3!or!4!lines!of!people!make!it!through!the! doorway!to!the!actual!polling!location!inside!Cardi's! I!waited!for!about!an!hour!in!the!A!to!L!line,!while!M!to!Zs!walked! right!in!and!were!part!of!the!reason!for!my!long!wait.! who!ever!decided!on!the!4!groups!of!alphabetical!voter!books!and! signs!didn't!research!how!many!people's!last!names!begin!with!AJC!vs! DJK!vs!LJPAs!a!result!there!were!short!lines!for!AJC!and!long!lines! for!LJP.!!I!suppose!it's!common!sense!as!AJC!covers!three!letters!and! DJK!covers!8!letters! The!people!in!line!explained!that!if!we!were!"AJL"!we!had!to!join!the! long!line.!This!included!disabled!&!elderly!folks.!The!people!helped! one!another!to!find!a!chair!once!in!a!while!for!these!voters!but!it!was! hard!as!the!line!inched!along.!We!watched!as!the!"MJZ"!voters!walked! right!up!to!the!poll!workers!while!we!all!stood!for!well!over!an!hr.! Instead!there!was!an!incredible!line!for!A!!L!and!people!(citizens)! were!telling!M!!Z!to!just!go!inside!the!polling!location!to!vote!(no! wait).!! My!personal!voting!experience!@!Potowomut!Golf!Course!was! enlightening!in!that!we!learned!from!some!irate!neighbors!standing!@! the!back!of!the!line!about!the!alphabetical!protocol!only!after!they! wasted!15!minutes!standing!in!the!wrong!line.! ! The!division!of!voters!into!lines!that!were!oftentimes!uneven!in!length!was! exacerbated!by!the!poor!signage!available!to!explain!the!system!and!instruct! those!with!disabilities!who!arrived!to!see!long!lines.!!In!addition!to!the!above! comments!we!heard!the!following!concerning!poor!signage:! Only!one!small!sign!in!the!parking!lot!directing!people!to!a!rear! entrance.....Many!of!us!missed!the!sign!because!campaigners!were!out! with!their!own!signs...!!! There!were!only!two!lines!and!no!signage!to!identify!which!line!was! which! !Had!the!lobby!had!the!queues!organized!and!signed,!it!would!have! been!smooth.! !!
15!
There!also!seemed!to!be!problems!caused!by!poll!workers!not!following!their! training.!!These!problems!included!incorrectly!handling!loaded!ballot!boxes,! as!was!the!authors!experience!(noted!below):! Citizens!were!asking!(multiple!times)!for!clarity!as!to!where!to!queue! and!got!nothing!in!response!(ridicule!even!from!one!poll!worker).!! There!were!no!poll!workers!outside!to!offer!guidance!or!direction.!! There!seemed!to!be!no!poll!workers!inside!the!entrance!hall!to!greet! voters!and!answer!their!questions.! ! Common!Cause!recognizes!that!poll!worker!recruitment!and!retention!are! ongoing!challenges!for!municipalities!and!the!Board!of!Elections.!!We!also! received!comments!recognizing!professional!and!helpful!behavior!by!poll! workers,!including:! The!poll!workers!were!calm!and!seemed!unflustered.!! ! The!final!election!administration!issue!involved!the!optical!scan!machines! used!statewide.!!Two!problems!emerged!with!the!machines;!physical!failures,! and!improper!operation.! ! In!testimony!before!the!Providence!City!Council,!Executive!Director!Robert! Kando!of!the!Rhode!Island!Board!of!Elections!indicated!that!the!age!of!our! current!optical!scanners!affected!their!performance,!particularly!in! jurisdictions!with!multiJpage!ballots.30!!This!was!confirmed!by!comments!we! received,!including:! I!had!many!early!respondents!tell!me!they!didn't!vote!because!the! machine!had!broken!down! When!I!got!there!and!was!registering,!someone!was!standing!near! the!voting!machine!and!saying!it!didn't!work.!!After!I!had!filled!out!my! ballot!there!was!no!one!standing!by!the!machine,!I!wondered!if!I! should!try!to!put!my!ballot!in.!After!waiting!a!bit!and!looking!around,! someone!did!come!up!to!the!machine!and!did!say!it!wasn't!working,! and!I!needed!to!put!my!ballots!in!a!lower!slot!J!apparently!a!box!that! would!hold!them!till!someone!arrived!to!fix!the!machine.!!It!surely!did! not!make!me!feel!secure!or!trustworthy.! At!11:00!AM!I!was!turned!away!because!the!machines!were!down.!.!.! One!machine!remained!down!so!even!after!marking!your!ballot!you! had!to!wait!to!enter!the!ballot!into!the!machine.!I!have!voted!in! Providence!for!over!30!years!and!this!was!the!worse!experience!I! have!ever!seen.! Central!Falls!machines!were!broken,!so!they!couldn't!report! electronically!to!the!Board!of!Elections.! The!workers!were!poorly!training![sic],!unorganized!and!frustrated.! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 30!Pina,!supra;!Edgar,!supra.!!! ! ! 16!
! At!the!authors!polling!location,!Bishop!Middle!School!a!second!significant! line!formed!at!the!optical!scanner!machine.!!As!the!ballot!box!filled!the! scanner!began!rejecting!ballots!and!the!warden!failed!to!switch!out!the!box! for!a!new!one,!instead!opening!the!locked!door!and!tamping!down!the!ballots! before!asking!the!voter!to!scan!their!ballot!again.!!! ! d. Other!factors! ! The!final!possible!cause!of!the!lines!we!saw!in!2012!was!the!lengthy!ballots.31!! Indeed!in!the!community!that!seemed!to!have!the!greatest!number!of!long! lines,!Providence,!the!2012!ballot!was!quite!lengthy!(Appendix!C).!!However,! as!we!have!demonstrated,!a!number!of!communities!suffered!from!long!lines,! many!with!ballots!shorter!than!that!of!Providence,!including!the!simple! threeJpage!ballot!in!Newport!(Appendix!C).!!Additionally,!Newport!had!a! lengthy!ballot!in!2008,!but!did!not!experience!problems!we!were!able!to! identify!in!that!election.!!Likewise,!the!City!of!Central!Falls,!which!had!a! lengthy!ballot!in!2012,!did!not!have!widespread!problems!that!we!have! found.!!! ! Ballot!length!may!have!been!a!factor,!but!perhaps!not!the!driving!problem,! leading!to!longer!lines!in!Providence.!!As!other!jurisdictions!have!shown,! ballot!design!is!of!consequence!for!usability!and!therefore!any!effects!created! by!length!might!be!correlated!to!issues!with!the!actual!design!of!the!ballot.32! ! Clearly!no!single!factor!led!to!long!lines!on!Election!Day,!but!rather!we!saw! the!perfect!storm!created!perhaps!by!the!combination!of!a!number!of! factors!including;!a!high!turnout!presidential!election,!several!statutory! changes,!administrative!errors,!and!perhaps!ballots!issues!in!some! communities.!!! ! V. Possible!solutions! ! We!began!this!report!with!President!Obamas!mandate;!We!need!to!fix!that.!! What!exactly!can!we!do!in!Rhode!Island!to!ensure!that!we!never!repeat!the! events!of!November!6th?!!Just!like!the!problems!of!Election!Day!had!many! possible!sources,!fixing!our!system!of!elections!will!take!many!solutions.33!!! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 31!Pina,!supra;!Edgar,!supra.!!! 32!Marcia!Lausen,!Design$for$Democracy:$Ballot$+$Election$Design,$(2007),!! University!of!Chicago!Press;!Larry!Norden,!!Better$Design,$Better$Elections,!! (Brennan!Center!2012),!available$at$ http://www.brennancenter.org/publication/betterJdesignJbetterJelections.! 33!See!also:!Lawrence!Norden,!How$to$Fix$Long$Lines,!(Brennan!2013)! available$at$http://www.brennancenter.org/publication/howJfixJlongJlines.! ! 17!
Common!Cause!Rhode!Island!opposed!passage!of!the!Voter!ID!law.!!We! continue!to!believe!the!resources!dedicated!to!implementing!that!law!are! better!spent!on!many!of!the!other!suggestions!we!present!in!this!report.!! While!the!evidence!may!not!be!conclusive!that!the!Voter!ID!requirement! slowed!lines!on!November!6th,!as!far!as!Common!Cause!could!determine,!the! continued!phase!in!of!the!law!over!the!next!election!cycle!to!photo!ID!only! increases!the!probability!of!that!occurring.!!! ! One!of!the!uses!for!those!scarce!resources!could!be!in!providing!greater$ notice$to$voters$of$changes$in$their$polling$location.!!Modern!technology,!such! as!automated!text!messaging!for!instance,!could!be!used!to!push!such! information!out!to!voters.!!Additionally!we!would!encourage!the!Secretary!of! States!office!to!continue!to!collaborate!with!the!Voter!Information!Project!to! make!election!information!more!accessible,!particularly!through!social! media.34!!The!dramatic!increase!seen!by!the!Secretary!of!States!office!in! accessing!the!Voter!Information!Center!via!mobile!devices!emphasizes!the! need!to!embrace!new!ways!of!reaching!voters!online.35! ! The!Board!of!Elections!has!suggested!that!the!time!has!come!for!Rhode!Island! to!purchase!new!optical!scanners.!!Common!Cause!recognizes!the$need$for$ new$machines$in$the$future,!particularly!because!the!current!machines!are! experiencing!documented!problems.!!We!believe!that!in!the!absence!of! resources!for!purchasing!new!machines,!safeguards$can$be$taken$to$ensure$ that$our$current$machines$serve$the$voters$well.!!Those!steps!include:! Increasing!the!number!of!technicians!on!Election!Day!and!staging! them!better!throughout!the!state! Better!training!poll!workers!to!deal!with!broken!scanners!and!to! handle!voters!questions!about!broken!scanners.! Implementing!a!system!of!postJelection!audits!to!increase!the! probability!that!any!problems!with!the!current!machines!are!detected.!!! ! Rhode!Island!is!a!national!leader!in!voter$registration$modernization.36!!We! should!continue!to!improve!our!system!of!voter!registration.!!With! registration!modernization!the!voting!rolls!will!become!more!accurate,! allowing!election!officials!to!have!a!greater!degree!of!certainty!about!how! many!voters!will!actually!come!to!a!particular!polling!place!on!Election!Day.!!! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 34!See!http://www.pewstates.org/research/featuredJcollections/votingJ informationJprojectJ85899376415.! 35!Press!release,!supra.! 36!Wendy!Weiser!and!Christopher!Ponoroff,!Voter$Registration$in$the$Digital$ Age,!(Brennan!Center!2010)!available$at$ http://www.brennancenter.org/publication/voterJregistrationJdigitalJage.! ! 18!
The!General!Assembly!needs!to$revisit$its$decision$to$raise$the$number$of$ voters$per$polling$location.!!Two!possible!adjustments!can!be!made.!!First,!the! limit!can!be!set!to!a!lower!number!as!it!was!in!the!past.!!An!additional!or! alternative!idea!is!to!set!minimum!standards!for!the!number!of!poll!workers! and/or!machines!per!polling!place.!!Those!standards!might!also!take!into! account!the!length!of!the!ballot,!and!lower!the!maximum!number!of!voters! per!location,!or!raise!the!staffing/machine!requirements!if!the!ballot!exceeds! a!designated!length.!!! ! Common!Cause!believes!that!Rhode!Island!should!join!the!majority!of!states! in!establishing$a$system$of$inYperson$early$voting.!!By!allowing!voters!to!cast! ballots!inJperson!prior!to!Election!Day,!as!occurs!in!32!states!and!the!District! of!Columbia,!Rhode!Island!will!take!pressure!off!of!polling!places!the!first! Tuesday!after!the!first!Monday!in!November.37!!InJperson!early!voting!is!a! better!alternative!to!expanded!use!of!mail!ballots,!which!have!been!subject!to! more!documented!cases!of!actual!fraud!and!are!less!likely!to!be!counted.38!! Additionally,!early!voting!will!allow!election!officials!to!determine!prior!to! Election!Day!that!a!large!turnout!may!occur!and!will!prepare!them!for!that! eventuality.!!! ! The!Rhode!Island!Board!of!Elections,!the!Election!Division!of!the!Secretary!of! States!office,!as!well!as!the!boards!of!canvassers!in!the!39!cities!and!towns! need!to!examine$the$usability$of$the$voting$experience$for$the$worker$and$the$ voter.!!Working!together!they!should!take!advantage!of!the!world!class! Industrial!Design!Department!at!the!Rhode!Island!School!of!Design!to!rethink! the!voting!process.!!This!rethinking!of!the!voting!process!should!tap!the! resources!of!the!AIGA,!the!professional!association!for!designs!Design!for! Democracy!program.39!!Such!a!rethinking!would!involve!improvements!in! design!of!the!voter!handbook,!ballots,!poll!worker!training!materials,!as!well! as!poll!location!signage.!!! ! Finally,!Common!Cause!believes!that!further$efforts$to$expand$poll$worker$ training$and$recruitment$are$necessary.!!Previously,!in!testimony!before!the! Board!of!Elections,!we!have!indicated!that!the!states!many!colleges!and! universities!should!be!targeted!as!areas!for!potentially!recruiting!poll! workers.!!Likewise,!additional!training!should!be!provided!for!those!poll! workers,!particularly!if!the!states!Voter!ID!law!remains!in!place.! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 37!For!a!list!of!states!that!allow!early!voting!see:! http://www.ncsl.org/legislaturesJelections/elections/absenteeJandJearlyJ voting.aspx! 38!Adam!Liptak,!Error$and$Fraud$at$Issue$as$Absentee$Voting$Rises,!New!York! Times,!Oct.!6,!2012,!available$at! http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/us/politics/asJmoreJvoteJbyJmailJ faultyJballotsJcouldJimpactJelections.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.! 39!See:!http://www.aiga.org/designJforJdemocracy/! ! 19!
VI. Conclusions! ! Common!Cause!has!tried!to!be!exhaustive!in!documenting!the!problems!that! occurred!on!November!6th,!2012!and!in!the!possible!sources!of!those! problems.!!At!the!conclusion!of!this!report!it!is!important!to!keep!in!mind!two! things;!the!vast!majority!of!voters!did!not!have!significant!problems,!but!for! those!who!did!experience!problems,!including!long!lines,!the!system!did!not! serve!all!citizens!as!it!should!have.!!! ! Change!is!necessary,!and!Common!Cause!hopes!that!all!those!who!have! authority!over!our!election!process!including!the!General!Assembly,!the! Board!of!Elections,!the!Secretary!of!State!and!the!many!cities!and!towns,! work!together!to!ensure!that!by!the!next!time!Rhode!Islanders!go!to!the!polls! we!see!significant!improvement!in!the!voting!process.!
20!
$ Appendices!
! ! Appendix!A! ! Polling!location!for!volunteers! ! ! Bristol$ QuintaJGamelin!Center!! ! East$Providence$ City!View!Manor! ! Middletown$ Joseph!H.!Gaudet!School!J!Gym!J!Left!Side! ! Newport$$ William!J.!Donovan!Manor! ! North$Kingstown$ Davisville!Middle!School! ! Pawtucket$ Pawtucket!Public!Works!Complex! ! Providence$ Dominica!Manor! Juanita!Sanchez!Complex!! Rudolph!Tavares!Community!Center! Veazie!Street!School! RI!School!for!the!Deaf! Rosario!Hall! Algonquin!House! Providence!College,!Schneider!Arena!! Neutaconkanut!Recreation!Center! ! ! ! ! !
21!
$ Appendix!B!
!
Legally Imposed Precinct Size of Each State
(No Entry: No Legally Enforced Precinct Minimum or Maximum Populations) 5500
5000
4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
AL AK AZ AR CA CO* CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY* LA ME MD MA MI MN MS** MO MT NE NV* NV** NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK PA RI SC SD TN* TX UT VA + WA* WV + WV
*Only!if!electronic!voting!machines!are!used! **!Only!if!paper!ballots!are!used! ! ! +!Only!in!urban!areas! !
Pennsylvania!and!Mississippi!have!nonJenforced!limits!on!precinct!size!! All!states!with!a!minimum!limit,!apart!from!Rhode!Island,!have! exceptions!to!go!under!the!minimum!rather!than!exceed!the!maximum! population.! Wisconsin:!Cities!of!at!least!150,000!have!a!limit!of!1,000!J!4,000!people;! 39,000!J!150,000!people!have!a!limit!of!800!J!3,200;!10,000!to!39,000! people!have!a!limit!of!600!J!1,200.! The!only!states!with!a!maximum!population!of!4,000!or!more!per! precinct!are:!Massachusetts,!Tennessee,!Texas,!and!Virginia!!
! ! Leonard!Shambon!and!Keith!Abouchar,!Trapped!by!Precincts?!The!Help!America! Vote!Acts!Provisional!Ballots!and!the!Problem!of!Precincts!in!New$York$University$ Journal$of$Legislation$and$Public$Policy,$Fall$2006,$vol.!10,!no.!1,!article!3,!Fall!2006! (2006!New!York!University!Journal!of!Legislation!and!Public!Policy,!New!York!City,! NY)!!
! ! !
22!
$ Appendix!C! ! Sample!ballots!
! !
23!
Precinct ID 2801 Congressional District 1 Representative District 1 Voting District 1 Senate District 1 Council/Ward 12 0
OFFICIAL ELECTION BALLOT STATE OF RHODE ISLAND CITY OF PROVIDENCE

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008
1. To vote: Complete the arrow(s)
pointing to your choice(s) with a single bold line, like this
2. To vote for a write-in candidate: Print the name of the person on the blank line labeled "Write-In" for the office and complete the arrow pointing to your write-in choice like this . 3. To cast a straight party vote: Complete the arrow pointing to the party of your choice in the straight party section of the ballot. If you cast a straight party vote and also vote for an individual candidate or candidates for a certain office on the ballot, the straight party vote will not be counted for that office and only the individual candidate or candidates voted for will be counted for that office.
PAPELETA OFICIAL PARA LAS ELECCIONES ESTADO DE RHODE ISLAND - CIUDAD DE PROVIDENCE
1. Para votar: Complete la flecha o flechas que apuntan hacia su seleccin, con una lnea gruesa, como sta . 2. Para votar por un candidato cuyo nombre no aparece en la papeleta ("write-in candidate"): Escriba el nombre de dicha persona, en letra de molde, en la lnea que dice "Write-In", y adems complete la flecha que apunta hacia el nombre que ha escrito, como sta . 3. Para emitir un voto ntegro por un partido: Complete la flecha que apunta hacia el partido de su eleccin en la seccin de la papeleta del voto ntegro. Si en la papeleta usted emite un voto ntegro y tambin vota por un candidato individual o por candidatos para cierto cargo, el voto ntegro de partido no se contar para ese cargo y solamente el candidato individual o los candidatos por los que vot sern contado para ese cargo.
To vote a "Straight Ticket" complete the arrow pointing to the party of your choice. Para emitir un voto ntegro a favor de un partido, complete la flecha que apunta hacia el partido que prefiera.
STRAIGHT PARTY
SENATOR IN CONGRESS Six Year Term Vote for 1 SENADOR EN EL CONGRESO Periodo de seis aos Vote por 1 John F. REED
DEMOCRAT
VOTO NTEGRO
SENATOR IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 1 Two Year Term Vote for 1 SENADOR EN LA ASAMBLEA GENERAL DISTRITO 1 Periodo de dos aos Vote por 1 MaryEllen GOODWIN Anthony F. DEMINGS
DEMOCRAT
DEMOCRAT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS FOR: ELECTORES PRESIDENCIALES A FAVOR DE

President Vice President
Robert G. TINGLE
Write-in
REPUBLICAN
REPUBLICAN Write-in
Barack OBAMA Joe BIDEN
DEMOCRAT
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DISTRICT 1 Two Year Term Vote for 1 REPRESENTANTE EN EL CONGRESO DISTRITO 1 Periodo de dos aos Vote por 1
John McCAIN Sarah PALIN
REPUBLICAN
REPRESENTATIVE IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 1 Two Year Term Vote for 1 REPRESENTANTE EN LA ASAMBLEA GENERAL DISTRITO 1 Periodo de dos aos Vote por 1 John J. McCAULEY, JR.
Bob BARR Wayne A. ROOT
LIBERTARIAN
Patrick J. KENNEDY Jonathan P. SCOTT

REPUBLICAN Independent Write-in
DEMOCRAT
SOCIALISM & LIBERATION President Vice President
Gloria La RIVA Robert MOSES
Kenneth A. CAPALBO
DEMOCRAT Independent Write-in
Ralph NADER Matt GONZALEZ

Independent
Daniel J. GRZYCH
Chuck BALDWIN Darrell L. CASTLE
CONSTITUTION
Cynthia McKINNEY Rosa CLEMENTE

GREEN
STATE QUESTIONS ON BACK LAS PROPUESTAS ESTATALES EN EL REVERSO
Write-in
VOTE BOTH FRONT AND BACK OF BALLOT VOTE TANTO EN EL FRENTE COMO EL REVERSO DE LA PAPELETA
STATE QUESTIONS PROPUESTAS ESTATALES

1. TRANSPORTATION BONDS $87,215,000

2. OPEN SPACE AND RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BONDS $2,500,000
(Chapters 378/469 - Public Laws 2008)
(Chapter 100 - Public Laws 2008)
Approval of this question will authorize the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed $80,000,000 to match federal funds and provide direct funding for improvements to the state's highways, roads and bridges; $3,570,000 to provide funding for commuter rail, and $3,645,000 to purchase and/or rehabilitate buses for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority's bus fleet. BONOS RELACIONADOS CON EL TRANSPORTE $87,215,000
(Captulo 100 - Leyes Pblicas de 2008)
Approval of this question will authorize the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed $2,500,000 to be used by the Department of Environmental Management to purchase or otherwise permanently protect through the purchase of the title, development rights, conservation easements and public recreation easements, greenways and other open space, recreation lands, agriculture lands, forested lands and state parks. BONOS PARA EL FOMENTO DE ESPACIOS ABIERTOS Y RECREATIVOS $2,500,000
Con la aprobacin de esta propuesta se autorizar al Estado de Rhode Island a emitir bonos garantizados por los recursos generales, bonos para refinanciamiento y pagars transitorios por una suma mxima de $80,000,000 para parear con fondos proporcionados por el gobierno federal y para obtener fondos para el financiamiento directo para efectuar mejoras a las autopistas, carreteras y puentes del Estado; $3,570,000 para aportar al financiamiento del transporte ferroviario local y $3,645,000 para la adquisicin o rehabilitacin de autobuses del parque automotriz de la Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. Question 1 Propuesta 1 Question 1 Propuesta 1 APPROVE A FAVOR REJECT EN CONTRA
(Captulos 378/469 - Leyes Pblicas de 2008)
Con la aprobacin de esta propuesta se autorizar al Estado de Rhode Island a emitir bonos garantizados por los recursos generales, bonos para refinanciamiento y pagars transitorios por una suma mxima de $2,500,000 que el Departamento de Gestin Ambiental (Department of Environmental Management) utilizar para adquirir o de alguna otra forma proteger de manera permanente, mediante la adquisicin del ttulo de propiedad de: los derechos de fomento, servidumbres para conservacin y servidumbres para recreacin pblica, zonas verdes y otros espacios abiertos, terrenos recreativos, terrenos agrcolas, terrenos boscosos y parques estatales. Question 2 Propuesta 2 Question 2 Propuesta 2 APPROVE A FAVOR REJECT EN CONTRA
Precinct ID 2810 Congressional District 1 Senate District 6 Representative District 2 Council/Ward District 1/4 Voting District 10 0

Ballot 1 Papeleta 1
1. Para votar: Complete la flecha o flechas que apuntan hacia su seleccin, con una lnea gruesa, como sta . 2. Para votar por un candidato cuyo nombre no aparece en la papeleta ("write-in candidate"): Escriba el nombre de dicha persona, en letra de molde, en la lnea que dice "Write-In", y adems complete la flecha que apunta hacia el nombre que ha escrito, como sta . 3. Para emitir un voto integro por un partido: Complete la flecha que seala hacia el partido de su eleccin en la seccin de la papeleta en donde se emiten los votos ntegros. Si en la papeleta usted emite un voto integro y tambin vota por un candidato individual o por candidatos postulados para cierto cargo, el voto integro de partido no se contar para ese cargo y solamente el candidato individual o los candidatos por los que se emiti el voto ser contado para ese cargo.
STRAIGHT PARTY
SENATOR IN CONGRESS
Six Year Term Vote for 1
SENATOR IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 6

Two Year Term Vote for 1
VOTO NTEGRO
SENADOR EN EL CONGRESO
Periodo de seis aos Vote por 1
Sheldon WHITEHOUSE
DEMOCRAT
DEMOCRAT MODERATE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS FOR: ELECTORES PRESIDENCIALES A FAVOR DE

B. Barrett HINCKLEY, III

REPUBLICAN Write-in
SENADOR EN LA ASAMBLEA GENERAL DISTRITO 6

Periodo de dos aos Vote por 1
Harold M. METTS Russell C. HRYZAN

Write-in
DEMOCRAT
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DISTRICT 1

REPUBLICAN
REPRESENTANTE EN EL CONGRESO DISTRITO 1

REPRESENTATIVE IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 2


DEMOCRAT
David N. CICILLINE Brendan P. DOHERTY
DEMOCRAT
Mitt ROMNEY Paul RYAN

REPUBLICAN
REPRESENTANTE EN LA ASAMBLEA GENERAL DISTRITO 2

David S. VOGEL
Christopher R. BLAZEJEWSKI
Write-in
DEMOCRAT
Gary JOHNSON James P. GRAY

Libertarian
Virgil GOODE Jim CLYMER

Constitution
President Vice President President Vice President
Ross C. "Rocky" ANDERSON Luis J. RODRIGUEZ

Justice
Peta LINDSAY Yari OSORIO

Socialism and Liberation
Jill STEIN Cheri HONKALA

Green
Write-in
STATE QUESTIONS ON BACK LOCAL QUESTIONS ON SEPARATE BALLOT LAS PROPUESTAS ESTATALES EN EL SIGUIENTO PGINA LAS PROPUESTAS LOCAL EST EN PGINA SEPARADA
VOTE BOTH FRONT AND BACK OF BALLOT
VOTE POR AMBAS CARAS DE LA PAPELETA, POR EN FRENTE Y POR EL REVERSO

1. STATE CONSTITUTIONAL APPROVAL

3. HIGHER EDUCATION FACILITIES BONDS $50,000,000 (Chapter 241 - Public Laws 2012)

5. CLEAN WATER FINANCE AGENCY BONDS $20,000,000 (Chapter 241- Public Laws 2012) Approval of this question will authorize the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed twelve million dollars ($12,000,000) to be leveraged with federal and state capitalization grants to finance wastewater infrastructure projects and eight million dollars ($8,000,000) to be leveraged with federal and state capitalization grants to finance drinking water infrastructure projects. 5. BONOS PARA EL DESPACHO QUE FINANCIA AGUAS LIMPIAS $20,000,000 (Captulo 241- Leyes Pblicas de 2012) La aprobacin de esta consulta autorizar al Estado de Rhode Island emitir bonos de obligacin general, bonos de reembolso y pagars transitorios por un monto que no exceda los doce millones de dlares ($12,000,000) que se potencializarn con subvenciones de capitalizacin provenientes de los gobiernos estatal y federal para el financiamiento de proyectos de infraestructura para aguas negras y los ocho millones de dlares ($8,000,000) que se potencializarn con subvenciones de capitalizacin provenientes de los gobiernos estatal y federal para el financiamiento de proyectos de infraestructura para agua potable.
(APPROVAL OF AN ACT AUTHORIZING STATE-OPERATED CASINO GAMING AT TWIN RIVER IN THE TOWN OF LINCOLN) (Section 22 of Article VI of the Constitution) Shall an act be approved which would authorize the facility known as "Twin River" in the town of Lincoln to add state-operated casino gaming, such as table games, to the types of gambling it offers? 1. APROBACIN PARA LA CONSTITUCIN DEL ESTADO (Aprobacin de una ley que autoriza juegos en un casino operado por el estadoen Twin River en el pueblo de Lincoln (Seccin 22 del Artculo VI de la Constitucin)
Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) for renovations and modernization of academic buildings at Rhode Island College including renovation, upgrade and expansion of health and nursing facilities on the campus of Rhode Island College. 3. BONOS PARA CENTROS DE EDUCACIN SUPERIOR $50,000,000 (Captulo 241 - Leyes Pblicas de 2012)
Debe aprobarse una ley que autorizara un sitio denominado "Twin River" en el pueblo de Lincoln en el que se agregaran en un casino operado por el estado, juegos, tales como juegos de mesa, a los tipos de juegos de azar que ya funcionan ah?
Question 1 Propuesta 1 Question 1 Propuesta 1

2.
APPROVE A FAVOR REJECT EN CONTRA
La aprobacin de esta consulta le autoriza al Estado de Rhode Island emitir bonos de obligacin general, bonos de reembolso y pagars transitorios en un monto que no exceda los cincuenta millones de dlares ($50,000,000) para la renovacin y modernizacin de edificios acadmicos en Rhode Island College, incluidas renovaciones, actualizaciones y ampliaciones de los centros de salud y enfermera en la ciudad universitaria de Rhode Island College.
STATE CONSTITUTIONAL APPROVAL

4.
(APPROVAL OF AN ACT AUTHORIZING STATE-OPERATED CASINO GAMING AT NEWPORT GRAND IN THE CITY OF NEWPORT) (Section 22 of Article VI of the Constitution) Shall an act be approved which would authorize the facility known as "Newport Grand" in the city of Newport to add state-operated casino gaming, such as table games, to the types of gambling it offers? 2. APROBACIN PARA LA CONSTITUCIN DEL ESTADO
VETERANS' HOME BONDS $94,000,000 (Chapter 241 - Public Laws 2012)
Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed ninety-four million dollars ($94,000,000) for the construction of a new Veterans' Home and renovations to existing facilities. Any funding amount from federal sources received for these purposes will be used to reduce the amount of borrowed funds. 4. BONOS PARA UN HOGAR PARA EXCOMBATIENTES $94,000,000 (Captulo 241 - Leyes Pblicas de 2012)
(Aprobacin de una ley que autoriza juegos en un casino operado por el estado en Newport Grand en la ciudad de Newport) (Seccin 22 del Artculo VI de la Constitucin) Debe aprobarse una ley que autorizara un sitio denominado "Newport Grand" en la ciudad de Newport en el que se agregaran en un casino operado por el estado, juegos, tales como juegos de mesa, a los tipos de juegos de azar que ya funcionan ah?
STATE QUESTIONS CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE LOCAL QUESTIONS ON SEPARATE BALLOT LAS PROPUESTAS ESTATALES EN EL SIGUIENTO PGINA LAS PROPUESTAS LOCAL EST EN PGINA SEPARADA
Aprobacin de esta consulta le autoriza al Estado de Rhode Island emitir bonos de obligacin general, bonos de reembolso y pagars transitorios por un monto que no exceda los noventa y cuatro millones de dlares ($94,000,000) para construir un nuevo Hogar para excombatientes y renovar los centros que ya existen. Toda suma recibida para estos efectos de fuentes federales se utilizar para reducir el monto de los fondos obtenidos por emprstitos.
VOTE BOTH FRONT AND BACK OF BALLOT VOTE POR AMBAS CARAS DE LA PAPELETA, POR EN FRENTE Y POR EL REVERSO

Ballot 2 Papeleta 2
1. Para votar: Complete la flecha o flechas sta . que apuntan hacia su seleccin, con una lnea gruesa, como

6. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT BONDS $20,000,000 (Chapter 241 - Public Laws 2012) Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes for environmental and recreational purposes to be allotted as follows: (a) Narragansett Bay and Watershed Restoration..$4,000,000 Provides funds for activities to restore and protect the water quality and enhance the economic viability and environmental sustainability of Narragansett Bay and the State's watersheds. Eligible activities include: nonpoint source pollution abatement, including stormwater management; nutrient loading abatement; commercial, industrial and agricultural pollution abatement; and riparian buffer and watershed ecosystem restoration. (b) State Land Acquisition - Open Space..$2,500,000 Provides funds for the purchase of land, development rights and conservation easements in Rhode Island. This program acquires recreational and open space lands for the State of Rhode Island in accordance with the Rhode Island Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, Land Protection Plan, and the Rhode Island Greenspace 2000 plan. (c) Farmland Development Rights ..$4,500,000 Provides funds for the purchase of agricultural development rights to active farms in Rhode Island. The State purchases the development rights to farms to eliminate the economic pressure on farmers to sell properties for residential and commercial development. The Agricultural Land Preservation Commission accepts and evaluates farmland applications for these funds. (d) Local Land Acquisition Grants ..$2,500,000 Provides funds for grants to municipalities, local land trusts and non-profit organizations to acquire fee-simple title, development rights, or conservation easements to open space in Rhode Island. The grants provide funding up to fifty percent (50%) of the purchase price for land, surveys, appraisals and title costs. The grant applications are reviewed and evaluated by the Governor's Natural Heritage Preservation Commission according to the program guidelines. (e) Local Recreation Grants ..$5,500,000 Provides grants to municipalities for acquisition, development, or rehabilitation of local recreational facilities. These grants provide funding assistance up to fifty percent (50%) of the project costs. All grant applications are evaluated and ranked by the State Recreation Resources Review Committee. (f) Historic/Passive Parks ..$1,000,000 CONTINUED ON NEXT COLUMN CONTINUAN EN LA SIGUIENTE COLUMNA
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS COLUMN CONTINUAN EN LA COLUMNA ANTERIOR Provides grants to municipalities for the renovation and development of historic and passive recreation areas. The grants provide funding assistance up to ninety percent (90%) of the project costs. All grant applications are evaluated and ranked by the State Recreation Resources Review Committee. 6. BONOS DE GESTIN AMBIENTAL $20,000,000 (Captulo 241 - Leyes Pblicas de 2012) La aprobacin de esta consulta le autorizar al Estado de Rhode Island emitir bonos de obligacin general, bonos de reembolso y pagars transitorios para efectos medioambientales y de recreacin que se designarn de la siguiente manera: (a) Restauracin de la Baha de Narragansett y las cuencas del estado ..$4,000,000 Ofrece fondos para restaurar y proteger la calidad del agua y mejorar la viabilidad econmica y la sostenibilidad medioambiental de la Baha de Narragansett y las cuencas del estado. Las actividades que renen los requisitos incluyen: mitigacin de fuentes de contaminacin diseminadas, incluida la gestin de aguas lluvias; reduccin de la carga de nutrientes; moderacin de la contaminacin de fuentes comercial, industria y agrcola; restauracin de zonas de proteccin riberea y de los ecosistemas de las cuencas. (b) Adquisicin estatal de terrenos y espacios abiertos ..$2,500,000 Ofrece fondos para la adquisicin de terrenos, la codificacin de derechos y servidumbres para la preservacin en Rhode Island. Este programa adquiere terrenos abiertos y para fines recreativos a nombre del Estado de Rhode Island conforme al 'Plan integral de Rhode Island de recreacin al aire libre', al 'Plan de proteccin de terrenos' y al 'Plan de espacios verdes 2000 de Rhode Island'. (c) Derechos para el fomento $4,500,000 agropecuario Ofrece fondos para la compra de los derechos de fomento agropecuario a granjas activas en Rhode Island. El Estado adquiere los derechos de fomento a granjas con miras a eliminar la presin econmica que sufren los agricultores para que vendan sus terrenos para efectos de urbanizacin residencial y comercial. La Comisin para la Preservacin de Terrenos Agropecuarios acepta y evala las solicitudes agropecuarias para el uso de estos fondos. (d) Subvenciones para la adquisicin de terrenos locales ..$2,500,000 Ofrece fondos mediante subvenciones a municipios, fideicomisos territoriales locales y entidades sin fines de lucro para la adquisicin de escrituras de posesin incondicional, derechos de fomento y CONTINUED ON NEXT COLUMN CONTINUAN EN LA SIGUIENTE COLUMNA
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS COLUMN CONTINUAN EN LA COLUMNA ANTERIOR urbanizacin o servidumbres de preservacin de espacios abiertos en Rhode Island. Las subvenciones ofrecen fondos por hasta un cincuenta por ciento (50%) del precio de venta de los terrenos, levantamientos topogrficos, valoraciones y costas de escrituracin. Las solicitudes de subvencin son estudiadas y evaluadas segn lineamientos del programa por la Comisin de Conservacin del Patrimonio Natural auspiciada por el despacho del Gobernador. (e) Subvenciones para recreacin local ..$5,500,000 Ofrece subvenciones a municipios para la adquisicin, fomento o rehabilitacin de centros recreativos en la localidad. Estas subvenciones ofrecen asistencia econmica que asciende hasta un cincuenta por ciento (50%) de los costos del proyecto. Todas las solicitudes de subvencin son evaluadas y clasificadas por la Comisin Estatal de Estudio de Recursos Recreativos. (f) Parques histricos y pasivos $1,000,000 Ofrece subvenciones a municipios para la renovacin y fomento de zonas de recreacin histrica y pasiva. Las subvenciones ofrecen asistencia econmica que asciende hasta el noventa por ciento (90%) de los costos del proyecto. Todas las solicitudes de subvencin son evaluadas y clasificadas por la Comisin Estatal de Estudio de Recursos Recreativos.

7.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING BONDS $25,000,000 (Chapter 241 - Public Laws 2012)
Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) for affordable housing. 7. BONOS PARA VIVIENDA COSTEABLE $25,000,000 (Captulo 241 - Leyes Pblicas de 2012)
La aprobacin de esta consulta le autoriza al Estado de Rhode Island emitir bonos de obligacin general, bonos de reembolso y pagars transitorios por un monto que no exceda veinticinco millones de dlares ($25,000,000) para usar para vivienda costeable.
LOCAL QUESTIONS ON SEPARATE BALLOT LAS PROPUESTAS LOCAL EST EN PGINA SEPARADA

Ballot 3 Papeleta 3
LOCAL QUESTIONS PROPUESTAS LOCALES

8. Finance the Design, Construction, Repair, Rehabilitation and Improvement of Streets and Sidewalks $40,000,000 "Shall an Ordinance of the City Council effective on July 31, 2012 authorizing the issuance of up to $40,000,000 general obligation bonds of the City to finance the design, construction, repair, rehabilitation and improvement of streets and sidewalks in the City, including but not limited to, drainage, traffic control devices, safety improvements and landscaping, pursuant to Rhode Island General Laws 45-12-2 and 807 of the City's Home Rule Charter, be approved?" 8. Financiar el diseo, la construccin, la reparacion, la rehabilitacin y mejoras de las vas y aceras $40,000,000 "Debe aprobarse una ordenanza del Concejo Municipal que adquiri vigencia el 31 de julio de 2012 y que autoriza la emisin de hasta $40,000,000 en bonos de obligacin general emitidos por la Ciudad para financiar el diseo, la construccin, la reparacin, la rehabilitacin y mejoras de las vas y aceras en la Ciudad, incluyendo, sin que por ello se limite, desages, dispositivos para el control del trnsito, mejoras de seguridad y paisajismo, conforme a las Leyes Generales de Rhode Island, Seccin 45-12-2 y la Seccin 807 de la Carta de Autonoma Poltica de la Ciudad?"

QUESTIONS 9 - 18 AMENDMENTS TO THE PROVIDENCE HOME RULE CHARTER 9. Shall the terms used in the Charter be defined as follows for clarity and consistency? [Adds Section 107] (a) "City" shall mean the City of Providence, in the County of Providence, and the State of Rhode Island. (b) "Council" shall mean the duly elected city council of the City of Providence. (c) "Domiciled" shall mean that place where a person has his or her true, fixed, and permanent home and principal establishment, and to which whenever he or she is absent has the intention of returning. (d) Mayor. Whenever the word "mayor" is used, it shall mean the mayor of the City of Providence. (e) "Quorum" shall mean a majority of the members of a public body or duly appointed committee. PROPUESTAS 9 - 18 ENMIENDA DE LA CARTA DE AUTONOMA POLTICA DE PROVIDENCE 9. Deben definirse los trminos de la Carta como se detalla a continuacin para efectos de claridad y coherencia? [Se agrega la seccin 107] a) "Ciudad" (en ingls City) significa la ciudad de Providence, en el condado de Providence y en el estado de Rhode Island. (b) "Concejo" (en ingls Council) significa el concejo municipal de la ciudad de Providence, debidamente elegido. (c) "Domiciliado" (en ingls Domiciled) significa aquel lugar en el que la persona tiene su hogar permanente, fijo y verdico, y su establecimiento principal, y al cual, siempre que se ausente, tiene la intencin de regresar. (d) Alcalde. (en ingls Mayor) Siempre que se use la palabra "alcalde", significa el alcalde de la ciudad de Providence. (e) "Qurum" (en ingls Quorum) significa una mayora de los integrantes de un cuerpo pblico o de una comisin o comit debidamente designado.

10. Shall charter review commissions be appointed as of September 1, 2021, and every ten years thereafter? [Amends Section 1302] 10. Deben designarse comisiones de revisin de la Carta a partir del 1 de septiembre de 2021 y posteriormente cada diez aos? [Se enmienda la seccin 1302]
YES SI NO NO
11. Shall amendments approved by electors of the city be effective upon approval, unless otherwise noted? [Amends Section 1401] 11. Deben las enmiendas aprobadas por los electores de la ciudad cobrar vigencia al ser aprobados a menos que se indique lo contrario? [Se enmienda la seccin 1401]
YES SI NO NO
12. Shall the term "personnel department" be replaced with "human resources department" wherever it appears in the charter? [Amends Sections 901 through 903] 12. Debe la expresin "departamento de personal" cambiarse por "departamento de recursos humanos" en todos los sitios donde figure en la Carta? [Se enmiendan las secciones 901 a 903]
YES SI NO NO
YES SI NO NO
13. Shall it be the responsibility of the human resources department to enforce the procedures for suspension, discharge, reduction in class position, and layoff of employees? [Amends Section 903(j).] 13. Debe ser responsabilidad del departamento de recursos humanos encargarse de hacer cumplir los procedimientos de suspensin, despido, reduccin de la posicin en clase, y suspensin temporal de empleados? [Se enmienda la seccin 903(j).]
YES SI NO NO
YES SI NO NO
LOCAL QUESTIONS CONTINUED ON BACK LAS PROPUESTAS LOCALES CONTINUAN EN LA REVERSE


14. Shall the responsibilities of the human resources department be changed to eliminate examining and approving all payrolls, and monitoring residency requirements? [Amends Sections 903 (l) and (p).] 14. Deben cambiarse las responsabilidades del departamento de recursos humanos de manera que se elimine el estudio y la aprobacin de todas las nminas y el control de los requisitos de residencia? [Se enmiendan las secciones 903 (l) y (p).]

18. Shall the committee on ward boundaries be elected by the city council in January of 2021 and every tenth year thereafter, and shall new requirements for revising ward boundary lines be established to include additional public hearings and opportunities for public comment, specifications for council approval of the plan, and criteria for drawing ward boundaries? [Amends Section 204] 18. Debe la comisin de lmites distritales ser elegida por el concejo municipal en enero de 2021 y en adelante en cada dcimo ao posterior, y deben establecerse requisitos nuevos para modificar los linderos distritales de manera que incluyan ms vistas pblicas y ms oportunidades para que el pueblo pueda hacer comentarios, definir especificaciones para la aprobacin del plan por el concejo, y proferir criterios para el trazado de linderos distritales? [Se enmienda la seccin 204]
YES SI NO NO
15. Shall the qualifications for the director of the department of public property be a bachelor's degree, or a minimum of five (5) years of experience in the field? [Amends Section 1006] 15. Deben las aptitudes requeridas para ser el director del departamento de bienes pblicos ser un ttulo universitario o un mnimo de cinco (5) aos de experiencia en el ramo? [Se enmienda la seccin 1006]
YES SI NO NO
YES SI NO NO
16. Shall the Providence Emergency Management Agency and Homeland Protection Department be placed under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Safety, under the supervision of the Commissioner of Public Safety? [Amends Section 1001] 16. Deben colocarse la Agencia de Manejo de Emergencias en Providence y el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional dentro de la jurisdiccin del Departamento de Seguridad Pblica, bajo la supervisin del Comisionado de Seguridad Pblica? [Se enmienda la seccin 1001]
YES SI NO NO
17. Shall the Charter prohibit city officials from using their authority or influence to secure city employment for any person within his or her family or any business associates? [Amends Section 1206 to add subsection (e)] 17. Debe la Carta prohibir a los funcionarios municipales valerse de su autoridad o influencia para obtenerle un empleo municipal a cualquier familiar o asociado de negocios? [Se enmienda la seccin 1206 y se agrega la subseccin (e)]
YES SI NO NO
Precinct ID 2101 Congressional District 1 Representative District 72 Voting District 1 Senate District 12 Council/Ward District 2 0
OFFICIAL ELECTION BALLOT STATE OF RHODE ISLAND CITY OF NEWPORT

0
. pointing to your
2. To vote for a write-in candidate: Print the name of the person on the blank line labeled "Write-In" for the office and complete the arrow write-in choice like this .
3. To cast a straight party vote: Complete the arrow pointing to the party of your choice in the straight party section of the ballot. If you cast a straight party vote and also vote for an individual candidate or candidates for a certain office on the ballot, the straight party vote will not be counted for that office and only the individual candidate or candidates voted for will be counted for that office.
To vote a "Straight Ticket" complete the arrow pointing to the party of your choice.
STRAIGHT PARTY
SENATOR IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TWO Year Term Vote for 1 Louis P. DiPALMA
DEMOCRAT
NON-PARTISAN COUNCIL
TWO Year Term Vote for 1 Justin S. McLAUGHLIN
Write-in
WARD 2
DISTRICT 12
DEMOCRAT REPUBLICAN
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS FOR:

June N. GIBBS
Write-in
REPUBLICAN
NON-PARTISAN SCHOOL COMMITTEE

TWO Year Term Vote for any 7 Charles P. SHOEMAKER, JR. Rebecca BOLAN Sandra J. FLOWERS Thomas S. PHELAN Robert J. LEARY Patrick K. KELLEY Jacob CYKERT Lynn U. CEGLIE David C. HANOS, JR. Robert Thomas OLIVEIRA Hugo J. DeASCENTIS Jo Eva GAINES
Write-in Write-in Write-in Write-in Write-in Write-in Write-in

DEMOCRAT
REPRESENTATIVE IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TWO Year Term Vote for 1 Amy G. RICE Daniel Patrick REILLY
DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT 72

REPUBLICAN

LIBERTARIAN
REPUBLICAN Write-in

SOCIALISM & LIBERATION
NON-PARTISAN COUNCIL-AT-LARGE
TWO Year Term Vote for any 4 Marvin L. ABNEY Herbert B. ARMSTRONG Jeanne Marie NAPOLITANO Stephen C. WALUK Stephen R. COYNE Mary C. CONNOLLY
Write-in

Independent

CONSTITUTION

GREEN
Write-in
Write-in Write-in Write-in
SENATOR IN CONGRESS
SIX Year Term Vote for 1
John F. REED
DEMOCRAT
Robert G. TINGLE
REPUBLICAN Write-in
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
TWO Year Term Vote for 1 Patrick J. KENNEDY Jonathan P. SCOTT
REPUBLICAN Independent Write-in DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT 1
Kenneth A. CAPALBO
STATE QUESTIONS ON BACK LOCAL QUESTIONS ON SEPARATE BALLOTS
STATE QUESTIONS
Approval of this question will authorize the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed $80,000,000 to match federal funds and provide direct funding for improvements to the state's highways, roads and bridges; $3,570,000 to provide funding for commuter rail, and $3,645,000 to purchase and/or rehabilitate buses for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority's bus fleet. Question 1 Question 1 APPROVE REJECT
2.
OPEN SPACE AND RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BONDS $2,500,000

Approval of this question will authorize the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed $2,500,000 to be used by the Department of Environmental Management to purchase or otherwise permanently protect through the purchase of the title, development rights, conservation easements and public recreation easements, greenways and other open space, recreation lands, agriculture lands, forested lands and state parks. Question 2 Question 2 APPROVE REJECT
LOCAL QUESTIONS ON SEPARATE BALLOT

Ballot 2
LOCAL QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS 3 - 25 AMENDMENTS TO CITY OF NEWPORT HOME RULE CHARTER
(Resolution of the City Council adopted on July 9, 2008)
LOCAL QUESTIONS
5. Section 2-14 of Chapter II - THE COUNCIL, entitled "POWER OF REFERENDUM"
"The electors shall have power to approve or reject at the polls any ordinance passed by the Council, or submitted by the Council to a vote of the electors, such power being known as the referendum. Ordinances submitted to the Council by initiative petition and passed by the Council without change shall be subject to the referendum in the same manner as other ordinances. Within thirty (30) days after the enactment by the Council of any ordinance, a petition signed by qualified electors of the City equal in number to at least ten percent of the number of persons registered to vote at the last regular Municipal election may be filed with the City Clerk requesting that any such ordinance be either repealed or submitted to a vote of the electors. A majority of those casting votes at such election shall determine whether such ordinance is repealed or sustained. "When a referendum petition has been certified as sufficient by the City Clerk, the ordinance specified in the petition shall not go into effect, or further action thereunder shall be suspended if it shall have gone into effect, until and unless approved by the electors, as hereinafter provided."
LOCAL QUESTIONS
7. Section 2-23 of Chapter II - THE COUNCIL, entitled "INSPECTION OF PROPOSED ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS BY THE PUBLIC"
"After the introduction of any ordinance or resolution in the Council, the City Clerk shall keep available for public inspection a copy of such proposed ordinance or resolution, together with all amendments thereto, which copy shall be a public record. For purposes of this section, 'keep available for public inspection' shall include, but not be limited to, the posting of such ordinances or resolutions, with all amendments thereto, on the City's website."
Shall the following sections of the City of Newport Home Rule Charter be amended to read: 3. Section 2-3 of Chapter II - THE COUNCIL entitled "VACANCIES"
"Any vacancy arising from death, resignation or any reason in the membership of the Council shall be filled by the last election candidate who received the next highest number of votes for the ward or at-large seat which is vacated, or absent such a candidate, by four affirmative votes of the remaining members of the Council within thirty (30) days after the Council learns of the vacancy or, in the event of a tie vote or inability to elect, the vacancy shall be filled as soon thereafter as possible by a majority vote of all the remaining members of the Council. "The Council shall fill any vacancy arising from death, resignation or any reason in the membership of the School Committee within thirty (30) days after learning of the vacancy or as soon thereafter as may be possible by the last election candidate who received the next highest number of votes, or absent such a candidate, by a majority vote of all members of the Council. Any person appointed to fill a vacancy on the School Committee by the Council shall serve only until a person is elected and qualified at the next City election under this Charter."
Question 7 Question 7
APPROVE REJECT
8. Section 3-1 of Chapter III ELECTIONS, entitled "ELECTION LAWS AND CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS"
"The provisions of the laws of the State of Rhode Island pertaining to elections and related matters, including the rights and qualifications of voters; the registration of voters; the Canvassing Authority and Registration, and the registering, listing, and returning lists of voters, and proof of their qualification to vote; canvassing the rights and correcting the list of voters; elective meetings; the hours of opening and closing the polls; voting machines; absentee voting; and crimes, penalties and forfeitures under the election laws; and any and all other provisions of the laws of the State of Rhode Island relating to the qualifications of electors, registration, the manner of voting, the duties of election officials and all other particulars in respect to preparation for, conducting, and management of elections, shall govern every city primary, general and special election, so far as they may be applicable, excepting those provisions which are inconsistent with this Charter. "Whenever in said election laws and related matters reference is made to any political party, or reference is made to voting machines as being prepared for voting purposes in accordance with political party designation, or any reference of whatever kind and designation is made in said election laws and related matters to any political party or political designation, for the purpose of this Charter only each and every such reference to a political party shall be held to be eliminated from said election laws in accordance with the provisions of this Charter. "All municipal elections in the City of Newport, whether primary, general or special, shall be non-partisan and there shall be no party mark or designation upon any declaration of candidacy, nomination, petition or list of candidates. By April 1 in even numbered years, the Canvassing Authority shall issue a schedule of the filing dates for the elections to be held that year."
APPROVE REJECT
6. Section 2-14a of Chapter II - THE COUNCIL, entitled "SIGNATURES ON INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM PETITIONS"
"The signatures on all initiative petitions and referendum petitions under Sections 2-13 and 2-14 of this Charter need not all be affixed to one petition, but to each separate petition there shall be attached an affidavit of the circulator that each signature appended thereto was made in his presence and is a genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be. With each signature shall be stated the place of residence of the signer, giving the street and number of the street or other description sufficient to identify the same. The circulator's name shall be notarized and all persons circulating such petitions shall be registered votes of the City. All signatures shall be gathered within a six-month time limit and no question shall be resubmitted within a two-year period from the date of the initial submission of the petition to the City Council."
APPROVE REJECT
4. "SECTION 2-4. COUNCIL COMPENSATION.

"Each member of the Council may receive such compensation as established by ordinance. Such compensation shall not be changed during the current term of the Councilors enacting such an ordinance. Compensation may include benefits, such as health, life and dental insurance. (As amended by Sec. 1, Chapter 526, P.L.1985.)"
APPROVE REJECT
APPROVE REJECT
APPROVE REJECT
LOCAL QUESTIONS CONTINUED ON BACK
LOCAL QUESTIONS
9. Section 4-2 of Chapter IV POWERS OF COUNCIL, entitled "PROBATE COURT"
"The Council shall elect a Judge of Probate for a term concurrent with the term of office of said Council. He shall be a member of the bar of the State of Rhode Island. Whenever the Judge of Probate Court is a party, or is interested in any proceeding about to be heard in his Court, or is absent or unable to perform his duties, or there is a vacancy in such office, his duties shall be temporarily performed by the Municipal Court Judge, and the fact of such interest, absence, inability or vacancy shall be recorded in the records of said Court."
LOCAL QUESTIONS
12. Section 4-11 of Chapter IV POWERS OF COUNCIL, entitled "COUNCIL NOT TO INTERFERE WITH ADMINISTRATION"
"Neither the Council nor any of its members shall direct or request the appointment of any person to, or his removal from office by the City Manager or by any of his subordinates, or in any manner take part in the appointment or removal of officers and employees in the administrative service of the City or interfere in any way with any administrative division or department. Except for the purpose of inquiry, the Council and its members shall deal with the administrative service solely through the City Manager and neither the Council nor any member thereof shall give orders to any subordinates of the City Manager, either publicly or privately. Any Councilman violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or be imprisoned for not more than sixty (60) days, or both, and shall forthwith cease to be a Councilman."
LOCAL QUESTIONS
14. Sections 7-1 FINANCE; 7-2 PUBLIC WORKS; 7-3 PUBLIC SAFETY; 7-4 PUBLIC RECREATION; 7-5 WATER; 7-7 CITY CLERK; 7-8 OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND DIVISIONS; 7-9 DIRECTORS OF DEPARTMENTS and 7-10 DEPARTMENTAL DIVISIONS of Chapter VII.-ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENTS of the City of Newport Charter, be deleted in their entirety and be amended to read: "Section 7-1. DEPARTMENTS AND DIVISIONS.
"There shall be such departments and divisions as the Council may by ordinance establish on the recommendation of the City Manager.
APPROVE REJECT
10. Section 4-8 of Chapter IV POWERS OF COUNCIL, entitled "TRUST AND INVESTMENT COMMISSION" be renumbered and amended to read: SECTION 4-7. TRUST AND INVESTMENT COMMISSION.
"There shall be a Trust and Investment Commission, which commission shall consist of five members who shall be chosen on the basis of their knowledge of investments and financial management. This commission shall have custody and control of all funds now held or hereafter held for the payment of pensions and health benefits and premiums for city and school department employees; and said commission shall have the power to sell, exchange, invest or reinvest said funds and to receive, collect, and hold all income thereof and to pay and appropriate the same in such manner and for the purposes prescribed by law or by said will, deed, gift or indenture. Said commission shall have such other powers and duties, and its members shall be appointed and serve for such terms, as the council may by said ordinance prescribe. (As amended by Sec. 1, Chapter 443, P.L. 1989.)"
"Section 7-2. DIRECTORS OF DEPARTMENTS.

At the head of each department there shall be a director who shall have supervision and control of the department subject to the direction of the City Manager. Two or more departments may be headed by the same individual, and directors may also serve as chiefs of divisions. Special qualifications for selection of directors of departments may be established by ordinance, however, the police and fire chiefs shall be appointed from candidates who have a minimum of five years continuous service in their field.
APPROVE REJECT
13. Section 4-12 of Chapter IV POWERS OF COUNCIL, entitled "POWER TO COMPEL TESTIMONY"
"In connection with any investigation which may be conducted by the Council, or any committee thereof, the Council or committee may compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of books, papers and other evidence, and for that purpose may issue subpoenas which shall be signed by the Mayor or the chairman of any such committee. If any witness shall refuse to testify to any facts within his knowledge, or to produce any papers or books in his possession, or under his control, relating to matters under inquiry, before the Council, or any such committee, the Council by resolution may cite such witness in contempt and upon conviction thereof such witness shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or be imprisoned for not more than sixty (60) days, or both. No witness shall be excused from giving information touching upon his knowledge of the matter under investigation in any such inquiry, but such testimony shall not be used against him in any subsequent criminal prosecution except for perjury committed upon such inquiry, unless such witness shall, in writing at the time of so testifying, waive his rights not to have such testimony used against him.
"Section 7-3. DEPARTMENTAL DIVISIONS.

"The work of each department may be distributed among such divisions as may be established by ordinance upon recommendation of the City Manager. Pending passage of an ordinance, the City Manager may establish temporary divisions.
"Section 7-4. CONTINUANCE.

"The Departments and Divisions that existed as of January 1, 2008 shall continue in existence until such time as the Council passes an Ordinance changing such Departments and Divisions pursuant to 7-1 hereof."
APPROVE REJECT
11. Section 4-8 to Chapter IV POWERS OF COUNCIL, entitled "OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS" be added to read: "SECTION 4-8. OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
"In addition to the Boards and Commissions named in this Chapter, the Council may establish such Boards and Commissions as it deems necessary, on a permanent or ad hoc basis, and elect members thereto, and may retire those Boards and Commissions so established by it."
APPROVE REJECT
15. Section 8-3 to Chapter VIII SCHOOLS, entitled "SCHOOL COMMITTEE COMPENSATION" be added to read: "SECTION 8-3. SCHOOL COMMITTEE COMPENSATION.
"Each member of the School Committee may receive compensation as established by the City Council. Such compensation shall not be changed during the current term of the elected member. "Compensation may include benefits, such as health, life and dental insurance."
APPROVE REJECT
APPROVE REJECT
APPROVE REJECT
LOCAL QUESTIONS CONTINUED ON SEPARATE BALLOT

Ballot 3
LOCAL QUESTIONS
16. Section 9-1 of Chapter IX FINANCE, entitled "FISCAL YEAR" "Section 9-1. FISCAL YEAR AND STRATEGIC PLAN
"The Council shall provide by ordinance for the fiscal year of the City. "The Council is responsible for the development and maintenance of a multi-year strategic plan for the City. This plan will include: -Mission Statement (for City Council and for administrative departments; -Long Range Goals (goals that cover more than one fiscal year for the City and for each administrative department); -Short Range Goals (goals tied to the City's current fiscal year for the City and for each administrative department); -Performance Measures (for all goals - long range and short range that facilitate tracking progress and achievement milestones. "The City's Strategic Plan will be reviewed periodically and progress reported no less often than annually at a public hearing."
LOCAL QUESTIONS
18. Section 9-4 of Chapter IX FINANCE, entitled "PUBLIC HEARING ON BUDGET" be deleted in its entirety and amended to read: "Section 9-4.1.
"The Council, at least 60 days prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, shall hold a public hearing on the Manager's proposed budget.
LOCAL QUESTIONS
20. Shall Section 9-8 of Chapter IX FINANCE, entitled " BUDGETARY CONTROL"
"The Finance Department shall exercise budgetary control over each office, department and agency and shall cause separate accounts to be kept for the items of appropriation, each of which shall show the amount of the appropriation, the amounts paid therefrom, the unpaid obligations against it, and the unencumbered balance. Unless the Finance Department shall certify that there is a sufficient unencumbered balance and available funds in any account no appropriation shall be valid and no expenditure shall be made. "The City Manager shall, no more than 30 days after the end of each fiscal month, prepare and submit to the Council a budget analytical report that identifies any significant variances between actual and budgeted revenue and expenses. The City Manager shall, no more than 30 days after the end of the 2nd fiscal quarter, prepare for the City Council a Financial Analysis Report that identifies any significant mid-year revenue and expense budget variances and projects any significant fiscal year-end revenue and expense variances. The Council will hold a public hearing on that report no later than 15 days following receipt of the report."
"Section 9-4.2.
"The Manager, at least 30 days prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, shall prepare and present to the Council a revised budget and revenue projection based upon the Council's instructions following the public hearing
"Section 9-4.3.
"The Council, at least 20 days prior to the beginning of each fiscal year and prior to the Council approving a final budget and appropriation ordinance, shall hold a public hearing on the revised budget."
APPROVE REJECT
APPROVE REJECT
17. Section 9-2 of Chapter IX FINANCE, entitled "PREPARATION OF BUDGET"

"The Manager shall prepare and submit to the Council, at least 180 days prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, a projection of the change in revenues from the current fiscal year to the next fiscal years as well as a projection of anticipated significant expense changes. "The Council shall provide to the Manager, at least 150 days prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, a list of its top priority projects and its administrative expense increase/decrease guidelines for the next fiscal year. This shall include the maximum amount of revenue that may be allocated to the Capital Improvement Program (see Section 9-19). "The Manager shall prepare and submit to the Council, at least seventy-five days prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, a proposed budget and a budget message containing an explanation of proposed financial policies and the important features of the budget plan. He shall submit at the same time an appropriation ordinance making provision for the conduct of the City government for the ensuing year. Revenues and expenses related to the Council's priorities shall be highlighted."
19. Section 9-5 of Chapter IX FINANCE, entitled "COUNCIL MAY REVISE PROPOSED BUDGET"
"The Council may insert new items or may increase or decrease the items of the budget as presented by the Manager, but, if it shall increase the total proposed expenditures, it also shall provide for increasing the total anticipated revenues at least to equal the total proposed expenditures. "Any changes approved by the Council shall be noted on a 'Budget Revision Schedule', with the City Councilor who proposed the change identified. The Budget Revision Schedule should be appended to the final budget document."
APPROVE REJECT
LOCAL QUESTIONS CONTINUED ON BACK
APPROVE REJECT
APPROVE REJECT
LOCAL QUESTIONS
21. Section 9-23 of Chapter IX FINANCE, entitled "COMPETITIVE BIDDING"
"Before any purchase of or contract for supplies, materials or equipment is made on behalf of the city, opportunity shall be given for competitive bidding under such rules and regulations and with such exceptions as the council may prescribe by ordinance. "All contract actions shall follow competitive bidding requirements of the Rhode Island General Laws. Procurements, not to exceed an aggregate amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) for construction and five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) for all other purchases, may be made in accordance with small purchase regulations promulgated by the City under such rules and regulations and with such exceptions as the Council may prescribe by ordinance. Procurements shall not be artificially divided so as to constitute a small purchase under this section. "Procurements of between five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) and ten thousand (10,000.00) shall follow the competitive bidding requirements of the Rhode Island General Laws and shall be awarded by an Award Committee consisting of the Purchasing Agent, a requesting Department Representative and a disinterested City employee selected by the City Manager. The Award Committee shall have power to award or reject all bids and advertise for new bids within their threshold dollar limit. Alterations in any contract entered into may be made within the threshold dollar limit when authorized by the Award Committee on a written recommendation from the City Manager or his designee. "Procurements of above ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) shall follow the competitive bidding requirements of the Rhode Island General Laws and shall be awarded by the Council. The Council shall have power to award or reject all bids and advertise for new bids. Alterations to any contract entered into may be made when authorized by the Council on a written recommendation of the City Manager or his designee."
LOCAL QUESTIONS
23. Section 10-5 of Chapter X MISCELLANEOUS, entitled "CONTINUANCE OF PRESENT OFFICERS" be deleted in its entirety:
(All persons holding administrative office at the time this Charter takes effect shall continue in office and in the performance of their duties until provision shall have been made in accordance therewith for the performance of such duties or the discontinuance of such office. The powers conferred and the duties imposed upon any office, department or agency of the City by the laws of the State shall, if such office, department or agency be abolished by this Charter, or under its authority, be thereafter exercised and discharged by the office, department or agency designated by the Council unless otherwise provided herein.)
APPROVE REJECT
24. Section 10-8 of Chapter X MISCELLANEOUS, entitled "TERMS OF OFFICE OF PRESENT ELECTIVE OFFICERS; TERMINATION" be deleted in its entirety:
(The terms of office of all members of the School Committee, members of the City Council, and the Mayor due to terminate in November, 1985, shall terminate on January 2, 1986. The terms of office of all members of the School Committee, members of the City Council and the Mayor elected in November, 2001, and due to terminate in January, 2004, shall terminate in January, 2005. (As amended by Sec. 2, Chapter 269, P.L. 1984; Chapter 81, P.L. 2000.)
APPROVE REJECT
APPROVE REJECT
22. Section 9-24 of Chapter IX FINANCE, entitled "REQUISITIONS" be deleted in its entirety and be amended to read:
"All purchase actions and contracts executed on behalf of the City shall be pursuant to a requisition in written or electronic form. These requisitions shall originate from the head of the office, department or agency whose appropriation will be charged."
25. Section 10-9 of Chapter X MISCELLANEOUS, entitled "WHEN CHARTER EFFECTIVE" be deleted in its entirety:
(Chapter III of this Charter shall take effect upon its adoption by the electors of the City of Newport. The remainder of this Charter shall take effect on the first day of November, 1953.)
APPROVE REJECT
APPROVE REJECT

Ballot 1
. pointing to your
2. To vote for a write-in candidate: Print the name of the person on the blank line labeled "Write-In" for the office and complete the arrow write-in choice like this .
3. To cast a straight party vote: Complete the arrow pointing to the party of your choice in the straight party section of the ballot. If you cast a straight party vote and also vote for an individual candidate or candidates for a certain office on the ballot, the straight party vote will not be counted for that office and only the individual candidate or candidates voted for will be counted for that office.
To vote a "Straight Ticket" complete the arrow pointing to the party of your choice.
STRAIGHT PARTY
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
TWO Year Term Vote for 1 David N. CICILLINE Brendan P. DOHERTY
DEMOCRAT
NON-PARTISAN COUNCIL-AT-LARGE
TWO Year Term Vote for any 4 Naomi L. NEVILLE Henry F. WINTHROP Jeanne Marie NAPOLITANO Michael T. FARLEY Donald P. BOUCHER
Write-in Write-in Write-in Write-in
DISTRICT 1
DEMOCRAT MODERATE REPUBLICAN
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS FOR:

David S. VOGEL

DEMOCRAT
SENATOR IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TWO Year Term Vote for 1 M. Teresa PAIVA-WEED
DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT 13

REPUBLICAN

Libertarian
Geoffrey William COOK
REPUBLICAN Write-in
NON-PARTISAN COUNCIL
TWO Year Term Vote for 1 Marco T. CAMACHO Charles Y. DUNCAN
Write-in
WARD 1

Constitution
REPRESENTATIVE IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

TWO Year Term Vote for 1 Marvin L. ABNEY
Write-in DEMOCRAT
DISTRICT 73

Justice

NON-PARTISAN SCHOOL COMMITTEE

TWO Year Term Vote for 7 Robert B. POWER Jo Eva GAINES Sandra J. FLOWERS Rebecca BOLAN Charles P. SHOEMAKER, JR.

Green
Write-in
Robert J. LEARY Thomas S. PHELAN

Write-in Write-in Write-in Write-in Write-in Write-in Write-in
SENATOR IN CONGRESS
SIX Year Term Vote for 1
Sheldon WHITEHOUSE
DEMOCRAT

REPUBLICAN Write-in
STATE QUESTIONS ON BACK LOCAL QUESTION ON SEPARATE BALLOT
STATE QUESTIONS
1. STATE CONSTITUTIONAL APPROVAL 5.
STATE QUESTIONS
CLEAN WATER FINANCE AGENCY BONDS $20,000,000
STATE QUESTIONS
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS COLUMN (e) Local Recreation Grants ..$5,500,000 Provides grants to municipalities for acquisition, development, or rehabilitation of local recreational facilities. These grants provide funding assistance up to fifty percent (50%) of the project costs. All grant applications are evaluated and ranked by the State Recreation Resources Review Committee. (f) Historic/Passive Parks ..$1,000,000 Provides grants to municipalities for the renovation and development of historic and passive recreation areas. The grants provide funding assistance up to ninety percent (90%) of the project costs. All grant applications are evaluated and ranked by the State Recreation Resources Review Committee. Question 6 Question 6 APPROVE REJECT
(APPROVAL OF AN ACT AUTHORIZING STATE-OPERATED CASINO GAMING AT TWIN RIVER IN THE TOWN OF LINCOLN)
(Section 22 of Article VI of the Constitution)
(Chapter 241- Public Laws 2012)
Shall an act be approved which would authorize the facility known as "Twin River" in the town of Lincoln to add state-operated casino gaming, such as table games, to the types of gambling it offers? Question 1 Question 1 2. APPROVE REJECT
Approval of this question will authorize the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed twelve million dollars ($12,000,000) to be leveraged with federal and state capitalization grants to finance wastewater infrastructure projects and eight million dollars ($8,000,000) to be leveraged with federal and state capitalization grants to finance drinking water infrastructure projects. Question 5 Question 5 6. APPROVE REJECT
(APPROVAL OF AN ACT AUTHORIZING STATE-OPERATED CASINO GAMING AT NEWPORT GRAND IN THE CITY OF NEWPORT)
(Section 22 of Article VI of the Constitution)
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT BONDS $20,000,000
Shall an act be approved which would authorize the facility known as "Newport Grand" in the city of Newport to add state-operated casino gaming, such as table games, to the types of gambling it offers? Question 2 Question 2 APPROVE REJECT
Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes for environmental and recreational purposes to be allotted as follows: (a) Narragansett Bay and Watershed Restoration ..$4,000,000 Provides funds for activities to restore and protect the water quality and enhance the economic viability and environmental sustainability of Narragansett Bay and the State's watersheds. Eligible activities include: nonpoint source pollution abatement, including stormwater management; nutrient loading abatement; commercial, industrial and agricultural pollution abatement; and riparian buffer and watershed ecosystem restoration. (b) State Land Acquisition Open Space..$2,500,000 Provides funds for the purchase of land, development rights and conservation easements in Rhode Island. This program acquires recreational and open space lands for the State of Rhode Island in accordance with the Rhode Island Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, Land Protection Plan, and the Rhode Island Greenspace 2000 plan. (c) Farmland Development Rights..$4,500,000 Provides funds for the purchase of agricultural development rights to active farms in Rhode Island. The State purchases the development rights to farms to eliminate the economic pressure on farmers to sell properties for residential and commercial development. The Agricultural Land Preservation Commission accepts and evaluates farmland applications for these funds. (d) Local Land Acquisition Grants..$2,500,000 Provides funds for grants to municipalities, local land trusts and non-profit organizations to acquire fee-simple title, development rights, or conservation easements to open space in Rhode Island. The grants provide funding up to fifty percent (50%) of the purchase price for land, surveys, appraisals and title costs. The grant applications are reviewed and evaluated by the Governor's Natural Heritage Preservation Commission according to the program guidelines. CONTINUED ON NEXT COLUMN
7. AFFORDABLE HOUSING BONDS $25,000,000

Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) for affordable housing. Question 7 Question 7 APPROVE REJECT
3. HIGHER EDUCATION FACILITIES BONDS $50,000,000

Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) for renovations and modernization of academic buildings at Rhode Island College including renovation, upgrade and expansion of health and nursing facilities on the campus of Rhode Island College. Question 3 Question 3 4. APPROVE REJECT
LOCAL QUESTIONS ON SEPARATE BALLOT
VETERANS' HOME BONDS $94,000,000
Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed ninety-four million dollars ($94,000,000) for the construction of a new Veterans' Home and renovations to existing facilities. Any funding amount from federal sources received for these purposes will be used to reduce the amount of borrowed funds. Question 4 Question 4 APPROVE REJECT

Ballot 2
To Vote: Complete the arrow(s)
LOCAL QUESTION
8. CASINO GAMING AT NEWPORT GRAND
"Shall an act be approved which would authorize the facility known as "Newport Grand" in the City of Newport to add state-operated casino gaming, such as table games, to the types of gambling it offers?"
APPROVE REJECT
Precinct ID 0401 Congressional District 1 Representative District 56 Voting District 1 Senate District 16 Council/Ward District 1/1 0
OFFICIAL ELECTION BALLOT STATE OF RHODE ISLAND CITY OF CENTRAL FALLS

PAPELETA OFICIAL PARA LAS ELECCIONES ESTADO DE RHODE ISLAND - CIUDAD DE CENTRAL FALLS
1. Para votar: Complete la flecha o flechas que apuntan hacia su seleccin, con una lnea gruesa, como sta . 2. Para votar por un candidato cuyo nombre no aparece en la papeleta ("write-in candidate"): Escriba el nombre de dicha persona, en letra de molde, en la lnea que dice "Write-In", y adems complete la flecha que apunta hacia el nombre que ha escrito, como sta . 3. Para emitir un voto ntegro por un partido: Complete la flecha que apunta hacia el partido de su eleccin en la seccin de la papeleta del voto ntegro. Si en la papeleta usted emite un voto ntegro y tambin vota por un candidato individual o por candidatos para cierto cargo, el voto ntegro de partido no se contar para ese cargo y solamente el candidato individual o los candidatos por los que vot sern contado para ese cargo.
STRAIGHT PARTY
SENATOR IN CONGRESS Six Year Term Vote for 1 SENADOR EN EL CONGRESO Periodo de seis aos Vote por 1 John F. REED
DEMOCRAT
VOTO NTEGRO
SENATOR IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 16 Two Year Term Vote for 1 SENADOR EN LA ASAMBLEA GENERAL DISTRITO 16 Periodo de dos aos Vote por 1 Elizabeth A. CROWLEY Albert Paul LARIVEE
DEMOCRAT
DEMOCRAT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS FOR: ELECTORES PRESIDENCIALES A FAVOR DE

Robert G. TINGLE
Write-in
REPUBLICAN
REPUBLICAN Write-in
DEMOCRAT
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DISTRICT 1 Two Year Term Vote for 1 REPRESENTANTE EN EL CONGRESO DISTRITO 1 Periodo de dos aos Vote por 1
REPUBLICAN
REPRESENTATIVE IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 56 Two Year Term Vote for 1 REPRESENTANTE EN LA ASAMBLEA GENERAL DISTRITO 56 Periodo de dos aos Vote por 1 Agostinho F. SILVA
Write-in
LIBERTARIAN
Patrick J. KENNEDY Jonathan P. SCOTT

DEMOCRAT
SOCIALISM & LIBERATION President Vice President
Kenneth A. CAPALBO
DEMOCRAT

Independent
CONSTITUTION

GREEN
STATE QUESTIONS ON BACK LAS PROPUESTAS ESTATALES EN EL REVERSO
Write-in


2. OPEN SPACE AND RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BONDS $2,500,000
Approval of this question will authorize the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed $80,000,000 to match federal funds and provide direct funding for improvements to the state's highways, roads and bridges; $3,570,000 to provide funding for commuter rail, and $3,645,000 to purchase and/or rehabilitate buses for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority's bus fleet. BONOS RELACIONADOS CON EL TRANSPORTE $87,215,000
(Captulo 100 - Leyes Pblicas de 2008)
Approval of this question will authorize the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed $2,500,000 to be used by the Department of Environmental Management to purchase or otherwise permanently protect through the purchase of the title, development rights, conservation easements and public recreation easements, greenways and other open space, recreation lands, agriculture lands, forested lands and state parks. BONOS PARA EL FOMENTO DE ESPACIOS ABIERTOS Y RECREATIVOS $2,500,000
Con la aprobacin de esta propuesta se autorizar al Estado de Rhode Island a emitir bonos garantizados por los recursos generales, bonos para refinanciamiento y pagars transitorios por una suma mxima de $80,000,000 para parear con fondos proporcionados por el gobierno federal y para obtener fondos para el financiamiento directo para efectuar mejoras a las autopistas, carreteras y puentes del Estado; $3,570,000 para aportar al financiamiento del transporte ferroviario local y $3,645,000 para la adquisicin o rehabilitacin de autobuses del parque automotriz de la Rhode Island Public Transit Authority. Question 1 Propuesta 1 Question 1 Propuesta 1 APPROVE A FAVOR REJECT EN CONTRA
(Captulos 378/469 - Leyes Pblicas de 2008)
Con la aprobacin de esta propuesta se autorizar al Estado de Rhode Island a emitir bonos garantizados por los recursos generales, bonos para refinanciamiento y pagars transitorios por una suma mxima de $2,500,000 que el Departamento de Gestin Ambiental (Department of Environmental Management) utilizar para adquirir o de alguna otra forma proteger de manera permanente, mediante la adquisicin del ttulo de propiedad de: los derechos de fomento, servidumbres para conservacin y servidumbres para recreacin pblica, zonas verdes y otros espacios abiertos, terrenos recreativos, terrenos agrcolas, terrenos boscosos y parques estatales. Question 2 Propuesta 2 Question 2 Propuesta 2 APPROVE A FAVOR REJECT EN CONTRA

Ballot 1 Papeleta 1
1. Para votar: Complete la flecha o flechas que apuntan hacia su seleccin, con una lnea gruesa, como sta . 2. Para votar por un candidato cuyo nombre no aparece en la papeleta ("write-in candidate"): Escriba el nombre de dicha persona, en letra de molde, en la lnea que dice "Write-In", y adems complete la flecha que apunta hacia el nombre que ha escrito, como sta . 3. Para emitir un voto integro por un partido: Complete la flecha que seala hacia el partido de su eleccin en la seccin de la papeleta en donde se emiten los votos ntegros. Si en la papeleta usted emite un voto integro y tambin vota por un candidato individual o por candidatos postulados para cierto cargo, el voto integro de partido no se contar para ese cargo y solamente el candidato individual o los candidatos por los que se emiti el voto ser contado para ese cargo.
STRAIGHT PARTY
SENATOR IN CONGRESS
Six Year Term Vote for 1
VOTO NTEGRO
SENADOR EN EL CONGRESO
Periodo de seis aos Vote por 1
Sheldon WHITEHOUSE
DEMOCRAT
DEMOCRAT MODERATE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS FOR: ELECTORES PRESIDENCIALES A FAVOR DE


REPUBLICAN Write-in
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DISTRICT 1

REPRESENTANTE EN EL CONGRESO DISTRITO 1


DEMOCRAT
David N. CICILLINE Brendan P. DOHERTY
DEMOCRAT

REPUBLICAN
David S. VOGEL

Libertarian

Constitution
SENATOR IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 16


Justice
SENADOR EN LA ASAMBLEA GENERAL DISTRITO 16


Elizabeth A. CROWLEY Nicholas S. GELFUSO

Write-in MODERATE
DEMOCRAT

Green
REPRESENTATIVE IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 56

Write-in
REPRESENTANTE EN LA ASAMBLEA GENERAL DISTRITO 56

STATE QUESTIONS ON BACK LOCAL QUESTIONS ON SEPARATE BALLOT LAS PROPUESTAS ESTATALES EN EL SIGUIENTO PGINA LAS PROPUESTAS LOCAL EST EN PGINA SEPARADA
Agostinho F. SILVA
Write-in
DEMOCRAT

1. STATE CONSTITUTIONAL APPROVAL

3. HIGHER EDUCATION FACILITIES BONDS $50,000,000 (Chapter 241 - Public Laws 2012)

5. CLEAN WATER FINANCE AGENCY BONDS $20,000,000 (Chapter 241- Public Laws 2012) Approval of this question will authorize the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed twelve million dollars ($12,000,000) to be leveraged with federal and state capitalization grants to finance wastewater infrastructure projects and eight million dollars ($8,000,000) to be leveraged with federal and state capitalization grants to finance drinking water infrastructure projects. 5. BONOS PARA EL DESPACHO QUE FINANCIA AGUAS LIMPIAS $20,000,000 (Captulo 241- Leyes Pblicas de 2012) La aprobacin de esta consulta autorizar al Estado de Rhode Island emitir bonos de obligacin general, bonos de reembolso y pagars transitorios por un monto que no exceda los doce millones de dlares ($12,000,000) que se potencializarn con subvenciones de capitalizacin provenientes de los gobiernos estatal y federal para el financiamiento de proyectos de infraestructura para aguas negras y los ocho millones de dlares ($8,000,000) que se potencializarn con subvenciones de capitalizacin provenientes de los gobiernos estatal y federal para el financiamiento de proyectos de infraestructura para agua potable.
(APPROVAL OF AN ACT AUTHORIZING STATE-OPERATED CASINO GAMING AT TWIN RIVER IN THE TOWN OF LINCOLN) (Section 22 of Article VI of the Constitution) Shall an act be approved which would authorize the facility known as "Twin River" in the town of Lincoln to add state-operated casino gaming, such as table games, to the types of gambling it offers? 1. APROBACIN PARA LA CONSTITUCIN DEL ESTADO (Aprobacin de una ley que autoriza juegos en un casino operado por el estadoen Twin River en el pueblo de Lincoln (Seccin 22 del Artculo VI de la Constitucin)
Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) for renovations and modernization of academic buildings at Rhode Island College including renovation, upgrade and expansion of health and nursing facilities on the campus of Rhode Island College. 3. BONOS PARA CENTROS DE EDUCACIN SUPERIOR $50,000,000 (Captulo 241 - Leyes Pblicas de 2012)
Debe aprobarse una ley que autorizara un sitio denominado "Twin River" en el pueblo de Lincoln en el que se agregaran en un casino operado por el estado, juegos, tales como juegos de mesa, a los tipos de juegos de azar que ya funcionan ah?

2.
La aprobacin de esta consulta le autoriza al Estado de Rhode Island emitir bonos de obligacin general, bonos de reembolso y pagars transitorios en un monto que no exceda los cincuenta millones de dlares ($50,000,000) para la renovacin y modernizacin de edificios acadmicos en Rhode Island College, incluidas renovaciones, actualizaciones y ampliaciones de los centros de salud y enfermera en la ciudad universitaria de Rhode Island College.

4.
(APPROVAL OF AN ACT AUTHORIZING STATE-OPERATED CASINO GAMING AT NEWPORT GRAND IN THE CITY OF NEWPORT) (Section 22 of Article VI of the Constitution) Shall an act be approved which would authorize the facility known as "Newport Grand" in the city of Newport to add state-operated casino gaming, such as table games, to the types of gambling it offers? 2. APROBACIN PARA LA CONSTITUCIN DEL ESTADO
VETERANS' HOME BONDS $94,000,000 (Chapter 241 - Public Laws 2012)
Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed ninety-four million dollars ($94,000,000) for the construction of a new Veterans' Home and renovations to existing facilities. Any funding amount from federal sources received for these purposes will be used to reduce the amount of borrowed funds. 4. BONOS PARA UN HOGAR PARA EXCOMBATIENTES $94,000,000 (Captulo 241 - Leyes Pblicas de 2012)
(Aprobacin de una ley que autoriza juegos en un casino operado por el estado en Newport Grand en la ciudad de Newport) (Seccin 22 del Artculo VI de la Constitucin) Debe aprobarse una ley que autorizara un sitio denominado "Newport Grand" en la ciudad de Newport en el que se agregaran en un casino operado por el estado, juegos, tales como juegos de mesa, a los tipos de juegos de azar que ya funcionan ah?
STATE QUESTIONS CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE LOCAL QUESTIONS ON SEPARATE BALLOT LAS PROPUESTAS ESTATALES EN EL SIGUIENTO PGINA LAS PROPUESTAS LOCAL EST EN PGINA SEPARADA
Aprobacin de esta consulta le autoriza al Estado de Rhode Island emitir bonos de obligacin general, bonos de reembolso y pagars transitorios por un monto que no exceda los noventa y cuatro millones de dlares ($94,000,000) para construir un nuevo Hogar para excombatientes y renovar los centros que ya existen. Toda suma recibida para estos efectos de fuentes federales se utilizar para reducir el monto de los fondos obtenidos por emprstitos.

Ballot 2 Papeleta 2

6. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT BONDS $20,000,000 (Chapter 241 - Public Laws 2012) Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes for environmental and recreational purposes to be allotted as follows: (a) Narragansett Bay and Watershed Restoration..$4,000,000 Provides funds for activities to restore and protect the water quality and enhance the economic viability and environmental sustainability of Narragansett Bay and the State's watersheds. Eligible activities include: nonpoint source pollution abatement, including stormwater management; nutrient loading abatement; commercial, industrial and agricultural pollution abatement; and riparian buffer and watershed ecosystem restoration. (b) State Land Acquisition - Open Space..$2,500,000 Provides funds for the purchase of land, development rights and conservation easements in Rhode Island. This program acquires recreational and open space lands for the State of Rhode Island in accordance with the Rhode Island Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, Land Protection Plan, and the Rhode Island Greenspace 2000 plan. (c) Farmland Development Rights ..$4,500,000 Provides funds for the purchase of agricultural development rights to active farms in Rhode Island. The State purchases the development rights to farms to eliminate the economic pressure on farmers to sell properties for residential and commercial development. The Agricultural Land Preservation Commission accepts and evaluates farmland applications for these funds. (d) Local Land Acquisition Grants ..$2,500,000 Provides funds for grants to municipalities, local land trusts and non-profit organizations to acquire fee-simple title, development rights, or conservation easements to open space in Rhode Island. The grants provide funding up to fifty percent (50%) of the purchase price for land, surveys, appraisals and title costs. The grant applications are reviewed and evaluated by the Governor's Natural Heritage Preservation Commission according to the program guidelines. (e) Local Recreation Grants ..$5,500,000 Provides grants to municipalities for acquisition, development, or rehabilitation of local recreational facilities. These grants provide funding assistance up to fifty percent (50%) of the project costs. All grant applications are evaluated and ranked by the State Recreation Resources Review Committee. (f) Historic/Passive Parks ..$1,000,000 CONTINUED ON NEXT COLUMN CONTINUAN EN LA SIGUIENTE COLUMNA
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS COLUMN CONTINUAN EN LA COLUMNA ANTERIOR Provides grants to municipalities for the renovation and development of historic and passive recreation areas. The grants provide funding assistance up to ninety percent (90%) of the project costs. All grant applications are evaluated and ranked by the State Recreation Resources Review Committee. 6. BONOS DE GESTIN AMBIENTAL $20,000,000 (Captulo 241 - Leyes Pblicas de 2012) La aprobacin de esta consulta le autorizar al Estado de Rhode Island emitir bonos de obligacin general, bonos de reembolso y pagars transitorios para efectos medioambientales y de recreacin que se designarn de la siguiente manera: (a) Restauracin de la Baha de Narragansett y las cuencas del estado ..$4,000,000 Ofrece fondos para restaurar y proteger la calidad del agua y mejorar la viabilidad econmica y la sostenibilidad medioambiental de la Baha de Narragansett y las cuencas del estado. Las actividades que renen los requisitos incluyen: mitigacin de fuentes de contaminacin diseminadas, incluida la gestin de aguas lluvias; reduccin de la carga de nutrientes; moderacin de la contaminacin de fuentes comercial, industria y agrcola; restauracin de zonas de proteccin riberea y de los ecosistemas de las cuencas. (b) Adquisicin estatal de terrenos y espacios abiertos ..$2,500,000 Ofrece fondos para la adquisicin de terrenos, la codificacin de derechos y servidumbres para la preservacin en Rhode Island. Este programa adquiere terrenos abiertos y para fines recreativos a nombre del Estado de Rhode Island conforme al 'Plan integral de Rhode Island de recreacin al aire libre', al 'Plan de proteccin de terrenos' y al 'Plan de espacios verdes 2000 de Rhode Island'. (c) Derechos para el fomento $4,500,000 agropecuario Ofrece fondos para la compra de los derechos de fomento agropecuario a granjas activas en Rhode Island. El Estado adquiere los derechos de fomento a granjas con miras a eliminar la presin econmica que sufren los agricultores para que vendan sus terrenos para efectos de urbanizacin residencial y comercial. La Comisin para la Preservacin de Terrenos Agropecuarios acepta y evala las solicitudes agropecuarias para el uso de estos fondos. (d) Subvenciones para la adquisicin de terrenos locales ..$2,500,000 Ofrece fondos mediante subvenciones a municipios, fideicomisos territoriales locales y entidades sin fines de lucro para la adquisicin de escrituras de posesin incondicional, derechos de fomento y CONTINUED ON NEXT COLUMN CONTINUAN EN LA SIGUIENTE COLUMNA
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS COLUMN CONTINUAN EN LA COLUMNA ANTERIOR urbanizacin o servidumbres de preservacin de espacios abiertos en Rhode Island. Las subvenciones ofrecen fondos por hasta un cincuenta por ciento (50%) del precio de venta de los terrenos, levantamientos topogrficos, valoraciones y costas de escrituracin. Las solicitudes de subvencin son estudiadas y evaluadas segn lineamientos del programa por la Comisin de Conservacin del Patrimonio Natural auspiciada por el despacho del Gobernador. (e) Subvenciones para recreacin local ..$5,500,000 Ofrece subvenciones a municipios para la adquisicin, fomento o rehabilitacin de centros recreativos en la localidad. Estas subvenciones ofrecen asistencia econmica que asciende hasta un cincuenta por ciento (50%) de los costos del proyecto. Todas las solicitudes de subvencin son evaluadas y clasificadas por la Comisin Estatal de Estudio de Recursos Recreativos. (f) Parques histricos y pasivos $1,000,000 Ofrece subvenciones a municipios para la renovacin y fomento de zonas de recreacin histrica y pasiva. Las subvenciones ofrecen asistencia econmica que asciende hasta el noventa por ciento (90%) de los costos del proyecto. Todas las solicitudes de subvencin son evaluadas y clasificadas por la Comisin Estatal de Estudio de Recursos Recreativos.

7.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING BONDS $25,000,000 (Chapter 241 - Public Laws 2012)
Approval of this question will allow the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) for affordable housing. 7. BONOS PARA VIVIENDA COSTEABLE $25,000,000 (Captulo 241 - Leyes Pblicas de 2012)
La aprobacin de esta consulta le autoriza al Estado de Rhode Island emitir bonos de obligacin general, bonos de reembolso y pagars transitorios por un monto que no exceda veinticinco millones de dlares ($25,000,000) para usar para vivienda costeable.
LOCAL QUESTIONS ON SEPARATE BALLOT LAS PROPUESTAS LOCAL EST EN PGINA SEPARADA

Ballot 3 Papeleta 3

QUESTIONS 8 - 16 AMENDMENTS TO CENTRAL FALLS HOME RULE CHARTER (Order dated August 7, 2012 entered pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws 45-9-18) 8. SECTIONS 2-100, 2-101, 2-103, 2-203, 2-208 AND 2-301 AT-LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS "Shall the Central Falls Home Rule Charter be amended to provide that the City Council shall have five (5) members who are elected from each ward and two (2) at-large members, for a total of seven (7) members?" PROPUESTAS 8 - 16 ENMIENDA DE LA CARTA DE AUTONOMA POLTICA DE CENTRAL FALLS (Orden fechada el 7 de agosto de 2012 radicada conforme a las Leyes Generales de R.I. 45-9-18) 8. SECCIONES 2-100, 2-101, 2-103, 2-203, 2-208 Y 2-301 CONCEJALES DE ELECCIN GENERAL 10.

SECTION 2-100 TERM LIMITS FOR COUNCIL 13.

ADD SECTION 4-105 RECALL
"Shall the Central Falls Home Rule Charter be amended to provide that, effective with the next municipal election, no person shall serve as a member of the City Council for more than eight (8) consecutive years? 10. SECCIN 2-100 LMITES A LA DURACIN DEL MANDATO EN EL CONCEJO
"Shall the Central Falls Home Rule Charter be amended to provide that a Mayor shall be subject to recall provided, however that no recall shall be permitted if the Mayor has served less than six months of a first term, or has less than six months left to serve in office, and amended to provide requirements for the recall petition, recall election, and the filling of the vacancy?" 13. AGREGNDOSELE SECCIN 4-105 RETIRO OBLIGATORIO DEL CARGO "Debe enmendarse la Carta de Autonoma Poltica de Central Falls de manera que seale que el Alcalde estar sujeto a ser retirado obligatoriamente del cargo, disponindose no obstante que no se permitir ningn retiro obligatorio del cargo si el Alcalde ha ocupado dicho cargo por menos de seis meses de su primer mandato, o si le quedan menos de seis meses de su mandato en el cargo, y debe enmendarse la Carta de tal manera que se estipulen requisitos para la peticin de retiro obligatorio del cargo, la votacin para dicho retiro obligatorio del cargo, y la manera cmo se ha de llenar dicho cargo cuando quede vacante?"
"Debe enmendarse la Carta de Autonoma Poltica de Central Falls de manera que seale que, con vigencia en la siguiente eleccin municipal, ninguna persona debe ocupar el cargo de concejal del Concejo Municipal por ms de ocho (8) aos consecutivos?

11.
SECTION 2-100 COMPENSATION OF COUNCIL MEMBERS
"Debe enmendarse la Carta de Autonoma Poltica de Central Falls de manera que el Concejo Municipal conste de cinco (5) concejales elegidos uno por cada uno de los distritos electorales y dos (2) concejales elegidos por votacin general, para un total de siete (7) concejales?"
"Shall the Central Falls Home Rule Charter be amended to provide that City Council members shall NOT be eligible for health insurance, dental insurance and retirement benefits from the City?" 11. SECCIN 2-100 REMUNERACIN DE LOS INTEGRANTES DEL CONCEJO

9.
SECTION 2-100 COUNCIL TERMS OF OFFICE
"Debe enmendarse la Carta de Autonoma Poltica de Central Falls de manera que seale que los integrantes del Concejo Municipal NO tendrn derecho a percibir prestaciones de seguro mdico, seguro odontolgico ni prestaciones de jubilacin otorgadas por la Ciudad?"
14. SECTIONS 3-200, 3-400, 6-102 AND 6-109 EVEN-YEAR ELECTIONS "Shall the Central Falls Home Rule Charter be amended to provide that regular municipal elections be held on the 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday in November in even-numbered years, commencing with the even-year regular municipal election to be held in 2016, so that mayoral elections will be on the same dates as national presidential elections?" 14. SECCIONES 3-200, 3-400, 6-102 Y 6-109 ELECCIONES EN AOS PAR "Debe enmendarse la Carta de Autonoma Poltica de Central Falls de manera que seale que la eleccin municipal corriente se ha de efectuar el primer martes despus del primer lunes en noviembre en los aos pares, comenzando con la eleccin municipal corriente en ao par que se realizar en el ao 2016, de manera que las elecciones de alcalde se realicen en las mismas fechas en las que se realizan las elecciones presidenciales nacionales?"
"Shall the Central Falls Home Rule Charter be amended to change the term of office of City Council Members from four (4) years to two (2) years?" 9. SECCIN 2-100 DURACIN DEL MANDATO EN EL CONCEJO

12.
SECTION 3-400 TERM LIMIT FOR MAYOR
"Debe enmendarse la Carta de Autonoma Poltica de Central Falls de manera que se cambie la duracin del mandato de los integrantes de Concejo Municipal de cuatro (4) aos a dos (2) aos?"
"Shall the Central Falls Home Rule Charter be amended to provide that, effective with the next municipal election for Mayor, no person shall serve as Mayor for more than two (2) consecutive terms?" 12. SECCIN 3-400 LMITE DE LA DURACIN DEL MANDATO DEL ALCALDE
"Debe enmendarse la Carta de Autonoma Poltica de Central Falls de manera que seale que con vigencia a partir de la siguiente eleccin municipal para la Alcalda, ninguna persona podr ser Alcalde por ms de dos (2) mandatos consecutivos?"
LOCAL QUESTIONS CONTINUED ON BACK LAS PROPUESTAS LOCALES CONTINUAN EN LA REVERSE

15. SECTION 3-300 RESIDENCY
"Shall the Central Falls Home Rule Charter be amended so that the residency requirements for the office of Mayor are consistent with residency requirements for City Council Members?" 15. SECCIN 3-300 RESIDENCIA
"Debe enmendarse la Carta de Autonoma Poltica de Central Falls de manera que los requisitos de residencia para el cargo del Alcalde sean coherentes con los requisitos de residencia para los integrantes del Concejo Municipal?"

16.
ADD SECTION 3-502 COUNCIL VACANCIES
"Shall the Central Falls Home Rule Charter be amended to provide that if a vacancy occurs on the City Council, then the City Council may fill the vacancy with the unsuccessful candidate for the office from the last regular City election who received at least 30 percent (30%) of the votes cast for that office and if there is no eligible candidate, then there shall be a special City election to fill the vacancy?" 16. AGREGNDOSELE SECCIN 3-502 VACANTES EN EL CONCEJO "Debe enmendarse la Carta de Autonoma Poltica de Central Falls de manera que estipule que si llegase a darse una vacante en el Concejo Municipal, el mismo Concejo Municipal puede llenar la vacante mediante la designacin del candidato perdedor para ese cargo en la ltima eleccin municipal corriente que haya recibido por lo menos el 30 por ciento (30%) de los votos depositados para ese cargo y, si no hubiere un candidato que reuniera los requisitos, entonces se habr de realizar una eleccin municipal especial para llenar la vacante?"
OFFICIAL PRIMARY BALLOT STATE OF RHODE ISLAND CITY OF CENTRAL FALLS

Ballot 4 Papeleta 4
1. To vote: Complete the arrow
pointing to your choice with a single bold line, like this
PAPELETA OFICIAL DE LA PRIMARIA ESTADO DE RHODE ISLAND - CIUDAD DE CENTRAL FALLS

Unexpired Term Vote for 1 Periodo Inconcluso Vote por 1
MAYOR
ALCALDE
Bruce M. CORRIGAN James A. DIOSSA Thomas LAZIEH Joseph P. MORAN, III Tia RISTAINO-SIEGEL

We Have To Fix That

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! ! We!have!to!fix!that:!! Documenting!and!assessing!problems!with!the!! 2012!Rhode!Island!general!election!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 24!Rock,!supra.! ! 12!

*Only!if!electronic!voting!machines!are!used! **!Only!if!paper!ballots!are!used! ! ! +!Only!in!urban!areas! !

OFFICIAL ELECTION BALLOT STATE OF RHODE ISLAND CITY OF PROVIDENCE

1. To vote: Complete the arrow(s)

pointing to your choice(s) with a single bold line, like this

DEMOCRAT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS FOR: ELECTORES PRESIDENCIALES A FAVOR DE

Barack OBAMA Joe BIDEN

President Vice President

John McCAIN Sarah PALIN

President Vice President

Bob BARR Wayne A. ROOT

Patrick J. KENNEDY Jonathan P. SCOTT

President Vice President

SOCIALISM & LIBERATION President Vice President

Gloria La RIVA Robert MOSES

DEMOCRAT Independent Write-in

Ralph NADER Matt GONZALEZ

President Vice President

Chuck BALDWIN Darrell L. CASTLE

President Vice President

Cynthia McKINNEY Rosa CLEMENTE

STATE QUESTIONS ON BACK LAS PROPUESTAS ESTATALES EN EL REVERSO

STATE QUESTIONS PROPUESTAS ESTATALES

STATE QUESTIONS PROPUESTAS ESTATALES

(Chapter 100 - Public Laws 2008)

(Captulos 378/469 - Leyes Pblicas de 2008)

OFFICIAL ELECTION BALLOT STATE OF RHODE ISLAND CITY OF PROVIDENCE

1. To vote: Complete the arrow(s)

pointing to your choice(s) with a single bold line, like this

SENATOR IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 6

DEMOCRAT MODERATE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS FOR: ELECTORES PRESIDENCIALES A FAVOR DE

B. Barrett HINCKLEY, III

SENADOR EN LA ASAMBLEA GENERAL DISTRITO 6

Harold M. METTS Russell C. HRYZAN

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DISTRICT 1

REPRESENTANTE EN EL CONGRESO DISTRITO 1

REPRESENTATIVE IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 2

Barack OBAMA Joe BIDEN

David N. CICILLINE Brendan P. DOHERTY

President Vice President

Mitt ROMNEY Paul RYAN

REPRESENTANTE EN LA ASAMBLEA GENERAL DISTRITO 2

REPUBLICAN Independent Write-in

President Vice President

Gary JOHNSON James P. GRAY

President Vice President

Virgil GOODE Jim CLYMER

President Vice President President Vice President

Ross C. "Rocky" ANDERSON Luis J. RODRIGUEZ

Peta LINDSAY Yari OSORIO

President Vice President

Jill STEIN Cheri HONKALA

VOTE POR AMBAS CARAS DE LA PAPELETA, POR EN FRENTE Y POR EL REVERSO

STATE QUESTIONS PROPUESTAS ESTATALES

STATE QUESTIONS PROPUESTAS ESTATALES

STATE QUESTIONS PROPUESTAS ESTATALES

Question 1 Propuesta 1 Question 1 Propuesta 1

APPROVE A FAVOR REJECT EN CONTRA

STATE CONSTITUTIONAL APPROVAL

Question 3 Propuesta 3 Question 3 Propuesta 3

APPROVE A FAVOR REJECT EN CONTRA