A.The Department of State has promulgated the within Rules and Regulations relative to the updating of voter registration records of all registered voters of the thirty-nine (39) cities and towns of the State of Rhode Island as mandated by R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-9.1-27. The Department of State shall update the Central Voter Registration System (CVRS) and may direct the local boards of canvassers to perform such updating of their list of registered voters. The Rules adopted by the Department of State are established in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 17-6, as amended.
B.Said Rules and Regulations are established in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act (R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-35-1 et seq.) and available for public inspection, submissions, or requests at the Department of State, Administrative Records Division, State Library, State House, 82 Smith St., Providence, Rhode Island 02903.
C.In order to properly administer and to provide uniformity to the updating of voter registration records, each of the local boards of canvassers shall be required to maintain and update their records as follows:
1.The addresses of registered voters in each city or town in Rhode Island shall be maintained by the local boards of canvassers in the standardized format set forth by the United States Postal Service (USPS).
2.The Department of State shall maintain an electronic connection with the Rhode Island Department of Health (DOH). Each month the DOH shall transmit to the Department of State a list of those individuals who have become deceased. The list shall be transmitted to the local boards of canvassers by the Department of State via the Central Voter Registration System (CVRS). The local boards of canvassers shall review and process each record accordingly in a timely manner.
3.The Department of State shall maintain an electronic connection with the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (DOC). The DOC shall transmit to the Department of State two (2) lists. The first shall contain information about persons convicted of a felony who, during the preceding period, have become ineligible to vote because of their incarceration. The second list shall contain information about persons convicted of a felony who, during the preceding period, have become eligible to vote because of their discharge from incarceration. The lists shall be transmitted to the local boards of canvassers by the Department of State via the CVRS. The local boards of canvassers shall review and process each record accordingly in a timely manner.
4.The Department of State may enter into data sharing agreements with other government agencies and election entities for the purpose of maintaining accurate voter information.
5.In every odd-numbered year, the Department of State shall update the CVRS with data from the USPS' National Change of Address (NCOA) Program. The local boards of canvassers shall commence the NCOA process in accordance to procedures established by the Department of State and Board of Elections by contacting voters at the addresses provided by the USPS. As voters respond, local boards of canvassers will process information accordingly. If the voter has failed to respond to the NCOA mailing, the voter shall remain on the active list of voters and shall not be required to sign the affirmation form. In these cases, the voter's residence address for voting purposes will be changed by the local board to the new address as indicated by the National Change of Address Program.
6.The Department of State shall forward information used to accurately maintain the voter registration lists of each city/town to the local boards of canvassers for review and processing. Information may include voters who have possibly moved out of Rhode Island, voters who have died, duplicate voter registration records, data entry errors, and other information to ensure accuracy in the voter registration lists. The local boards of canvassers shall review and process each record accordingly in a timely manner.
