§ 17-19-21. Arrangement of polling places — Election officials — Police officers.
(a) The polling places shall be established, equipped, and furnished with the paraphernalia necessary for the conduct of each election, by the officers and in the manner provided by this title. There shall be placed, outside each polling place, a clearly marked sign to be provided by the state board of elections indicating the location of the polling place. This sign shall be of a conspicuous nature and shall be visible from the street. The area within which the balloting is conducted shall be arranged with a guard rail having one place for entrance and another place for exit. The rail shall be placed so that only persons admitted inside the rail can approach within five (5) feet of any voting booth or optical-scan precinct-count unit. The voting booths and optical-scan precinct-count unit shall be placed so that the warden and the clerk shall always have a clear view of the front of each voting booth and the optical-scan unit. It shall be the duty of the warden to direct the location of the voting equipment in relation to the guard rail and the posts of the warden and the clerk so as to enforce the requirements of this section.
(b) One bipartisan pair of supervisors, the clerk, and the warden shall be stationed, in that order, along the guard rail so that a voter desiring to cast a ballot will pass first in front of the bipartisan pair, then in front of the clerk, and finally in front of the warden. A second bipartisan pair shall be stationed within the guard rail and shall be available to relieve the first bipartisan pair or the clerk and to assist voters within the limits prescribed by this title. The second bipartisan pair, when not engaged in the preceding duties, shall watch the voters in and about the voting equipment and shall call to the attention of the warden any violation, or circumstance suggesting a violation, of the provisions of this title.
(c) The chiefs of police of cities and towns, and town sergeants of towns having no chief of police, shall detail a certain number of police officers to each polling place as may be requested by the local board. The police officers shall preserve order at each polling place and within two hundred feet (200′) of the polling place. It shall be the duty of every police officer or other peace officer or town or police constable to arrest without warrant any person detected in the act of violating the provisions of this chapter, but no arrest shall be made without the approval of the warden.
(d) The election officials provided in subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall be provided with, and shall be required to prominently display upon their persons, identification badges that shall designate that person as an election official. Powers and duties of all designated election officials at polls shall be posted in a conspicuous and prominent location within the voting place, preferably with the posted sample ballot.
History of Section.P.L. 1935, ch. 2195, § 16; P.L. 1938, ch. 2640, § 2; G.L. 1938, ch. 318, § 12; G.L. 1938, ch. 318, §§ 10, 12; P.L. 1940, ch. 818, § 1; P.L. 1947, ch. 1886, § 23; P.L. 1948, ch. 2100, § 1; G.L. 1956, §§ 17-15-23, 17-19-20, 17-19-24; G.L. 1956, § 17-19-21; P.L. 1958, ch. 18, § 1; P.L. 1987, ch. 190, § 1; P.L. 1991, ch. 171, § 1; P.L. 1996, ch. 277, § 12; P.L. 1996, ch. 298, § 12; P.L. 2015, ch. 260, § 27; P.L. 2015, ch. 275, § 27.
Structure Rhode Island General Laws
Chapter 17-19 - Conduct of Election and Voting Equipment, and Supplies
Section 17-19-1. - Definitions.
Section 17-19-2. - Voting equipment.
Section 17-19-2.1. - New voting technology.
Section 17-19-3. - Voting equipment and services — Specifications.
Section 17-19-3.1. - Repealed.
Section 17-19-3.2. - Polling place accessibility for voters who are disabled or elderly.
Section 17-19-3.3. - Telephones at polling places.
Section 17-19-3.4. - Repealed.
Section 17-19-3.5 - — 17-19-3.15. Repealed.
Section 17-19-4. - Voting booths and optical scan precinct count units — Number to be furnished.
Section 17-19-4.1. - Repealed.
Section 17-19-4.2. - Moderator request — Computerized voting machines.
Section 17-19-5. - Printing and furnishing of computer ballots.
Section 17-19-6. - Ballot — Arrangement.
Section 17-19-6.1. - Local questions on the ballot.
Section 17-19-7. - Local candidates and questions — Certification — Ballots.
Section 17-19-7.1. - Listing of at-large candidates.
Section 17-19-7.2. - Names of candidates.
Section 17-19-8. - Ballots — Form.
Section 17-19-8.1. - Ballots for voters who are blind, visually impaired, or disabled.
Section 17-19-8.2. - State-of-the-art voting technology.
Section 17-19-9. - Party emblems.
Section 17-19-9.1. - Ballot arrangement — Independent candidates.
Section 17-19-10. - Sample ballots — Contents — Distribution.
Section 17-19-10.1. - Training and community outreach.
Section 17-19-11. - Election return forms — Contents.
Section 17-19-12. - Delivery of election supplies.
Section 17-19-13. - Exhibition of machines for instructional purposes.
Section 17-19-14. - Preparation of voting equipment for election — Testing.
Section 17-19-16. - State election inspectors — Appointment — Duties — Training — Compensation.
Section 17-19-18. - Examination of voting equipment prior to opening of polls.
Section 17-19-19. - Custody of machines during voting.
Section 17-19-20. - Repair or replacement of defective machines.
Section 17-19-21. - Arrangement of polling places — Election officials — Police officers.
Section 17-19-21.1. - Polling place bake sales.
Section 17-19-22. - Party checkers, runners, and watchers.
Section 17-19-22.1. - Bilingual poll workers.
Section 17-19-23. - Wardens and supervisors — Powers and duties.
Section 17-19-23.1. - Certification and appointment of election officials.
Section 17-19-23.2. - Compensation of election officials.
Section 17-19-23.3. - Repealed.
Section 17-19-24. - Procedure for voting.
Section 17-19-24.1. - Provisional voting under the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
Section 17-19-24.2. - Voter identification.
Section 17-19-24.3. - Provisional ballot procedures.
Section 17-19-25. - Certified voting list — Duty of bipartisan supervisor.
Section 17-19-26. - Models for instruction — Assistance to voters in marking their ballot.
Section 17-19-26.1. - Voting assistance.
Section 17-19-27. - Challenge of identity as to right to vote.
Section 17-19-30. - Voters who register by making a mark rather than signature.
Section 17-19-31. - Irregular ballots.
Section 17-19-32. - Recording and signing of returns.
Section 17-19-35. - Guarding optical scan precinct count units until resumption of custody by board.
Section 17-19-36. - Tabulation of town returns — Certificate of election.
Section 17-19-37. - Tabulation of state returns — Certificate of election.
Section 17-19-37.1. - Recount eligibility — Candidates for public office.
Section 17-19-37.2. - Recount eligibility — Write-in candidates for public office.
Section 17-19-37.3. - Recount eligibility — Ballot questions and other offices.
Section 17-19-37.4. - Post-election audits.
Section 17-19-38. - Custody of optical scan precinct count units pending return to storage.
Section 17-19-39. - Power to open voting equipment.
Section 17-19-39.1. - Voted ballot storage and security.
Section 17-19-41. - Violations by public officers.
Section 17-19-42. - Tampering with voting equipment.
Section 17-19-43. - Tampering with sample ballot.
Section 17-19-44. - Officer tampering with voting equipment.
Section 17-19-45. - Fraudulent election returns.
Section 17-19-47. - Improper possession of voting equipment keys or duplicates.
Section 17-19-48. - Posting of original voter registration records.
Section 17-19-49. - Political literature and influence.
Section 17-19-50. - Candidates listing on ballot.
Section 17-19-51. - Priority for elderly voters.
Section 17-19-52. - Priority for disabled voters.
Section 17-19-53. - Voter accompanied by children within voting booth.