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Shanley Mail Ballot Certification Bill Passes House

rhode-island-state-house
rhode-island-state-house
[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] The RI State House.

STATE HOUSE — The House of Representatives today approved Rep. Evan P. Shanley’s (D-Dist. 24, Warwick)bill allowing for early mail ballot certification.

The bill, (2021-H 5890A), would also establish a new and more comprehensive mail ballot voter signature verification process.

“This legislation establishes a transparent review process by requiring two people to review and compare each voter’s signature with the signature found in the Central Voter Registration System,” said Shanley. “The CVRS is a statewide database that includes the signatures that are found on voter registration cards, making it easy for officials to verify those signatures on mail ballots.”

The legislation would also allow the Board of Elections to begin the certification of mail ballots 20 days prior to Election Day and require notice of such certification sessions.

“As we see a large increase in the number of mail ballots cast, the Board of Elections needs more time to process and count them,” said Representative Shanley. “The current law allows for counting 14 days prior to the election. Increasing that to 20 days will not only give the board more time, it will also put the board in a better position to begin announcing results once the polls are closed. Last year there was a six-day change by executive order and it made a real difference.”

During the 2016 presidential election, the Board of Elections received about 45,000 mail ballots. That number increased to more than 170,000 mail ballots for the 2020 election.

The measure now moves to the Senate, where similar legislation (2021-S 0623) has been introduced by Sen. Cynthia A. Coyne (D-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence).

Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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