we have to fix that

!

!!!

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

!!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!nation’s!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! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !1!!Recent!changes!to!Rhode!Island!election!law! ! ! !2!!What!happened!on!November!6th!in!Rhode!Island! ! !4!! Case!Study!#1:!Ballot!handling! ! ! ! !7!! Case!Study!#2:!Juanita!Sanchez!Complex! ! ! !8!!Why!the!long!lines?! ! ! ! ! ! ! 11!! Nature!of!the!2012!election! ! ! ! ! 11!! Statutory!changes!! ! ! ! ! ! 12!! Election!administration!problems! ! ! ! 14!! Other!factors! ! ! ! ! ! ! 17!!Possible!solutions! ! ! ! ! ! ! 17!!Conclusions! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 19!!Appendices! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 21!!!

‘We$have$to$fix$that’$ $ Common$Cause$Education$Fund$

! 1!

!I. 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!president’s!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/obamaJlongJlinesJpolls_n_2086291.html!2!Scott!Powers!and!David!Damron,!Analysis:$201,000$in$Florida$Didn’t$Vote$Because$of$Long$Lines.!Orlando!Sentinel,!Jan.!29,!2013,!available$at$http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013J01J29/business/osJvoterJlinesJstatewideJ20130118_1_longJlinesJsentinelJanalysisJstateJkenJdetzner;!Benjamin!Highton,.!Long$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).!


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!• 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.!


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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!voter’s!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.!


! 4!

!• 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!HJ7894)!

o Include!victims!of!domestic!violence!in!address!confidentiality!law!preventing!disclosure!of!their!addresses!(2010!H!7526/SJ2558)!(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.!


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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!!


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!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.!!!


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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$http://www.wpri.com/dpp/elections/wrongJballotsJdeliveredJvotersJturnedJaway.!12!Michelle!R.!Smith,!Wrong$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/wrongJballotsJdeliveredJinJwestJwarwickready.html.!


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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!couldn’t!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! didn’t! 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$http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Skin=ProvidenceJournal&Source=MyColl&ViewMode=GIF&AppName=2&BaseHref=TPJ/2012/11/07&EntityId=Ar01300&PageLabelPrint=A13.;!!Alisha!Pina,!Chaos$for$voters$at$Juanita$Sanchez,!!Providence!Journal,!!Nov.!8,!2012,!available$at$http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&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


! 9!

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![Cardi’s!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).!


! 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.”!

!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=Archive&Skin=ProvidenceJournal&Source=MyColl&ViewMode=GIF&AppName=2&BaseHref=TPJ/2012/11/21&EntityId=Ar00505&PageLabelPrint=A5.!!!20!Edgar,!supra.!


! 11!

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,$here’s$how$to$fix$voting$in$RI,$WPRI.com,!Sept.!25,!2012,!available$at$http://blogs.wpri.com/2012/09/25/marionJafterJsanJbentoJvJtobonJheresJhowJtoJfixJvotingJinJri/.!22!Numbers!provided!by!Rob!Rock,!Elections!Division!of!Rhode!Island!Secretary!of!State’s!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=Archive&Skin=ProvidenceJournal&Source=MyColl&ViewMode=GIF&AppName=2&BaseHref=TPJ/2012/12/07&EntityId=Ar00401&PageLabelPrint=A4.!


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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!State’s!office.!The!Voter!Information!Center!(VIC)!website!maintained!by!the!Secretary!of!State!saw!

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


! 13!

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.!!It’s!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!Island’s!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$turnout$wasn’t$the$only$huge$number$on$Election$Day!(Nov.!15,!2012),!available$at$http://www.ri.gov/press/view/17973.!26!Rock,!supra.!27!Rock,!supra.!


! 14!

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!preJregistered.!!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!Author’s!observation!of!report!by!Executive!Director!Robert!Kando!to!Rhode!Island!Board!of!Elections!on!November!20,!2012.!!!29!Parker,!supra.!


! 15!

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!LJP…As!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.”!

!!


! 16!

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!author’s!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.!!!!


! 17!

!At!the!author’s!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!Obama’s!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.!


! 18!

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$location.!!Modern!technology,!such!as!automated!text!messaging!for!instance,!could!be!used!to!push!such!information!out!to!voters.!!Additionally!we!would!encourage!the!Secretary!of!State’s!office!to!continue!to!collaborate!with!the!Voter!Information!Project!to!make!election!information!more!accessible,!particularly!through!social!media.34!!The!dramatic!increase!seen!by!the!Secretary!of!State’s!office!in!accessing!the!Voter!Information!Center!via!mobile!devices!emphasizes!the!need!to!embrace!new!ways!of!reaching!voters!online.35!!The!Board!of!Elections!has!suggested!that!the!time!has!come!for!Rhode!Island!to!purchase!new!optical!scanners.!!Common!Cause!recognizes!the$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/votingJinformationJprojectJ85899376415.!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.!


! 19!

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!State’s!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!design’s!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!state’s!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!state’s!Voter!ID!law!remains!in!place.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!37!For!a!list!of!states!that!allow!early!voting!see:!http://www.ncsl.org/legislaturesJelections/elections/absenteeJandJearlyJvoting.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/asJmoreJvoteJbyJmailJfaultyJballotsJcouldJimpactJelections.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.!39!See:!http://www.aiga.org/designJforJdemocracy/!


! 20!

!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.! !


! 21!

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!!!!! !


! 22!

Appendix!B!!

!*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!Act’s!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)!!!!! !

Legally Imposed Precinct Size of Each State(No Entry: No Legally Enforced Precinct Minimum or Maximum Populations)

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

5500

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

Proposed+RI+Precinct++++


! 23!

Appendix!C!!

Sample!ballots!!!

OFFICIAL ELECTION BALLOTSTATE OF RHODE ISLAND

CITY OF PROVIDENCETUESDAY, 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 astraight 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 countedfor that office and only the individual candidate or candidates voted for will be counted for that office.

STATE QUESTIONSON BACK

LAS PROPUESTASESTATALES EN EL

REVERSO

0 0

1. Para votar: Complete la flecha o flechas que apuntan hacia su selección, con una línea gruesa, como ésta .

2. Para votar por un candidato cuyo nombre no aparece en la papeleta ("write-in candidate"): Escriba el nombre de dicha persona, en letra demolde, en la línea que dice "Write-In", y además complete la flecha que apunta hacia el nombre que ha escrito, como ésta .

3. Para emitir un voto íntegro por un partido: Complete la flecha que apunta hacia el partido de su elección en la sección de la papeleta del votoíntegro. Si en la papeleta usted emite un voto íntegro y también vota por un candidato individual o por candidatos para cierto cargo, el voto íntegro departido no se contará para ese cargo y solamente el candidato individual o los candidatos por los que votó serán contado para ese cargo.

PAPELETA OFICIAL PARA LAS ELECCIONESESTADO DE RHODE ISLAND - CIUDAD DE PROVIDENCE

VOTE BOTH FRONT AND BACK OF BALLOTVOTE TANTO EN EL FRENTE COMO EL REVERSO DE LA PAPELETA

Precinct ID 2801

Congressional District 1

Representative District 1

Voting District 1

Senate District 1

Council/Ward 12

STRAIGHT PARTYTo vote a "Straight Ticket" complete the

arrow pointingto the party of your choice.

VOTO ÍNTEGROPara emitir un voto íntegro a favor de

un partido, complete la flecha queapunta hacia el partido que prefiera.

DEMOCRAT

REPUBLICAN

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORSFOR:

ELECTORES PRESIDENCIALESA FAVOR DE

President Barack OBAMAVice President Joe BIDEN

DEMOCRAT

President John McCAINVice President Sarah PALIN

REPUBLICAN

President Bob BARRVice President Wayne A. ROOT

LIBERTARIAN

President Gloria La RIVAVice President Robert MOSES

SOCIALISM & LIBERATION

President Ralph NADERVice President Matt GONZALEZ

Independent

President Chuck BALDWINVice President Darrell L. CASTLE

CONSTITUTION

President Cynthia McKINNEYVice President Rosa CLEMENTE

GREEN

Write-in

SENATOR IN CONGRESSSix Year Term

Vote for 1

SENADOR EN EL CONGRESOPeriodo de seis años

Vote por 1

John F. REEDDEMOCRAT

Robert G. TINGLEREPUBLICAN

Write-in

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESSDISTRICT 1

Two Year TermVote for 1

REPRESENTANTE ENEL CONGRESO

DISTRITO 1Periodo de dos años

Vote por 1

Patrick J. KENNEDYDEMOCRAT

Jonathan P. SCOTTREPUBLICAN

Kenneth A. CAPALBOIndependent

Write-in

SENATOR INGENERAL ASSEMBLY

DISTRICT 1Two Year Term

Vote for 1

SENADOR ENLA ASAMBLEA GENERAL


Vote por 1

MaryEllen GOODWINDEMOCRAT

Anthony F. DEMINGSREPUBLICAN

Write-in

REPRESENTATIVE INGENERAL ASSEMBLY


Vote for 1

REPRESENTANTE ENLA ASAMBLEA GENERAL


Vote por 1

John J. McCAULEY, JR.DEMOCRAT

Daniel J. GRZYCHIndependent

Write-in


STATE QUESTIONSPROPUESTAS ESTATALES

1.TRANSPORTATION BONDS

$87,215,000(Chapter 100 - Public Laws 2008)

Approval of this question willauthorize the State of Rhode Islandto issue general obligation bonds,refunding bonds, and temporarynotes in an amount not to exceed$80,000,000 to match federal fundsand provide direct funding forimprovements to the state'shighways, roads and bridges;$3,570,000 to provide funding forcommuter rail, and $3,645,000 topurchase and/or rehabilitate busesfor the Rhode Island Public TransitAuthority's bus fleet.

BONOS RELACIONADOS CONEL TRANSPORTE

$87,215,000(Capítulo 100 - Leyes Públicas de

2008)

Con la aprobación de estapropuesta se autorizará al Estadode Rhode Island a emitir bonosgarantizados por los recursosgenerales, bonos pararefinanciamiento y pagaréstransitorios por una suma máximade $80,000,000 para parear confondos proporcionados por elgobierno federal y para obtenerfondos para el financiamientodirecto para efectuar mejoras a lasautopistas, carreteras y puentesdel Estado; $3,570,000 paraaportar al financiamiento deltransporte ferroviario local y$3,645,000 para la adquisición orehabilitación de autobuses delparque automotriz de la RhodeIsland Public Transit Authority.

Question 1 APPROVEPropuesta 1 A FAVORQuestion 1 REJECTPropuesta 1 EN CONTRA


2.OPEN SPACE AND

RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENTBONDS

$2,500,000(Chapters 378/469 - Public Laws 2008)

Approval of this question willauthorize the State of Rhode Islandto issue general obligation bonds,refunding bonds, and temporarynotes in an amount not to exceed$2,500,000 to be used by theDepartment of EnvironmentalManagement to purchase orotherwise permanently protectthrough the purchase of the title,development rights, conservationeasements and public recreationeasements, greenways and otheropen space, recreation lands,agriculture lands, forested landsand state parks.

BONOS PARA EL FOMENTO DEESPACIOS ABIERTOS Y

RECREATIVOS$2,500,000

(Capítulos 378/469 - Leyes Públicas de2008)

Con la aprobación de estapropuesta se autorizará al Estadode Rhode Island a emitir bonosgarantizados por los recursosgenerales, bonos pararefinanciamiento y pagaréstransitorios por una suma máximade $2,500,000 que elDepartamento de GestiónAmbiental (Department ofEnvironmental Management)utilizará para adquirir o de algunaotra forma proteger de manerapermanente, mediante laadquisición del título de propiedadde: los derechos de fomento,servidumbres para conservación yservidumbres para recreaciónpública, zonas verdes y otrosespacios abiertos, terrenosrecreativos, terrenos agrícolas,terrenos boscosos y parquesestatales.








LOCAL QUESTIONSON SEPARATE BALLOT

LAS PROPUESTASESTATALES EN ELSIGUIENTO PÁGINALAS PROPUESTASLOCAL ESTÁ EN

PÁGINA SEPARADA

0 0



3. Para emitir un voto integro por un partido: Complete la flecha que señala hacia el partido de su elección en la sección de la papeleta en donde seemiten los votos íntegros. Si en la papeleta usted emite un voto integro y también vota por un candidato individual o por candidatos postulados paracierto cargo, el voto integro de partido no se contará para ese cargo y solamente el candidato individual o los candidatos por los que se emitió el votoserá contado para ese cargo.

VOTE BOTH FRONT AND BACK OF BALLOTVOTE POR AMBAS CARAS DE LA PAPELETA, POR EN FRENTE Y POR EL REVERSO

Precinct ID 2810


Senate District 6


Council/Ward District 1/4

Voting District 10


Ballot 1Papeleta 1





DEMOCRAT

MODERATE

REPUBLICAN




DEMOCRAT

President Mitt ROMNEYVice President Paul RYAN

REPUBLICAN

President Gary JOHNSONVice President James P. GRAY

Libertarian

President Virgil GOODEVice President Jim CLYMER

Constitution

President Ross C. "Rocky" ANDERSON

Vice President Luis J. RODRIGUEZJustice

President Peta LINDSAYVice President Yari OSORIO

Socialism and Liberation

President Jill STEINVice President Cheri HONKALA

Green

Write-in


Vote for 1


Vote por 1Sheldon WHITEHOUSE

DEMOCRAT

B. Barrett HINCKLEY, IIIREPUBLICAN

Write-in





Vote por 1

David N. CICILLINEDEMOCRAT

Brendan P. DOHERTYREPUBLICAN

David S. VOGELIndependent

Write-in



Vote for 1



Vote por 1Harold M. METTS

DEMOCRAT

Russell C. HRYZANREPUBLICAN

Write-in



Vote for 1



Vote por 1Christopher R. BLAZEJEWSKI

DEMOCRAT

Write-in


STATE QUESTIONSCONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

LOCAL QUESTIONS ONSEPARATE BALLOT

LAS PROPUESTAS ESTATALESEN EL SIGUIENTO PÁGINALAS PROPUESTAS LOCAL

ESTÁ EN PÁGINA SEPARADA

STATE QUESTIONSPROPUESTAS ESTATALES1.

STATE CONSTITUTIONALAPPROVAL

(APPROVAL OF AN ACTAUTHORIZING STATE-OPERATED

CASINO GAMING AT TWIN RIVER INTHE TOWN OF LINCOLN)

(Section 22 of Article VI of theConstitution)

Shall an act be approved which would authorize the facility known as"Twin River" in the town of Lincoln toadd state-operated casinogaming, such as table games, to thetypes of gambling it offers?

1.APROBACIÓN

PARA LA CONSTITUCIÓN DELESTADO

(Aprobación de una ley que autorizajuegos en un casino

operado por el estadoen Twin Riveren el pueblo de Lincoln

(Sección 22 del Artículo VI de laConstitución)

¿Debe aprobarse una ley queautorizaría un sitio denominado "TwinRiver" en el pueblo de Lincoln en el quese agregarían en un casino operadopor el estado, juegos, talescomo juegos de mesa, a los tipos dejuegos de azar que ya funcionan ahí?

Question 1 APPROVEPropuesta 1 A FAVORQuestion 1 REJECTPropuesta 1 EN CONTRA2.


(APPROVAL OF AN ACTAUTHORIZING STATE-OPERATEDCASINO GAMING AT NEWPORT

GRAND IN THECITY OF NEWPORT)


Shall an act be approved whichwould authorize the facility known as"Newport Grand" in the city of Newportto add state-operated casino gaming,such as table games, to the types ofgambling it offers?

2.APROBACIÓN PARA LA

CONSTITUCIÓN DEL ESTADO

(Aprobación de una ley que autorizajuegos en un casino operado por el

estado en Newport Granden la ciudad de Newport)


¿Debe aprobarse una ley queautorizaría un sitio denominado"Newport Grand" en la ciudad deNewport en el que se agregarían en uncasino operado por el estado, juegos,tales como juegos de mesa, a los tiposde juegos de azar que ya funcionanahí?Question 2 APPROVEPropuesta 2 A FAVORQuestion 2 REJECTPropuesta 2 EN CONTRA


HIGHER EDUCATION FACILITIESBONDS


Approval of this question will allowthe State of Rhode Island to issuegeneral obligation bonds, refundingbonds, and temporary notes in anamount not to exceed fifty milliondollars ($50,000,000) for renovationsand modernization of academicbuildings at Rhode Island Collegeincluding renovation, upgrade andexpansion of health and nursingfacilities on the campus of Rhode IslandCollege.

3.BONOS PARA CENTROS DE

EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR$50,000,000

(Capítulo 241 - Leyes Públicas de2012)

La aprobación de esta consulta leautoriza al Estado de Rhode Islandemitir bonos de obligación general,bonos de reembolso y pagaréstransitorios en un monto que no excedalos cincuenta millones de dólares($50,000,000) para la renovación ymodernización de edificios académicosen Rhode Island College, incluidasrenovaciones, actualizaciones yampliaciones de los centros de salud yenfermería en la ciudad universitaria deRhode Island College.


VETERANS' HOME BONDS$94,000,000

(Chapter 241 - Public Laws 2012)

Approval of this question will allowthe State of Rhode Island to issuegeneral obligation bonds, refundingbonds, and temporary notes in anamount not to exceed ninety-fourmillion dollars ($94,000,000) for theconstruction of a new Veterans' Homeand renovations to existing facilities.Any funding amount from federalsources received for these purposeswill be used to reduce the amount ofborrowed funds.

4.BONOS PARA UN HOGAR PARA

EXCOMBATIENTES$94,000,000


Aprobación de esta consulta leautoriza al Estado de Rhode Islandemitir bonos de obligación general,bonos de reembolso y pagaréstransitorios por un monto que noexceda los noventa y cuatro millonesde dólares ($94,000,000) para construirun nuevo Hogar para excombatientes yrenovar los centros que ya existen.Toda suma recibida para estos efectosde fuentes federales se utilizará parareducir el monto de los fondosobtenidos por empréstitos.Question 4 APPROVEPropuesta 4 A FAVORQuestion 4 REJECTPropuesta 4 EN CONTRA

STATE QUESTIONSPROPUESTAS ESTATALES5.CLEAN WATER FINANCE AGENCY

BONDS$20,000,000

(Chapter 241- Public Laws 2012)

Approval of this question willauthorize the State of Rhode Island toissue general obligation bonds,refunding bonds, and temporary notesin an amount not to exceed twelvemillion dollars ($12,000,000) to beleveraged with federal and statecapitalization grants to financewastewater infrastructure projects andeight million dollars ($8,000,000) to beleveraged with federal and statecapitalization grants to finance drinkingwater infrastructure projects.

5.BONOS PARA EL DESPACHO QUE

FINANCIA AGUAS LIMPIAS$20,000,000

(Capítulo 241- Leyes Públicas de 2012)

La aprobación de esta consultaautorizará al Estado de Rhode Islandemitir bonos de obligación general,bonos de reembolso y pagaréstransitorios por un monto que noexceda los doce millones de dólares($12,000,000) que se potencializaráncon subvenciones de capitalizaciónprovenientes de los gobiernos estatal yfederal para el financiamiento deproyectos de infraestructura para aguasnegras y los ocho millones de dólares($8,000,000) que se potencializaráncon subvenciones de capitalizaciónprovenientes de los gobiernos estatal yfederal para el financiamiento deproyectos de infraestructura para aguapotable.




1. Para votar: Complete la flecha o flechas que apuntan hacia su selección, con una línea gruesa, comoésta .

0 0

Precinct ID 2810


Senate District 6



Voting District 10


CONTINUED ON NEXT COLUMNCONTINUAN EN LA

SIGUIENTE COLUMNA

CONTINUED FROMPREVIOUS COLUMNCONTINUAN EN LA

COLUMNA ANTERIOR


SIGUIENTE COLUMNA


COLUMNA ANTERIOR

Ballot 2Papeleta 2


LOCAL QUESTIONS ON SEPARATEBALLOT

LAS PROPUESTAS LOCAL ESTÁ ENPÁGINA SEPARADA


6.ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

BONDS$20,000,000


Approval of this question will allowthe State of Rhode Island to issuegeneral obligation bonds, refundingbonds, and temporary notes forenvironmental and recreationalpurposes to be allotted as follows:

(a) Narragansett Bay andWatershed Restoration..$4,000,000 Provides funds for activities torestore and protect the water qualityand enhance the economic viability andenvironmental sustainability ofNarragansett Bay and the State'swatersheds. Eligible activities include:nonpoint source pollution abatement,including stormwater management;nutrient loading abatement;commercial, industrial and agriculturalpollution abatement; and riparian bufferand watershed ecosystem restoration. (b) State Land Acquisition - OpenSpace..$2,500,000 Provides funds for the purchase ofland, development rights andconservation easements in RhodeIsland. This program acquiresrecreational and open space lands forthe State of Rhode Island inaccordance with the Rhode IslandComprehensive Outdoor RecreationPlan, Land Protection Plan, and theRhode Island Greenspace 2000 plan. (c) Farmland Development Rights..$4,500,000 Provides funds for the purchase ofagricultural development rights to activefarms in Rhode Island. The Statepurchases the development rights tofarms to eliminate the economicpressure on farmers to sell propertiesfor residential and commercialdevelopment. The Agricultural LandPreservation Commission accepts andevaluates farmland applications forthese funds. (d) Local Land Acquisition Grants..$2,500,000 Provides funds for grants tomunicipalities, local land trusts andnon-profit organizations to acquirefee-simple title, development rights, orconservation easements to open spacein Rhode Island. The grants providefunding up to fifty percent (50%) of thepurchase price for land, surveys,appraisals and title costs. The grantapplications are reviewed andevaluated by the Governor's NaturalHeritage Preservation Commissionaccording to the program guidelines. (e) Local Recreation Grants..$5,500,000 Provides grants to municipalities foracquisition, development, orrehabilitation of local recreationalfacilities. These grants provide fundingassistance up to fifty percent (50%) ofthe project costs. All grant applicationsare evaluated and ranked by the StateRecreation Resources ReviewCommittee. (f) Historic/Passive Parks..$1,000,000

Provides grants to municipalities for therenovation and development of historicand passive recreation areas. Thegrants provide funding assistance up toninety percent (90%) of the projectcosts. All grant applications areevaluated and ranked by the StateRecreation Resources ReviewCommittee.

6.BONOS DE GESTIÓN AMBIENTAL


2012) La aprobación de esta consulta leautorizará al Estado de Rhode Islandemitir bonos de obligación general,bonos de reembolso y pagaréstransitorios para efectosmedioambientales y de recreación quese designarán de la siguiente manera:

(a) Restauración de la Bahía deNarragansett y las cuencas delestado ..$4,000,000 Ofrece fondos para restaurar yproteger la calidad del agua y mejorarla viabilidad económica y lasostenibilidad medioambiental de laBahía de Narragansett y las cuencasdel estado. Las actividades que reúnenlos requisitos incluyen: mitigación defuentes de contaminación diseminadas,incluida la gestión de aguas lluvias;reducción de la carga de nutrientes;moderación de la contaminación defuentes comercial, industria y agrícola;restauración de zonas de protecciónribereña y de los ecosistemas de lascuencas. (b) Adquisición estatal deterrenos y espacios abiertos..$2,500,000 Ofrece fondos para la adquisiciónde terrenos, la codificación dederechos y servidumbres para lapreservación en Rhode Island. Esteprograma adquiere terrenos abiertos ypara fines recreativos a nombre delEstado de Rhode Island conforme al'Plan integral de Rhode Island derecreación al aire libre', al 'Plan deprotección de terrenos' y al 'Plan deespacios verdes 2000 de RhodeIsland'. (c) Derechos para el fomentoagropecuario $4,500,000 Ofrece fondos para la compra de losderechos de fomento agropecuario agranjas activas en Rhode Island. ElEstado adquiere los derechos defomento a granjas con miras a eliminarla presión económica que sufren losagricultores para que vendan susterrenos para efectos de urbanizaciónresidencial y comercial. La Comisiónpara la Preservación de TerrenosAgropecuarios acepta y evalúa lassolicitudes agropecuarias para el usode estos fondos. (d) Subvenciones para laadquisición de terrenos locales..$2,500,000 Ofrece fondos mediantesubvenciones a municipios,fideicomisos territoriales locales yentidades sin fines de lucro para laadquisición de escrituras de posesiónincondicional, derechos de fomento y

urbanización o servidumbres depreservación de espacios abiertos enRhode Island. Las subvencionesofrecen fondos por hasta un cincuentapor ciento (50%) del precio de venta delos terrenos, levantamientostopográficos, valoraciones y costas deescrituración. Las solicitudes desubvención son estudiadas y evaluadassegún lineamientos del programa por laComisión de Conservación delPatrimonio Natural auspiciada por eldespacho del Gobernador. (e) Subvenciones para recreaciónlocal ..$5,500,000 Ofrece subvenciones a municipiospara la adquisición, fomento orehabilitación de centros recreativos enla localidad. Estas subvencionesofrecen asistencia económica queasciende hasta un cincuenta por ciento(50%) de los costos del proyecto.Todas las solicitudes de subvenciónson evaluadas y clasificadas por laComisión Estatal de Estudio deRecursos Recreativos. (f) Parques históricos y pasivos $1,000,000 Ofrece subvenciones a municipiospara la renovación y fomento de zonasde recreación histórica y pasiva. Lassubvenciones ofrecen asistenciaeconómica que asciende hasta elnoventa por ciento (90%) de los costosdel proyecto. Todas las solicitudes desubvención son evaluadas yclasificadas por la Comisión Estatal deEstudio de Recursos Recreativos.


AFFORDABLE HOUSING BONDS$25,000,000


Approval of this question will allowthe State of Rhode Island to issuegeneral obligation bonds, refundingbonds, and temporary notes in anamount not to exceed twenty-fivemillion dollars ($25,000,000) foraffordable housing.

7.BONOS PARA VIVIENDA

COSTEABLE$25,000,000


La aprobación de esta consulta leautoriza al Estado de Rhode Islandemitir bonos de obligación general,bonos de reembolso y pagaréstransitorios por un monto que noexceda veinticinco millones de dólares($25,000,000) para usar para viviendacosteable.





0 0

Precinct ID 2810


Senate District 6



Voting District 10


Ballot 3Papeleta 3


LOCAL QUESTIONSCONTINUED ON BACK

LAS PROPUESTASLOCALES CONTINUAN EN

LA REVERSE


LOCAL QUESTIONSPROPUESTAS LOCALES

8.Finance the Design, Construction,

Repair, Rehabilitation andImprovement of Streets and

Sidewalks$40,000,000

"Shall an Ordinance of the City Councileffective on July 31, 2012 authorizingthe issuance of up to $40,000,000general obligation bonds of the City tofinance the design, construction, repair,rehabilitation and improvement ofstreets and sidewalks in the City,including but not limited to, drainage,traffic control devices, safetyimprovements and landscaping,pursuant to Rhode Island General Laws§ 45-12-2 and § 807 of the City's HomeRule Charter, be approved?"

8.Financiar el diseño, la construcción,

la reparacion, la rehabilitación ymejoras de las vías y aceras

$40,000,000

"Debe aprobarse una ordenanza delConcejo Municipal que adquirióvigencia el 31 de julio de 2012 y queautoriza la emisión de hasta$40,000,000 en bonos de obligacióngeneral emitidos por la Ciudad parafinanciar el diseño, la construcción, lareparación, la rehabilitación y mejorasde las vías y aceras en la Ciudad,incluyendo, sin que por ello se limite,desagües, dispositivos para el controldel tránsito, mejoras de seguridad ypaisajismo, conforme a las LeyesGenerales de Rhode Island, Sección45-12-2 y la Sección 807 de la Carta deAutonomía Política de la Ciudad?"

Question 8 YESPropuesta 8 SIQuestion 8 NOPropuesta 8 NO


QUESTIONS 9 - 18AMENDMENTS TO THE

PROVIDENCEHOME RULE CHARTER

9.Shall the terms used in the Charter bedefined as follows for clarity andconsistency? [Adds Section 107]

(a) "City" shall mean the City ofProvidence, in the County ofProvidence, and the State of RhodeIsland.

(b) "Council" shall mean the dulyelected city council of the City ofProvidence.

(c) "Domiciled" shall mean that placewhere a person has his or her true,fixed, and permanent home andprincipal establishment, and to whichwhenever he or she is absent has theintention of returning.

(d) Mayor. Whenever the word "mayor"is used, it shall mean the mayor of theCity of Providence.

(e) "Quorum" shall mean a majority ofthe members of a public body or dulyappointed committee.

PROPUESTAS 9 - 18ENMIENDA DE LA CARTA DE

AUTONOMÍA POLÍTICA DEPROVIDENCE

9.¿Deben definirse los términos de laCarta como se detalla a continuaciónpara efectos de claridad y coherencia?[Se agrega la sección 107]

a) "Ciudad" (en inglés City) significa laciudad de Providence, en el condadode Providence y en el estado de RhodeIsland.

(b) "Concejo" (en inglés Council)significa el concejo municipal de laciudad de Providence, debidamenteelegido.

(c) "Domiciliado" (en inglés Domiciled)significa aquel lugar en el que lapersona tiene su hogar permanente, fijoy verídico, y su establecimientoprincipal, y al cual, siempre que seausente, tiene la intención de regresar.

(d) Alcalde. (en inglés Mayor) Siempreque se use la palabra "alcalde",significa el alcalde de la ciudad deProvidence.

(e) "Quórum" (en inglés Quorum)significa una mayoría de los integrantesde un cuerpo público o de una comisióno comité debidamente designado.



10.Shall charter review commissions beappointed as of September 1, 2021,and every ten years thereafter?[Amends Section 1302]

10.¿Deben designarse comisiones derevisión de la Carta a partir del 1º deseptiembre de 2021 y posteriormentecada diez años? [Se enmienda lasección 1302]

Question 10 YESPropuesta 10 SIQuestion 10 NOPropuesta 10 NO11.Shall amendments approved byelectors of the city be effective uponapproval, unless otherwise noted?[Amends Section 1401]

11.¿Deben las enmiendas aprobadas porlos electores de la ciudad cobrarvigencia al ser aprobados a menos quese indique lo contrario? [Se enmiendala sección 1401]

Question 11 YESPropuesta 11 SIQuestion 11 NOPropuesta 11 NO12.Shall the term "personnel department"be replaced with "human resourcesdepartment" wherever it appears in thecharter? [Amends Sections 901 through903]

12.¿Debe la expresión "departamento depersonal" cambiarse por "departamentode recursos humanos" en todos lossitios donde figure en la Carta? [Seenmiendan las secciones 901 a 903]

Question 12 YESPropuesta 12 SIQuestion 12 NOPropuesta 12 NO13.Shall it be the responsibility of thehuman resources department toenforce the procedures for suspension,discharge, reduction in class position,and layoff of employees? [AmendsSection 903(j).]

13.¿Debe ser responsabilidad deldepartamento de recursos humanosencargarse de hacer cumplir losprocedimientos de suspensión,despido, reducción de la posición enclase, y suspensión temporal deempleados? [Se enmienda la sección903(j).]




14.Shall the responsibilities of the humanresources department be changed toeliminate examining and approving allpayrolls, and monitoring residencyrequirements? [Amends Sections 903(l) and (p).]

14.¿Deben cambiarse lasresponsabilidades del departamento derecursos humanos de manera que seelimine el estudio y la aprobación detodas las nóminas y el control de losrequisitos de residencia? [Seenmiendan las secciones 903 (l) y (p).]

Question 14 YESPropuesta 14 SIQuestion 14 NOPropuesta 14 NO15.Shall the qualifications for the directorof the department of public property bea bachelor's degree, or a minimum offive (5) years of experience in the field?[Amends Section 1006]

15.¿Deben las aptitudes requeridas paraser el director del departamento debienes públicos ser un títulouniversitario o un mínimo de cinco (5)años de experiencia en el ramo? [Seenmienda la sección 1006]

Question 15 YESPropuesta 15 SIQuestion 15 NOPropuesta 15 NO16.Shall the Providence EmergencyManagement Agency and HomelandProtection Department be placed underthe jurisdiction of the Department ofPublic Safety, under the supervision ofthe Commissioner of Public Safety?[Amends Section 1001]

16.¿Deben colocarse la Agencia deManejo de Emergencias en Providencey el Departamento de SeguridadNacional dentro de la jurisdicción delDepartamento de Seguridad Pública,bajo la supervisión del Comisionado deSeguridad Pública? [Se enmienda lasección 1001]Question 16 YESPropuesta 16 SIQuestion 16 NOPropuesta 16 NO17.Shall the Charter prohibit city officialsfrom using their authority or influence tosecure city employment for any personwithin his or her family or any businessassociates? [Amends Section 1206 toadd subsection (e)]

17.¿Debe la Carta prohibir a losfuncionarios municipales valerse de suautoridad o influencia para obtenerle unempleo municipal a cualquier familiar oasociado de negocios? [Se enmiendala sección 1206 y se agrega lasubsección (e)]



18.Shall the committee on wardboundaries be elected by the citycouncil in January of 2021 and everytenth year thereafter, and shall newrequirements for revising wardboundary lines be established toinclude additional public hearings andopportunities for public comment,specifications for council approval ofthe plan, and criteria for drawing wardboundaries? [Amends Section 204]

18.¿Debe la comisión de límites distritalesser elegida por el concejo municipal enenero de 2021 y en adelante en cadadécimo año posterior, y debenestablecerse requisitos nuevos paramodificar los linderos distritales demanera que incluyan más vistaspúblicas y más oportunidades para queel pueblo pueda hacer comentarios,definir especificaciones para laaprobación del plan por el concejo, yproferir criterios para el trazado delinderos distritales? [Se enmienda lasección 204]



CITY OF NEWPORTTUESDAY, 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 yourwrite-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 andalso vote for an individual candidate or candidates for a certain office on the ballot, the straight party vote will not be counted for thatoffice and only the individual candidate or candidates voted for will be counted for that office.

0 0

VOTE BOTH FRONT AND BACK OF BALLOT

Precinct ID 2101



Voting District 1

Senate District 12

Council/Ward District 2

STATE QUESTIONS ON BACK

LOCAL QUESTIONSON SEPARATE

BALLOTS

STRAIGHT PARTYTo vote a "Straight Ticket" complete

the arrow pointingto the party of your choice.

DEMOCRAT

REPUBLICAN



DEMOCRAT


REPUBLICAN


LIBERTARIAN




Independent


CONSTITUTION


GREEN

Write-in

SENATOR IN CONGRESSSIX Year Term

Vote for 1



Write-in

REPRESENTATIVE INCONGRESSDISTRICT 1

TWO Year TermVote for 1




Write-in


DISTRICT 12TWO Year Term

Vote for 1

Louis P. DiPALMADEMOCRAT

June N. GIBBSREPUBLICAN

Write-in



Vote for 1

Amy G. RICEDEMOCRAT

Daniel Patrick REILLYREPUBLICAN

Write-in

NON-PARTISANCOUNCIL-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

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

NON-PARTISAN COUNCILWARD 2


Justin S. McLAUGHLIN

Write-in

NON-PARTISAN SCHOOLCOMMITTEETWO 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


LOCALQUESTIONS

ON SEPARATE

BALLOT

STATE QUESTIONS1.

TRANSPORTATION BONDS$87,215,000



Question 1 APPROVE

Question 1 REJECT

2.OPEN SPACE AND




Question 2 APPROVE

Question 2 REJECT




0 0


Precinct ID 2101



Voting District 1

Senate District 12


LOCAL QUESTIONS CONTINUED ON

BACK

Ballot 2

LOCAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS 3 - 25AMENDMENTS TOCITY OF NEWPORT

HOME RULE CHARTER

(Resolution of the City Council adoptedon July 9, 2008)

Shall the following sections ofthe City of Newport Home RuleCharter be amended to read:

3.Section 2-3 of Chapter II - THECOUNCIL entitled "VACANCIES"

"Any vacancy arising from death,resignation or any reason in themembership of the Council shall befilled by the last election candidatewho received the next highestnumber of votes for the ward orat-large seat which is vacated, orabsent such a candidate, by fouraffirmative votes of the remainingmembers of the Council within thirty(30) days after the Council learns of thevacancy or, in the event of a tie vote orinability to elect, the vacancy shall befilled as soon thereafter as possible bya majority vote of all the remainingmembers of the Council. "The Council shall fill any vacancyarising from death, resignation or anyreason in the membership of theSchool Committee within thirty (30)days after learning of the vacancy or assoon thereafter as may be possible by the last election candidate whoreceived the next highest number ofvotes, or absent such a candidate, bya majority vote of all members of theCouncil. Any person appointed to fill avacancy on the School Committee bythe Council shall serve only until aperson is elected and qualified at thenext City election under this Charter."

Question 3 APPROVE

Question 3 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 changedduring the current term of the Councilors enacting such anordinance. Compensation mayinclude benefits, such as health, lifeand dental insurance. (As amendedby Sec. 1, Chapter 526, P.L.1985.)"

Question 4 APPROVE

Question 4 REJECT

LOCAL QUESTIONS5.Section 2-14 of Chapter II - THECOUNCIL, entitled "POWER OFREFERENDUM"

"The electors shall have power toapprove or reject at the polls anyordinance passed by the Council, orsubmitted by the Council to a vote ofthe electors, such power being knownas the referendum. Ordinancessubmitted to the Council by initiativepetition and passed by the Councilwithout change shall be subject to thereferendum in the same manner asother ordinances. Within thirty (30) days after the enactment by the Councilof any ordinance, a petition signed byqualified electors of the City equal innumber to at least ten percent of thenumber of persons registered to vote atthe last regular Municipal election maybe filed with the City Clerk requestingthat any such ordinance be eitherrepealed or submitted to a vote of theelectors. A majority of those castingvotes at such election shall determinewhether such ordinance is repealed orsustained. "When a referendum petition hasbeen certified as sufficient by the CityClerk, the ordinance specified in thepetition shall not go into effect, orfurther action thereunder shall besuspended if it shall have gone intoeffect, until and unless approved by theelectors, as hereinafter provided."

Question 5 APPROVE

Question 5 REJECT

6.Section 2-14a of Chapter II - THECOUNCIL, entitled"SIGNATURES ON INITIATIVEAND REFERENDUM PETITIONS"

"The signatures on all initiativepetitions and referendum petitionsunder Sections 2-13 and 2-14 of thisCharter need not all be affixed to onepetition, but to each separate petitionthere shall be attached an affidavit ofthe circulator that each signatureappended thereto was made in hispresence and is a genuine signature ofthe person whose name it purports tobe. With each signature shall be statedthe place of residence of the signer,giving the street and number of thestreet or other description sufficient toidentify the same. The circulator'sname shall be notarized and all personscirculating such petitions shall beregistered votes of the City. Allsignatures shall be gathered within asix-month time limit and no questionshall be resubmitted within a two-yearperiod from the date of the initialsubmission of the petition to the CityCouncil."

Question 6 APPROVE

Question 6 REJECT

LOCAL QUESTIONS7.Section 2-23 of Chapter II - THECOUNCIL, entitled "INSPECTIONOF PROPOSED ORDINANCESAND RESOLUTIONS BY THEPUBLIC"

"After the introduction of anyordinance or resolution in the Council,the City Clerk shall keep available forpublic inspection a copy of suchproposed ordinance or resolution,together with all amendments thereto,which copy shall be a public record. For purposes of this section, 'keepavailable for public inspection' shallinclude, but not be limited to, theposting of such ordinances orresolutions, with all amendmentsthereto, on the City's website."

Question 7 APPROVE

Question 7 REJECT

8.Section 3-1 of Chapter III -ELECTIONS, entitled "ELECTIONLAWS AND CONDUCT OFELECTIONS"

"The provisions of the laws of theState of Rhode Island pertaining toelections and related matters, includingthe rights and qualifications of voters;the registration of voters; the Canvassing Authority andRegistration, and the registering, listing,and returning lists of voters, and proofof their qualification to vote; canvassingthe rights and correcting the list ofvoters; elective meetings; the hours ofopening and closing the polls; votingmachines; absentee voting; and crimes,penalties and forfeitures under theelection laws; and any and all otherprovisions of the laws of the State ofRhode Island relating to thequalifications of electors, registration,the manner of voting, the duties ofelection officials and all otherparticulars in respect to preparation for,conducting, and management ofelections, shall govern every cityprimary, general and special election,so far as they may be applicable,excepting those provisions which areinconsistent with this Charter. "Whenever in said election laws andrelated matters reference is made toany political party, or reference is madeto voting machines as being preparedfor voting purposes in accordance withpolitical party designation, or anyreference of whatever kind anddesignation is made in said electionlaws and related matters to any politicalparty or political designation, for thepurpose of this Charter only each andevery such reference to a political partyshall be held to be eliminated from saidelection laws in accordance with theprovisions of this Charter.

"All municipal elections in the City ofNewport, whether primary, general orspecial, shall be non-partisan and thereshall be no party mark or designationupon any declaration of candidacy,nomination, petition or list ofcandidates. By April 1 in evennumbered years, the CanvassingAuthority shall issue a schedule of thefiling dates for the elections to be heldthat year."

Question 8 APPROVE

Question 8 REJECT


LOCAL QUESTIONSCONTINUED ON

SEPARATE BALLOT

LOCAL QUESTIONS9.Section 4-2 of Chapter IV -POWERS OF COUNCIL, entitled"PROBATE COURT"

"The Council shall elect a Judge ofProbate for a term concurrent with theterm of office of said Council. He shallbe a member of the bar of the State ofRhode Island. Whenever the Judge of ProbateCourt is a party, or is interested in anyproceeding about to be heard in hisCourt, or is absent or unable to performhis duties, or there is a vacancy in suchoffice, his duties shall be temporarilyperformed by the Municipal CourtJudge, and the fact of such interest,absence, inability or vacancy shall berecorded in the records of said Court."

Question 9 APPROVE

Question 9 REJECT

10.Section 4-8 of Chapter IV -POWERS OF COUNCIL, entitled"TRUST AND INVESTMENTCOMMISSION" be renumberedand amended to read:

SECTION 4-7. TRUST ANDINVESTMENT COMMISSION.

"There shall be a Trust andInvestment Commission, whichcommission shall consist of fivemembers who shall be chosen on thebasis of their knowledge ofinvestments and financialmanagement. This commission shallhave custody and control of all fundsnow held or hereafter held for thepayment of pensions and healthbenefits and premiums for city andschool department employees; andsaid commission shall have the powerto sell, exchange, invest or reinvestsaid funds and to receive, collect, andhold all income thereof and to pay andappropriate the same in such mannerand for the purposes prescribed by lawor by said will, deed, gift or indenture.Said commission shall have such otherpowers and duties, and its membersshall be appointed and serve for suchterms, as the council may by saidordinance prescribe. (As amended bySec. 1, Chapter 443, P.L. 1989.)"

Question 10 APPROVE

Question 10 REJECT

11.Section 4-8 to Chapter IV -POWERS OF COUNCIL, entitled"OTHER BOARDS ANDCOMMISSIONS" be added toread:

"SECTION 4-8. OTHER BOARDSAND COMMISSIONS.

"In addition to the Boards andCommissions named in this Chapter,the Council may establish suchBoards and Commissions as itdeems necessary, on a permanent orad hoc basis, and elect membersthereto, and may retire those Boardsand Commissions so established byit."

Question 11 APPROVE

Question 11 REJECT

LOCAL QUESTIONS12.Section 4-11 of Chapter IV -POWERS OF COUNCIL, entitled"COUNCIL NOT TO INTERFEREWITH ADMINISTRATION"

"Neither the Council nor any of itsmembers shall direct or request theappointment of any person to, or hisremoval from office by the CityManager or by any of his subordinates,or in any manner take part in theappointment or removal of officers andemployees in the administrative serviceof the City or interfere in any way withany administrative division ordepartment. Except for the purpose ofinquiry, the Council and its membersshall deal with the administrativeservice solely through the City Managerand neither the Council nor anymember thereof shall give orders to anysubordinates of the City Manager,either publicly or privately. AnyCouncilman violating the provisions ofthis section shall be guilty of amisdemeanor and upon conviction shallbe fined not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or be imprisoned fornot more than sixty (60) days, or both,and shall forthwith cease to be aCouncilman."

Question 12 APPROVE

Question 12 REJECT

13.Section 4-12 of Chapter IV -POWERS OF COUNCIL, entitled"POWER TO COMPELTESTIMONY"

"In connection with any investigationwhich may be conducted by theCouncil, or any committee thereof, theCouncil or committee may compel theattendance of witnesses and theproduction of books, papers and otherevidence, and for that purpose mayissue subpoenas which shall be signedby the Mayor or the chairman of anysuch committee. If any witness shallrefuse to testify to any facts within hisknowledge, or to produce any papers orbooks in his possession, or under hiscontrol, relating to matters underinquiry, before the Council, or any suchcommittee, the Council by resolutionmay cite such witness in contempt andupon conviction thereof such witnessshall be fined not more than onethousand dollars ($1,000.00) or beimprisoned for not more than sixty (60)days, or both. No witness shall beexcused from giving informationtouching upon his knowledge of thematter under investigation in any suchinquiry, but such testimony shall not beused against him in any subsequentcriminal prosecution except for perjurycommitted upon such inquiry, unlesssuch witness shall, in writing at the timeof so testifying, waive his rights not tohave such testimony used against him.

Question 13 APPROVE

Question 13 REJECT

LOCAL QUESTIONS14.Sections 7-1 FINANCE; 7-2PUBLIC WORKS; 7-3 PUBLICSAFETY; 7-4 PUBLICRECREATION; 7-5 WATER; 7-7CITY CLERK; 7-8 OTHERDEPARTMENTS AND DIVISIONS;7-9 DIRECTORS OFDEPARTMENTS and 7-10DEPARTMENTAL DIVISIONS ofChapter VII.-ADMINISTRATIVEDEPARTMENTS of the City ofNewport Charter, be deleted intheir entirety and be amended toread:

"Section 7-1. DEPARTMENTSAND DIVISIONS.

"There shall be such departmentsand divisions as the Council may byordinance establish on therecommendation of the CityManager.

"Section 7-2. DIRECTORS OFDEPARTMENTS.

At the head of each departmentthere shall be a director who shallhave supervision and control of thedepartment subject to the directionof the City Manager. Two or moredepartments may be headed by thesame individual, and directors mayalso serve as chiefs of divisions. Special qualifications for selectionof directors of departments may beestablished by ordinance, however,the police and fire chiefs shall beappointed from candidates whohave a minimum of five yearscontinuous service in their field.

"Section 7-3. DEPARTMENTALDIVISIONS.

"The work of each departmentmay be distributed among suchdivisions as may be established byordinance upon recommendation ofthe City Manager. Pending passageof an ordinance, the City Managermay establish temporary divisions.

"Section 7-4. CONTINUANCE.

"The Departments and Divisionsthat existed as of January 1, 2008shall continue in existence untilsuch time as the Council passes anOrdinance changing suchDepartments and Divisions pursuantto § 7-1 hereof."

Question 14 APPROVE

Question 14 REJECT

15.Section 8-3 to Chapter VIII -SCHOOLS, entitled "SCHOOLCOMMITTEE COMPENSATION"be added to read:

"SECTION 8-3. SCHOOLCOMMITTEE COMPENSATION. "Each member of the SchoolCommittee may receivecompensation as established by theCity Council. Such compensationshall not be changed during thecurrent term of the elected member."Compensation may includebenefits, such as health, life anddental insurance."

Question 15 APPROVE

Question 15 REJECT




0 0


Precinct ID 2101



Voting District 1

Senate District 12


LOCAL QUESTIONS CONTINUED ON

BACK

Ballot 3

LOCAL QUESTIONS16.Section 9-1 of Chapter IX -FINANCE, entitled "FISCALYEAR""Section 9-1. FISCAL YEAR ANDSTRATEGIC PLAN

"The Council shall provide byordinance for the fiscal year of the City. "The Council is responsible forthe development and maintenance ofa multi-year strategic plan for theCity. This plan will include: -Mission Statement (for CityCouncil and for administrativedepartments; -Long Range Goals (goals thatcover more than one fiscal year forthe City and for each administrativedepartment); -Short Range Goals (goals tied tothe City's current fiscal year for theCity and for each administrativedepartment); -Performance Measures (for allgoals - long range and short range that facilitate tracking progress andachievement milestones. "The City's Strategic Plan will bereviewed periodically and progressreported no less often than annuallyat a public hearing."

Question 16 APPROVE

Question 16 REJECT

17.Section 9-2 of Chapter IX -FINANCE, entitled"PREPARATION OF BUDGET"

"The Manager shall prepare andsubmit to the Council, at least 180days prior to the beginning of eachfiscal year, a projection of thechange in revenues from the currentfiscal year to the next fiscal years aswell as a projection of anticipatedsignificant expense changes. "The Council shall provide to theManager, at least 150 days prior tothe beginning of each fiscal year, alist of its top priority projects and itsadministrative expenseincrease/decrease guidelines for thenext fiscal year. This shall includethe maximum amount of revenuethat may be allocated to the CapitalImprovement Program (see Section9-19). "The Manager shall prepare andsubmit to the Council, at least seventy-five days prior to thebeginning of each fiscal year, aproposed budget and a budgetmessage containing an explanation ofproposed financial policies and theimportant features of the budget plan.He shall submit at the same time anappropriation ordinance makingprovision for the conduct of the Citygovernment for the ensuing year. Revenues and expenses related tothe Council's priorities shall behighlighted."

Question 17 APPROVE

Question 17 REJECT

LOCAL QUESTIONS18.Section 9-4 of Chapter IX -FINANCE, entitled "PUBLICHEARING ON BUDGET" bedeleted in its entirety andamended to read:

"Section 9-4.1. "The Council, at least 60 daysprior to the beginning of each fiscalyear, shall hold a public hearing onthe Manager's proposed budget.

"Section 9-4.2. "The Manager, at least 30 daysprior to the beginning of each fiscalyear, shall prepare and present tothe Council a revised budget andrevenue projection based upon theCouncil's instructions following thepublic hearing

"Section 9-4.3. "The Council, at least 20 daysprior to the beginning of each fiscalyear and prior to the Councilapproving a final budget andappropriation ordinance, shall hold apublic hearing on the revisedbudget."

Question 18 APPROVE

Question 18 REJECT

19.Section 9-5 of Chapter IX -FINANCE, entitled "COUNCILMAY REVISE PROPOSEDBUDGET"

"The Council may insert new items ormay increase or decrease the items ofthe budget as presented by theManager, but, if it shall increase thetotal proposed expenditures, it alsoshall provide for increasing the totalanticipated revenues at least to equalthe total proposed expenditures. "Any changes approved by theCouncil shall be noted on a 'BudgetRevision Schedule', with the CityCouncilor who proposed the changeidentified. The Budget RevisionSchedule should be appended to thefinal budget document."

Question 19 APPROVE

Question 19 REJECT

LOCAL QUESTIONS20.Shall Section 9-8 of Chapter IX -FINANCE, entitled "BUDGETARY CONTROL"

"The Finance Department shallexercise budgetary control over eachoffice, department and agency andshall cause separate accounts to bekept for the items of appropriation, eachof which shall show the amount of theappropriation, the amounts paidtherefrom, the unpaid obligationsagainst it, and the unencumberedbalance. Unless the FinanceDepartment shall certify that there is asufficient unencumbered balance andavailable funds in any account noappropriation shall be valid and noexpenditure shall be made. "The City Manager shall, no morethan 30 days after the end of eachfiscal month, prepare and submit tothe Council a budget analyticalreport that identifies any significantvariances between actual andbudgeted revenue and expenses. The City Manager shall, no morethan 30 days after the end of the 2ndfiscal quarter, prepare for the CityCouncil a Financial Analysis Reportthat identifies any significantmid-year revenue and expensebudget variances and projects anysignificant fiscal year-end revenueand expense variances. The Councilwill hold a public hearing on thatreport no later than 15 daysfollowing receipt of the report."

Question 20 APPROVE

Question 20 REJECT


LOCAL QUESTIONS21.Section 9-23 of Chapter IX -FINANCE, entitled"COMPETITIVE BIDDING"

"Before any purchase of or contractfor supplies, materials or equipment ismade on behalf of the city, opportunityshall be given for competitive biddingunder such rules and regulations andwith such exceptions as the councilmay prescribe by ordinance. "All contract actions shall followcompetitive bidding requirements ofthe Rhode Island General Laws. Procurements, not to exceed anaggregate amount of ten thousanddollars ($10,000.00) for constructionand five thousand dollars ($5,000.00)for all other purchases, may bemade in accordance with smallpurchase regulations promulgatedby the City under such rules andregulations and with suchexceptions as the Council mayprescribe by ordinance. Procurements shall not be artificiallydivided so as to constitute a smallpurchase under this section. "Procurements of between fivethousand dollars ($5,000.00) and tenthousand (10,000.00) shall follow thecompetitive bidding requirements ofthe Rhode Island General Laws andshall be awarded by an AwardCommittee consisting of thePurchasing Agent, a requestingDepartment Representative and adisinterested City employee selectedby the City Manager. The AwardCommittee shall have power toaward or reject all bids and advertisefor new bids within their thresholddollar limit. Alterations in anycontract entered into may be madewithin the threshold dollar limitwhen authorized by the AwardCommittee on a writtenrecommendation from the CityManager or his designee. "Procurements of above tenthousand dollars ($10,000.00) shallfollow the competitive biddingrequirements of the Rhode IslandGeneral Laws and shall be awardedby the Council. The Council shallhave power to award or reject allbids and advertise for new bids. Alterations to any contract enteredinto may be made when authorizedby the Council on a writtenrecommendation of the City Manageror his designee."

Question 21 APPROVE

Question 21 REJECT

22.Section 9-24 of Chapter IX -FINANCE, entitled"REQUISITIONS" be deleted inits entirety and be amended toread:

"All purchase actions andcontracts executed on behalf of theCity shall be pursuant to arequisition in written or electronicform. These requisitions shalloriginate from the head of the office,department or agency whoseappropriation will be charged."

Question 22 APPROVE

Question 22 REJECT

LOCAL QUESTIONS23.Section 10-5 of Chapter X -MISCELLANEOUS, entitled"CONTINUANCE OF PRESENTOFFICERS" be deleted in itsentirety:

(All persons holding administrativeoffice at the time this Charter takeseffect shall continue in office and in theperformance of their duties untilprovision shall have been made inaccordance therewith for theperformance of such duties or thediscontinuance of such office. Thepowers conferred and the dutiesimposed upon any office, department oragency of the City by the laws of theState shall, if such office, department oragency be abolished by this Charter, orunder its authority, be thereafterexercised and discharged by the office,department or agency designated bythe Council unless otherwise providedherein.)

Question 23 APPROVE

Question 23 REJECT

24.Section 10-8 of Chapter X -MISCELLANEOUS, entitled"TERMS OF OFFICE OFPRESENT ELECTIVE OFFICERS;TERMINATION" be deleted in itsentirety:

(The terms of office of all members ofthe School Committee, members of theCity Council, and the Mayor due toterminate in November, 1985, shallterminate on January 2, 1986. Theterms of office of all members of theSchool Committee, members of theCity Council and the Mayor elected inNovember, 2001, and due to terminatein January, 2004, shall terminate inJanuary, 2005. (As amended by Sec. 2,Chapter 269, P.L. 1984; Chapter 81,P.L. 2000.)

Question 24 APPROVE

Question 24 REJECT

25.Section 10-9 of Chapter X -MISCELLANEOUS, entitled"WHEN CHARTER EFFECTIVE"be deleted in its entirety:

(Chapter III of this Charter shall takeeffect upon its adoption by the electorsof the City of Newport. The remainderof this Charter shall take effect on thefirst day of November, 1953.)

Question 25 APPROVE

Question 25 REJECT




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 yourwrite-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 andalso vote for an individual candidate or candidates for a certain office on the ballot, the straight party vote will not be counted for thatoffice and only the individual candidate or candidates voted for will be counted for that office.

0 0

Precinct ID 2102


Senate District 13



Voting District 2

Ballot 1

STATE QUESTIONS ON BACK

LOCAL QUESTION ON

SEPARATE BALLOT


STRAIGHT PARTYTo vote a "Straight Ticket" complete

the arrow pointingto the party of your choice.

DEMOCRAT

MODERATE

REPUBLICAN



DEMOCRAT


REPUBLICAN


Libertarian


Constitution






Green

Write-in

SENATOR IN CONGRESSSIX Year Term

Vote for 1

Sheldon WHITEHOUSEDEMOCRAT


Write-in

REPRESENTATIVE INCONGRESSDISTRICT 1





Write-in



Vote for 1

M. Teresa PAIVA-WEEDDEMOCRAT

Geoffrey William COOKREPUBLICAN

Write-in



Vote for 1

Marvin L. ABNEYDEMOCRAT

Write-in

NON-PARTISANCOUNCIL-AT-LARGE

TWO Year TermVote 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

NON-PARTISAN COUNCILWARD 1


Marco T. CAMACHO

Charles Y. DUNCAN

Write-in

NON-PARTISANSCHOOL COMMITTEE


Robert B. POWER

Jo Eva GAINES

Sandra J. FLOWERS

Rebecca BOLAN

Charles P. SHOEMAKER, JR.

Robert J. LEARY

Thomas S. PHELAN

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

CONTINUED ON NEXT COLUMN

LOCALQUESTIONS

ON SEPARATE

BALLOT

STATE QUESTIONS

CONTINUED FROMPREVIOUS COLUMN


STATE QUESTIONS1.


(APPROVAL OF AN ACTAUTHORIZING

STATE-OPERATED CASINOGAMING AT TWIN RIVER IN THE

TOWN OF LINCOLN)(Section 22 of Article VI of the

Constitution)

Shall an act be approved whichwould authorize the facility knownas "Twin River" in the town of Lincoln to add state-operatedcasino gaming, such as tablegames, to the types of gambling itoffers?

Question 1 APPROVE

Question 1 REJECT

2.STATE CONSTITUTIONAL

APPROVAL

(APPROVAL OF AN ACTAUTHORIZING

STATE-OPERATED CASINOGAMING AT NEWPORT GRAND

IN THECITY OF NEWPORT)


Shall an act be approved whichwould authorize the facility knownas "Newport Grand" in the city ofNewport to add state-operatedcasino gaming, such as tablegames, to the types of gambling itoffers?

Question 2 APPROVE

Question 2 REJECT

3.HIGHER EDUCATION FACILITIES

BONDS$50,000,000


Approval of this question willallow the State of Rhode Island toissue general obligation bonds,refunding bonds, and temporarynotes in an amount not to exceedfifty million dollars ($50,000,000) forrenovations and modernization ofacademic buildings at Rhode IslandCollege including renovation,upgrade and expansion of healthand nursing facilities on thecampus of Rhode Island College.

Question 3 APPROVE

Question 3 REJECT

4.VETERANS' HOME BONDS


Approval of this question willallow the State of Rhode Island toissue general obligation bonds,refunding bonds, and temporarynotes in an amount not to exceedninety-four million dollars($94,000,000) for the constructionof a new Veterans' Home andrenovations to existing facilities.Any funding amount from federalsources received for thesepurposes will be used to reduce theamount of borrowed funds.

Question 4 APPROVE

Question 4 REJECT

STATE QUESTIONS5.

CLEAN WATER FINANCEAGENCY BONDS

$20,000,000(Chapter 241- Public Laws 2012)

Approval of this question willauthorize the State of Rhode Islandto issue general obligation bonds,refunding bonds, and temporarynotes in an amount not to exceedtwelve million dollars ($12,000,000)to be leveraged with federal andstate capitalization grants tofinance wastewater infrastructureprojects and eight million dollars($8,000,000) to be leveraged withfederal and state capitalizationgrants to finance drinking waterinfrastructure projects.

Question 5 APPROVE

Question 5 REJECT

6.ENVIRONMENTAL

MANAGEMENT BONDS$20,000,000


Approval of this question willallow the State of Rhode Island toissue general obligation bonds,refunding bonds, and temporarynotes for environmental andrecreational purposes to be allottedas follows:

(a) Narragansett Bay andWatershed Restoration..$4,000,000 Provides funds for activities torestore and protect the waterquality and enhance the economicviability and environmentalsustainability of Narragansett Bayand the State's watersheds. Eligibleactivities include: nonpoint sourcepollution abatement, includingstormwater management; nutrientloading abatement; commercial,industrial and agricultural pollutionabatement; and riparian buffer andwatershed ecosystem restoration. (b) State Land Acquisition -Open Space..$2,500,000 Provides funds for the purchaseof land, development rights andconservation easements in RhodeIsland. This program acquiresrecreational and open space landsfor the State of Rhode Island inaccordance with the Rhode IslandComprehensive OutdoorRecreation Plan, Land ProtectionPlan, and the Rhode IslandGreenspace 2000 plan. (c) Farmland DevelopmentRights..$4,500,000 Provides funds for the purchaseof agricultural development rights toactive farms in Rhode Island. TheState purchases the developmentrights to farms to eliminate theeconomic pressure on farmers tosell properties for residential andcommercial development. TheAgricultural Land PreservationCommission accepts and evaluatesfarmland applications for thesefunds. (d) Local Land AcquisitionGrants..$2,500,000 Provides funds for grants tomunicipalities, local land trusts andnon-profit organizations to acquirefee-simple title, development rights,or conservation easements to openspace in Rhode Island. The grantsprovide funding up to fifty percent(50%) of the purchase price forland, surveys, appraisals and titlecosts. The grant applications arereviewed and evaluated by theGovernor's Natural HeritagePreservation Commissionaccording to the programguidelines.

(e) Local Recreation Grants..$5,500,000 Provides grants to municipalitiesfor acquisition, development, orrehabilitation of local recreationalfacilities. These grants providefunding assistance up to fiftypercent (50%) of the project costs.All grant applications are evaluatedand ranked by the State RecreationResources Review Committee. (f) Historic/Passive Parks..$1,000,000 Provides grants to municipalitiesfor the renovation and developmentof historic and passive recreationareas. The grants provide fundingassistance up to ninety percent(90%) of the project costs. All grantapplications are evaluated andranked by the State RecreationResources Review Committee.

Question 6 APPROVE

Question 6 REJECT

7.AFFORDABLE HOUSING BONDS


Approval of this question willallow the State of Rhode Island toissue general obligation bonds,refunding bonds, and temporarynotes in an amount not to exceedtwenty-five million dollars($25,000,000) for affordablehousing.

Question 7 APPROVE

Question 7 REJECT



To Vote: Complete the arrow(s) pointing to your choice(s) with a single bold line, like this .0 0

Precinct ID 2102


Senate District 13



Voting District 2

Ballot 2

LOCAL QUESTION8.

CASINO GAMING ATNEWPORT GRAND

(Chapters 24/25 - Public Laws 2012)

"Shall an act be approved whichwould authorize the facility knownas "Newport Grand" in the City ofNewport to add state-operatedcasino gaming, such as tablegames, to the types of gambling itoffers?"

Question 8 APPROVE

Question 8 REJECT

OFFICIAL ELECTION BALLOTSTATE OF RHODE ISLANDCITY OF CENTRAL FALLS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008





LAS PROPUESTASESTATALES EN EL

REVERSO

0 0



3. Para emitir un voto íntegro por un partido: Complete la flecha que apunta hacia el partido de su elección en la sección de la papeleta del votoíntegro. Si en la papeleta usted emite un voto íntegro y también vota por un candidato individual o por candidatos para cierto cargo, el voto íntegro departido no se contará para ese cargo y solamente el candidato individual o los candidatos por los que votó serán contado para ese cargo.


Precinct ID 0401



Voting District 1

Senate District 16


PAPELETA OFICIAL PARA LAS ELECCIONESESTADO DE RHODE ISLAND - CIUDAD DE CENTRAL FALLS





DEMOCRAT

REPUBLICAN




DEMOCRAT


REPUBLICAN


LIBERTARIAN




Independent


CONSTITUTION


GREEN

Write-in


Vote for 1


Vote por 1



Write-in





Vote por 1




Write-in



Vote for 1



Vote por 1

Elizabeth A. CROWLEYDEMOCRAT

Albert Paul LARIVEEREPUBLICAN

Write-in



Vote for 1



Vote por 1

Agostinho F. SILVADEMOCRAT

Write-in



1.TRANSPORTATION BONDS



BONOS RELACIONADOS CONEL TRANSPORTE


2008)

Con la aprobación de estapropuesta se autorizará al Estadode Rhode Island a emitir bonosgarantizados por los recursosgenerales, bonos pararefinanciamiento y pagaréstransitorios por una suma máximade $80,000,000 para parear confondos proporcionados por elgobierno federal y para obtenerfondos para el financiamientodirecto para efectuar mejoras a lasautopistas, carreteras y puentesdel Estado; $3,570,000 paraaportar al financiamiento deltransporte ferroviario local y$3,645,000 para la adquisición orehabilitación de autobuses delparque automotriz de la RhodeIsland Public Transit Authority.



2.OPEN SPACE AND




BONOS PARA EL FOMENTO DEESPACIOS ABIERTOS Y

RECREATIVOS$2,500,000

(Capítulos 378/469 - Leyes Públicas de2008)

Con la aprobación de estapropuesta se autorizará al Estadode Rhode Island a emitir bonosgarantizados por los recursosgenerales, bonos pararefinanciamiento y pagaréstransitorios por una suma máximade $2,500,000 que elDepartamento de GestiónAmbiental (Department ofEnvironmental Management)utilizará para adquirir o de algunaotra forma proteger de manerapermanente, mediante laadquisición del título de propiedadde: los derechos de fomento,servidumbres para conservación yservidumbres para recreaciónpública, zonas verdes y otrosespacios abiertos, terrenosrecreativos, terrenos agrícolas,terrenos boscosos y parquesestatales.








LOCAL QUESTIONSON SEPARATE BALLOT

LAS PROPUESTASESTATALES EN ELSIGUIENTO PÁGINALAS PROPUESTASLOCAL ESTÁ EN

PÁGINA SEPARADA

0 0



3. Para emitir un voto integro por un partido: Complete la flecha que señala hacia el partido de su elección en la sección de la papeleta en donde seemiten los votos íntegros. Si en la papeleta usted emite un voto integro y también vota por un candidato individual o por candidatos postulados paracierto cargo, el voto integro de partido no se contará para ese cargo y solamente el candidato individual o los candidatos por los que se emitió el votoserá contado para ese cargo.


Precinct ID 0403


Senate District 16



Voting District 3


Ballot 1Papeleta 1





DEMOCRAT

MODERATE

REPUBLICAN




DEMOCRAT


REPUBLICAN


Libertarian


Constitution






Green

Write-in


Vote for 1


Vote por 1Sheldon WHITEHOUSE

DEMOCRAT


Write-in





Vote por 1




Write-in



Vote for 1



Vote por 1Elizabeth A. CROWLEY

DEMOCRAT

Nicholas S. GELFUSOMODERATE

Write-in



Vote for 1



Vote por 1Agostinho F. SILVA

DEMOCRAT

Write-in


STATE QUESTIONSCONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

LOCAL QUESTIONS ONSEPARATE BALLOT

LAS PROPUESTAS ESTATALESEN EL SIGUIENTO PÁGINALAS PROPUESTAS LOCAL

ESTÁ EN PÁGINA SEPARADA



(APPROVAL OF AN ACTAUTHORIZING STATE-OPERATED

CASINO GAMING AT TWIN RIVER INTHE TOWN OF LINCOLN)


Shall an act be approved which would authorize the facility known as"Twin River" in the town of Lincoln toadd state-operated casinogaming, such as table games, to thetypes of gambling it offers?

1.APROBACIÓN

PARA LA CONSTITUCIÓN DELESTADO

(Aprobación de una ley que autorizajuegos en un casino

operado por el estadoen Twin Riveren el pueblo de Lincoln


¿Debe aprobarse una ley queautorizaría un sitio denominado "TwinRiver" en el pueblo de Lincoln en el quese agregarían en un casino operadopor el estado, juegos, talescomo juegos de mesa, a los tipos dejuegos de azar que ya funcionan ahí?



(APPROVAL OF AN ACTAUTHORIZING STATE-OPERATEDCASINO GAMING AT NEWPORT

GRAND IN THECITY OF NEWPORT)


Shall an act be approved whichwould authorize the facility known as"Newport Grand" in the city of Newportto add state-operated casino gaming,such as table games, to the types ofgambling it offers?

2.APROBACIÓN PARA LA

CONSTITUCIÓN DEL ESTADO

(Aprobación de una ley que autorizajuegos en un casino operado por el

estado en Newport Granden la ciudad de Newport)


¿Debe aprobarse una ley queautorizaría un sitio denominado"Newport Grand" en la ciudad deNewport en el que se agregarían en uncasino operado por el estado, juegos,tales como juegos de mesa, a los tiposde juegos de azar que ya funcionanahí?Question 2 APPROVEPropuesta 2 A FAVORQuestion 2 REJECTPropuesta 2 EN CONTRA


HIGHER EDUCATION FACILITIESBONDS


Approval of this question will allowthe State of Rhode Island to issuegeneral obligation bonds, refundingbonds, and temporary notes in anamount not to exceed fifty milliondollars ($50,000,000) for renovationsand modernization of academicbuildings at Rhode Island Collegeincluding renovation, upgrade andexpansion of health and nursingfacilities on the campus of Rhode IslandCollege.

3.BONOS PARA CENTROS DE

EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR$50,000,000


La aprobación de esta consulta leautoriza al Estado de Rhode Islandemitir bonos de obligación general,bonos de reembolso y pagaréstransitorios en un monto que no excedalos cincuenta millones de dólares($50,000,000) para la renovación ymodernización de edificios académicosen Rhode Island College, incluidasrenovaciones, actualizaciones yampliaciones de los centros de salud yenfermería en la ciudad universitaria deRhode Island College.


VETERANS' HOME BONDS$94,000,000


Approval of this question will allowthe State of Rhode Island to issuegeneral obligation bonds, refundingbonds, and temporary notes in anamount not to exceed ninety-fourmillion dollars ($94,000,000) for theconstruction of a new Veterans' Homeand renovations to existing facilities.Any funding amount from federalsources received for these purposeswill be used to reduce the amount ofborrowed funds.

4.BONOS PARA UN HOGAR PARA

EXCOMBATIENTES$94,000,000


Aprobación de esta consulta leautoriza al Estado de Rhode Islandemitir bonos de obligación general,bonos de reembolso y pagaréstransitorios por un monto que noexceda los noventa y cuatro millonesde dólares ($94,000,000) para construirun nuevo Hogar para excombatientes yrenovar los centros que ya existen.Toda suma recibida para estos efectosde fuentes federales se utilizará parareducir el monto de los fondosobtenidos por empréstitos.Question 4 APPROVEPropuesta 4 A FAVORQuestion 4 REJECTPropuesta 4 EN CONTRA

STATE QUESTIONSPROPUESTAS ESTATALES5.CLEAN WATER FINANCE AGENCY

BONDS$20,000,000

(Chapter 241- Public Laws 2012)

Approval of this question willauthorize the State of Rhode Island toissue general obligation bonds,refunding bonds, and temporary notesin an amount not to exceed twelvemillion dollars ($12,000,000) to beleveraged with federal and statecapitalization grants to financewastewater infrastructure projects andeight million dollars ($8,000,000) to beleveraged with federal and statecapitalization grants to finance drinkingwater infrastructure projects.

5.BONOS PARA EL DESPACHO QUE

FINANCIA AGUAS LIMPIAS$20,000,000

(Capítulo 241- Leyes Públicas de 2012)

La aprobación de esta consultaautorizará al Estado de Rhode Islandemitir bonos de obligación general,bonos de reembolso y pagaréstransitorios por un monto que noexceda los doce millones de dólares($12,000,000) que se potencializaráncon subvenciones de capitalizaciónprovenientes de los gobiernos estatal yfederal para el financiamiento deproyectos de infraestructura para aguasnegras y los ocho millones de dólares($8,000,000) que se potencializaráncon subvenciones de capitalizaciónprovenientes de los gobiernos estatal yfederal para el financiamiento deproyectos de infraestructura para aguapotable.





0 0

Precinct ID 0403


Senate District 16



Voting District 3



SIGUIENTE COLUMNA


COLUMNA ANTERIOR


SIGUIENTE COLUMNA


COLUMNA ANTERIOR

Ballot 2Papeleta 2


LOCAL QUESTIONS ON SEPARATEBALLOT

LAS PROPUESTAS LOCAL ESTÁ ENPÁGINA SEPARADA


6.ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

BONDS$20,000,000


Approval of this question will allowthe State of Rhode Island to issuegeneral obligation bonds, refundingbonds, and temporary notes forenvironmental and recreationalpurposes to be allotted as follows:

(a) Narragansett Bay andWatershed Restoration..$4,000,000 Provides funds for activities torestore and protect the water qualityand enhance the economic viability andenvironmental sustainability ofNarragansett Bay and the State'swatersheds. Eligible activities include:nonpoint source pollution abatement,including stormwater management;nutrient loading abatement;commercial, industrial and agriculturalpollution abatement; and riparian bufferand watershed ecosystem restoration. (b) State Land Acquisition - OpenSpace..$2,500,000 Provides funds for the purchase ofland, development rights andconservation easements in RhodeIsland. This program acquiresrecreational and open space lands forthe State of Rhode Island inaccordance with the Rhode IslandComprehensive Outdoor RecreationPlan, Land Protection Plan, and theRhode Island Greenspace 2000 plan. (c) Farmland Development Rights..$4,500,000 Provides funds for the purchase ofagricultural development rights to activefarms in Rhode Island. The Statepurchases the development rights tofarms to eliminate the economicpressure on farmers to sell propertiesfor residential and commercialdevelopment. The Agricultural LandPreservation Commission accepts andevaluates farmland applications forthese funds. (d) Local Land Acquisition Grants..$2,500,000 Provides funds for grants tomunicipalities, local land trusts andnon-profit organizations to acquirefee-simple title, development rights, orconservation easements to open spacein Rhode Island. The grants providefunding up to fifty percent (50%) of thepurchase price for land, surveys,appraisals and title costs. The grantapplications are reviewed andevaluated by the Governor's NaturalHeritage Preservation Commissionaccording to the program guidelines. (e) Local Recreation Grants..$5,500,000 Provides grants to municipalities foracquisition, development, orrehabilitation of local recreationalfacilities. These grants provide fundingassistance up to fifty percent (50%) ofthe project costs. All grant applicationsare evaluated and ranked by the StateRecreation Resources ReviewCommittee. (f) Historic/Passive Parks..$1,000,000

Provides grants to municipalities for therenovation and development of historicand passive recreation areas. Thegrants provide funding assistance up toninety percent (90%) of the projectcosts. All grant applications areevaluated and ranked by the StateRecreation Resources ReviewCommittee.

6.BONOS DE GESTIÓN AMBIENTAL


2012) La aprobación de esta consulta leautorizará al Estado de Rhode Islandemitir bonos de obligación general,bonos de reembolso y pagaréstransitorios para efectosmedioambientales y de recreación quese designarán de la siguiente manera:

(a) Restauración de la Bahía deNarragansett y las cuencas delestado ..$4,000,000 Ofrece fondos para restaurar yproteger la calidad del agua y mejorarla viabilidad económica y lasostenibilidad medioambiental de laBahía de Narragansett y las cuencasdel estado. Las actividades que reúnenlos requisitos incluyen: mitigación defuentes de contaminación diseminadas,incluida la gestión de aguas lluvias;reducción de la carga de nutrientes;moderación de la contaminación defuentes comercial, industria y agrícola;restauración de zonas de protecciónribereña y de los ecosistemas de lascuencas. (b) Adquisición estatal deterrenos y espacios abiertos..$2,500,000 Ofrece fondos para la adquisiciónde terrenos, la codificación dederechos y servidumbres para lapreservación en Rhode Island. Esteprograma adquiere terrenos abiertos ypara fines recreativos a nombre delEstado de Rhode Island conforme al'Plan integral de Rhode Island derecreación al aire libre', al 'Plan deprotección de terrenos' y al 'Plan deespacios verdes 2000 de RhodeIsland'. (c) Derechos para el fomentoagropecuario $4,500,000 Ofrece fondos para la compra de losderechos de fomento agropecuario agranjas activas en Rhode Island. ElEstado adquiere los derechos defomento a granjas con miras a eliminarla presión económica que sufren losagricultores para que vendan susterrenos para efectos de urbanizaciónresidencial y comercial. La Comisiónpara la Preservación de TerrenosAgropecuarios acepta y evalúa lassolicitudes agropecuarias para el usode estos fondos. (d) Subvenciones para laadquisición de terrenos locales..$2,500,000 Ofrece fondos mediantesubvenciones a municipios,fideicomisos territoriales locales yentidades sin fines de lucro para laadquisición de escrituras de posesiónincondicional, derechos de fomento y

urbanización o servidumbres depreservación de espacios abiertos enRhode Island. Las subvencionesofrecen fondos por hasta un cincuentapor ciento (50%) del precio de venta delos terrenos, levantamientostopográficos, valoraciones y costas deescrituración. Las solicitudes desubvención son estudiadas y evaluadassegún lineamientos del programa por laComisión de Conservación delPatrimonio Natural auspiciada por eldespacho del Gobernador. (e) Subvenciones para recreaciónlocal ..$5,500,000 Ofrece subvenciones a municipiospara la adquisición, fomento orehabilitación de centros recreativos enla localidad. Estas subvencionesofrecen asistencia económica queasciende hasta un cincuenta por ciento(50%) de los costos del proyecto.Todas las solicitudes de subvenciónson evaluadas y clasificadas por laComisión Estatal de Estudio deRecursos Recreativos. (f) Parques históricos y pasivos $1,000,000 Ofrece subvenciones a municipiospara la renovación y fomento de zonasde recreación histórica y pasiva. Lassubvenciones ofrecen asistenciaeconómica que asciende hasta elnoventa por ciento (90%) de los costosdel proyecto. Todas las solicitudes desubvención son evaluadas yclasificadas por la Comisión Estatal deEstudio de Recursos Recreativos.


AFFORDABLE HOUSING BONDS$25,000,000


Approval of this question will allowthe State of Rhode Island to issuegeneral obligation bonds, refundingbonds, and temporary notes in anamount not to exceed twenty-fivemillion dollars ($25,000,000) foraffordable housing.

7.BONOS PARA VIVIENDA

COSTEABLE$25,000,000


La aprobación de esta consulta leautoriza al Estado de Rhode Islandemitir bonos de obligación general,bonos de reembolso y pagaréstransitorios por un monto que noexceda veinticinco millones de dólares($25,000,000) para usar para viviendacosteable.





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Precinct ID 0403


Senate District 16



Voting District 3


Ballot 3Papeleta 3


LOCAL QUESTIONSCONTINUED ON BACK

LAS PROPUESTAS LOCALESCONTINUAN EN LA REVERSE



QUESTIONS 8 - 16AMENDMENTS TOCENTRAL FALLS

HOME RULE CHARTER(Order dated August 7, 2012 enteredpursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-9-18)

8.SECTIONS 2-100, 2-101, 2-103, 2-203,

2-208 AND 2-301AT-LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS

"Shall the Central Falls Home RuleCharter be amended to provide that theCity Council shall have five (5)members who are elected from eachward and two (2) at-large members, fora total of seven (7) members?"

PROPUESTAS 8 - 16ENMIENDA DE LA CARTA DE

AUTONOMÍA POLÍTICA DECENTRAL FALLS

(Orden fechada el 7 de agosto de 2012radicada conforme a las LeyesGenerales de R.I. § 45-9-18)

8.SECCIONES 2-100, 2-101, 2-103,

2-203, 2-208 Y 2-301CONCEJALES DE ELECCIÓN

GENERAL

"¿Debe enmendarse la Carta deAutonomía Política de Central Falls demanera que el Concejo Municipalconste de cinco (5) concejales elegidosuno por cada uno de los distritoselectorales y dos (2) concejaleselegidos por votación general, para untotal de siete (7) concejales?"


SECTION 2-100COUNCIL TERMS OF OFFICE

"Shall the Central Falls Home RuleCharter be amended to change theterm of office of City Council Membersfrom four (4) years to two (2) years?"

9.SECCIÓN 2-100

DURACIÓN DEL MANDATO EN ELCONCEJO

"¿Debe enmendarse la Carta deAutonomía Política de Central Falls demanera que se cambie la duración delmandato de los integrantes de ConcejoMunicipal de cuatro (4) años a dos (2)años?"



10.SECTION 2-100

TERM LIMITS FOR COUNCIL

"Shall the Central Falls Home RuleCharter be amended to provide that,effective with the next municipalelection, no person shall serve as amember of the City Council for morethan eight (8) consecutive years?

10.SECCIÓN 2-100

LÍMITES A LA DURACIÓN DELMANDATO EN EL CONCEJO

"¿Debe enmendarse la Carta deAutonomía Política de Central Falls demanera que señale que, con vigenciaen la siguiente elección municipal,ninguna persona debe ocupar el cargode concejal del Concejo Municipal pormás de ocho (8) años consecutivos?


SECTION 2-100COMPENSATION OF COUNCIL

MEMBERS

"Shall the Central Falls Home RuleCharter be amended to provide thatCity Council members shall NOT beeligible for health insurance, dentalinsurance and retirement benefits fromthe City?"

11.SECCIÓN 2-100

REMUNERACIÓN DE LOSINTEGRANTES DEL CONCEJO

"¿Debe enmendarse la Carta deAutonomía Política de Central Falls demanera que señale que los integrantesdel Concejo Municipal NO tendránderecho a percibir prestaciones deseguro médico, seguro odontológico niprestaciones de jubilación otorgadaspor la Ciudad?"


SECTION 3-400TERM LIMIT FOR MAYOR

"Shall the Central Falls Home RuleCharter be amended to provide that,effective with the next municipalelection for Mayor, no person shallserve as Mayor for more than two (2)consecutive terms?"

12.SECCIÓN 3-400

LÍMITE DE LA DURACIÓN DELMANDATO DEL ALCALDE

"¿Debe enmendarse la Carta deAutonomía Política de Central Falls demanera que señale que con vigencia apartir de la siguiente elección municipalpara la Alcaldía, ninguna personapodrá ser Alcalde por más de dos (2)mandatos consecutivos?"



13.ADD SECTION 4-105

RECALL

"Shall the Central Falls Home RuleCharter be amended to provide that aMayor shall be subject to recallprovided, however that no recall shallbe permitted if the Mayor has servedless than six months of a first term, orhas less than six months left to serve inoffice, and amended to providerequirements for the recall petition,recall election, and the filling of thevacancy?"

13.AGREGÁNDOSELE SECCIÓN 4-105RETIRO OBLIGATORIO DEL CARGO

"¿Debe enmendarse la Carta deAutonomía Política de Central Falls demanera que señale que el Alcaldeestará sujeto a ser retiradoobligatoriamente del cargo,disponiéndose no obstante que no sepermitirá ningún retiro obligatorio delcargo si el Alcalde ha ocupado dichocargo por menos de seis meses de suprimer mandato, o si le quedan menosde seis meses de su mandato en elcargo, y debe enmendarse la Carta detal manera que se estipulen requisitospara la petición de retiro obligatorio delcargo, la votación para dicho retiroobligatorio del cargo, y la manera cómose ha de llenar dicho cargo cuandoquede vacante?"

Question 13 APPROVEPropuesta 13 A FAVORQuestion 13 REJECTPropuesta 13 EN CONTRA14.SECTIONS 3-200, 3-400, 6-102 AND

6-109EVEN-YEAR ELECTIONS

"Shall the Central Falls Home RuleCharter be amended to provide thatregular municipal elections be held onthe 1st Tuesday after the 1st Monday inNovember in even-numbered years,commencing with the even-year regularmunicipal election to be held in 2016,so that mayoral elections will be on thesame dates as national presidentialelections?"

14.SECCIONES 3-200, 3-400, 6-102 Y

6-109ELECCIONES EN AÑOS PAR

"¿Debe enmendarse la Carta deAutonomía Política de Central Falls demanera que señale que la elecciónmunicipal corriente se ha de efectuar elprimer martes después del primer lunesen noviembre en los años pares,comenzando con la elección municipalcorriente en año par que se realizaráen el año 2016, de manera que laselecciones de alcalde se realicen en lasmismas fechas en las que se realizanlas elecciones presidencialesnacionales?"Question 14 APPROVEPropuesta 14 A FAVORQuestion 14 REJECTPropuesta 14 EN CONTRA



15.SECTION 3-300

RESIDENCY

"Shall the Central Falls Home RuleCharter be amended so that theresidency requirements for the office ofMayor are consistent with residencyrequirements for City CouncilMembers?"

15.SECCIÓN 3-300

RESIDENCIA

"¿Debe enmendarse la Carta deAutonomía Política de Central Falls demanera que los requisitos deresidencia para el cargo del Alcaldesean coherentes con los requisitos deresidencia para los integrantes delConcejo Municipal?"


ADD SECTION 3-502COUNCIL VACANCIES

"Shall the Central Falls Home RuleCharter be amended to provide that if avacancy occurs on the City Council,then the City Council may fill thevacancy with the unsuccessfulcandidate for the office from the lastregular City election who received atleast 30 percent (30%) of the votes castfor that office and if there is no eligiblecandidate, then there shall be a specialCity election to fill the vacancy?"

16.AGREGÁNDOSELE SECCIÓN 3-502

VACANTES EN EL CONCEJO

"¿Debe enmendarse la Carta deAutonomía Política de Central Falls demanera que estipule que si llegase adarse una vacante en el ConcejoMunicipal, el mismo Concejo Municipalpuede llenar la vacante mediante ladesignación del candidato perdedorpara ese cargo en la última elecciónmunicipal corriente que haya recibidopor lo menos el 30 por ciento (30%) delos votos depositados para ese cargo y,si no hubiere un candidato que reunieralos requisitos, entonces se habrá derealizar una elección municipal especialpara llenar la vacante?"


OFFICIAL PRIMARY BALLOTSTATE OF RHODE ISLANDCITY OF CENTRAL FALLS



0 0

Precinct ID 0403


Senate District 16



Voting District 3

1. To vote: Complete the arrow pointing to your choice with a single bold line, like this .

Ballot 4Papeleta 4

PAPELETA OFICIAL DE LA PRIMARIAESTADO DE RHODE ISLAND - CIUDAD DE CENTRAL FALLS

MAYORUnexpired Term

Vote for 1ALCALDE

Periodo InconclusoVote por 1

Bruce M. CORRIGAN

James A. DIOSSA

Thomas LAZIEH

Joseph P. MORAN, III

Tia RISTAINO-SIEGEL

we have to fix that

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