Address Confidentiality For Victims Of Domestic Abuse (410-RICR-20-00-1)

A.The Rhode Island Board of Elections has promulgated the within rules and regulations relating to address confidentiality for victims of domestic abuse pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-28-8, as amended.

B.Said rules and regulations are established pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act (R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-35-1, et seq.) and are available for public inspection, submissions, or requests at the offices of the Rhode Island Board of Elections, 50 Branch Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island.

The following rules and regulations are adopted in order to enable victims of domestic violence to participate in the electoral process by providing address confidentiality.

A person who is certified as a program participant in the Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) by the Office of the Secretary of State pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-28-3 shall be eligible to cast a ballot in accordance with the provisions set forth herein.

A.The program participant may elect to cast a ballot either:

1.in person on election day; or

2.by mail ballot.

B.Said ballot shall be executed in the manner set forth below.

The program participant may vote in person by going to the local board of canvassers in the city or town in which he or she resides and obtaining a “Temporary Certificate of Registration” on election day. The local board shall prepare such “Temporary Certificate of Registration” so that the program participants’ residence address indicated on the certificate shall be the address of the local board of canvassers. Upon completion of the “certificate” the local board shall direct the voter to the appropriate polling place within the city or town. The voter shall present the “certificate” to the moderator or warden, as the case may be, at the polling place where he or she will be allowed to cast his or her ballot in accordance with the provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 17-19.

A.The program participant may vote by mail ballot by requesting a mail ballot application from the Elections Division of the Office of the Secretary of State. The participant shall receive a mail ballot application, an envelope addressed to the appropriate local board of canvassers and instructions on the information to be provided on the mail ballot including, but not limited to, the following:

1.Filling out the mail ballot application using the designated address in lieu of the registered address on the application;

2.Checking off category #1 and printing “APC” in the space provided for location; and

3.Entering the designated address as the mailing address under category #1.

B.The applicant must return the completed application to the appropriate local board of canvassers in the pre-addressed envelope provided by the Elections Division.

C.The local board of canvassers shall process and certify such applications. The local board shall print “ACP” as well as the district number in the space provided in the top right hand corner of the mail ballot application. The application and the accompanying certification sheets must be sent to the Elections Division in the manner prescribed. The names of program participants voting by mail ballot shall not be made public or included in any public list of mail ballot voters.

D.Upon receipt and execution of the mail ballot, the program participant shall forward the voted ballot to the Rhode Island Board of Elections in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-16.

E.At the time of mail ballot certification, all applications marked “APC” and the accompanying mail ballots shall be reviewed separately by the Board in closed session pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-5(a)(3). Upon completing its review and certification of said ballots, the Board shall reconvene in open session. Those applications marked “APC” shall not be available for public inspection.

F.Mail ballots cast as part of the “ACP” program shall be tabulated in the same manner as prescribed in R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 17-20.

A.These rules and regulations shall be read and interpreted in conjunction with the Secretary of State’s rules and regulations adopted pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-28-1 et seq.

B.By Order of the Rhode Island Board of Elections Roger N. Begin, Chairman

C.These rules and regulations are adopted pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act (R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-35-1, et seq.).