More than 25% of Rhode Island’s registered voters already cast ballots in the Nov. 5 election as of midday Monday, according to the Rhode Island Department of State turnout tracker.

Early voting continues through 4 p.m. Monday, with designated locations in every city and town.

The 205,220 Rhode Islanders who cast ballots by mail or early, in-person as of noon represent more than 40% of total turnout in the 2020 presidential election. The 2020 election saw 64% participation among Rhode Island voters, with nearly two-thirds voting by mail or through early “emergency” in-person voting authorized because of the pandemic. In 2016, total turnout was just under 60%.

This year marks the first presidential election cycle featuring expanded mail voting and regular, in-person early voting hours in Rhode Island — thanks to a law passed in June 2022 — making it difficult to compare voting behavior this year with past election cycles, said John Marion, executive director for Common Cause Rhode Island.

“We’re just settling into new patterns of voting as these choices expand,” Marion said in an interview Monday. “It’s going to take a while for patterns to emerge.”

Marion was surprised, though, that early, in-person voting appeared more popular among Rhode Island voters than mail ballots, contrary to the trends in other states that offer both mail and in-person, early voting.

More than 157,000 Rhode Islanders had voted early, in-person as of noon, compared with nearly 48,000 who submitted ballots by mail.

A line at Warwick City Hall Friday

Enthusiasm for pre-Election Day voting was strongest in Warwick, where nearly 10,800 voters cast ballots at City Hall by midday Monday. Mayor Frank Picozzi pointed to Warwick’s high turnout in past presidential election cycles as explanation for its strong numbers ahead of Tuesday.

Unlike other state or local candidates, though, Picozzi has not put early voting at the forefront of his own reelection campaign. 

“As long as people vote, I don’t care how they do it,” Picozzi said in an interview Monday morning.

Picozzi, an independent vying for his second term, cast his ballot on the first day of early voting on Oct. 16. At the time, City Hall was still quiet, which was not the case on Friday, when voters waited upwards of an hour during peak times to cast ballots, Picozzi said.

Social media reports showed long lines winding around Warwick City Hall again on Monday.

Neighboring Cranston, however, has not seen lines longer than a minute, despite several days of record-breaking early voting numbers, said Nick Lima, city elections director.

Weekend hours in four communities

Cranston was one of four municipalities that extended early voting hours into the weekend — alongside Providence, East Providence, and North Kingstown. On Saturday, more than 15,000 voters came to the Pastore Youth Center on Gansett Avenue in Cranston during designated early voting hours, Lima said.

“Aside from parking being a little tight, it’s not been a problem,” said Lima.

The Cranston Board of Canvassers shifted its early voting location from City Hall to the youth center in order to accommodate the larger crowds expected.

Lima chalked up the strong turnout to the headline presidential race along with a host of state and local races of interest. Alongside a contentious mayoral contest between Republican Mayor Ken Hopkins and his Democratic challenger, City Councilor Robert Ferri, all nine city council seats feature contested matchups.

Mail ballots most popular in Providence

Providence boasted the third-highest number of ballots cast or mailed in, but the highest number of mail ballots, with more than 5,600 mail ballots as of midday Monday. That reflects a “local culture,” in the capital city, where candidates make mail ballot voting a central part of their strategy, Marion said.

“Campaigns adjust their mobilization tactics based on what options exist,” Marion said. “In the same way that campaigns in Providence emphasize mail ballots, it may very well be that campaigns in Warwick are emphasizing early voting.”

The lack of contested state and local races across Providence might also work to the city’s advantage in racking up votes ahead of Election Day; research suggests voters who are undecided are more likely to wait until the day of to participate.

All three cities with the highest numbers of early voting — Warwick, Cranston, and Providence — backed Biden in 2020. Multiple polls, including a University of New Hampshire poll released Sunday, show Rhode Island voters backing Harris by double-digit percentage points this year, though certain cities and towns in the western part of the state will be close calls between Harris and Trump.

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in all cities and towns on Election Day, except for Block Island, where polls open at 9 a.m. Voters can find their Election Day polling place by looking up their voting record online here.

Mail ballots must be returned to the Board of Elections via a secure drop box, a local board of canvassers’ office or an in-person polling place by 8 p.m. Tuesday to be counted.

Rhode Island does not allow same-day registration for local and state elections; however, unregistered voters can still vote in the presidential race at specific, designated voting locations within the state.

The Rhode Island Board of Elections will begin releasing results of the Nov. 5 election shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday. But final results, including those from military and overseas voters, will not be tallied for several more days. The elections board expects to certify results on Nov. 12.

Good Morning! It’s Monday, November 4. 🗓️ Today is the 309th day of the year; 57 days remain in 2024. Today’s newsletter is about a 5-minute read

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What’s Up Today

☀️ Weather: Increasing clouds, with a high near 59. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph, becoming south in the afternoon.

⚓ Marine: Variable winds less than 5 kt, becoming SE 5 to 7 kt in the morning. Increasing clouds. Seas 1 ft or less.

🌒 Sun, Moon, & Tide: Sunrise at 6:21 am, sunset at 4:36 pm. Low tide at 2:04 am & 2:57 pm. High tide at 9 am & 9:27 pm. The lunar phase is a Waxing Crescent.

🚢 Next up is the Insignia on November 7 – the last cruise ship of the season.

⛵ Happening Today: Newport Restaurant Week, Newport Black History Walking Tours, and more. Our complete roundup of what’s happening for events, entertainment, and local public meetings is here [WUN].

Community Calendar

Need To Know

1️⃣ Election Day Is Nearly Here

Today is the last day of Early voting in the General Election. So far, 187,412 Rhode Island residents have already voted by mail ballot or early in person, representing a 23.7% voter turnout.

If you’d like to cast a ballot today, then be sure to do so at your local town/city hall between 8:30 am and 4 pm. For voting on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, polls are open from 7 am – 8 pm and mail ballots must be received by the Board of Elections or put into an authorized drop box by 8:00 p.m.

2️⃣ Election Results

On Tuesday, November 5, and the following days, you can see live 2024 General Election results for Newport, Rhode Island, and national races here.

Newport County Results

Rhode Island & National Results

3️⃣ Concert Recap and Photos: ‘Oratorio of a Forgotten Youth’ at the Casino Theatre in Newport

An inspiring performance combining elements of jazz, poetry, and classical soundscapes alongside a chorus of South African voices, made for a special evening at the Casino Theatre in Newport on Saturday, November 2. The show was the U.S. premiere of Oratorio of a Forgotten Youth, a multidisciplinary collaborative performance commemorating the 1976 youth resistance movement in South Africa.

WUN’s Ken Abrams was there to write about and photograph the event. [WUN]

What’s Up Out There

News

🚓 The Newport Police Department said that two officers were sideswiped by a tractor-trailer in North Carolina while picking up a special response van from Florida. Police said that on Oct. 29, the two officers were driving through Dunn, North Carolina, when the tractor hit the van. [WLNE]

♻️ Newport residents can dispose of “harder to recycle” items at the city’s Fall Recycling Day on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Easton’s Beach. The event is free and open to city residents, but proof of residency is required. [WUN]

🚌 RIPTA will offer all Rhode Island veterans free bus service on Veterans Day, with proof of eligibility. [WUN]

Arts, Culture & Things To Do

🎵 WUN’s Ken Abrams caught up with Grammy-winning Lucinda Williams ahead of her show at The Vets on Nov. 15. [WUN]

Business & Nonprofit

☕ Rhode Island’s Nitro Bar is soaring amid viral TikTok fame. [Brown Daily Herald]

Election

🗳️ As of 4:45 pm on Friday, November 1, the Rhode Island Voter Turnout Tracker reports that 187,412 Rhode Island residents have already voted by mail ballot or early in person, representing a 23.7% voter turnout thus far. In Newport County, 20,859 voters have already voted. [WUN]

🎥 For the last few months, Angela Goethals, who was Macaulay Culkin’s big sister in Home Alone 34 years ago,  has been auditioning for a very significant role in her hometown of Westerly. WUN’s Frank Prosnitz has the story. [WUN]

🗳️ To view a sample ballot, check your voter registration, or to find your polling location, please visit Vote.RI.Gov. 

Food & Drink 

🍽️ Newport Restaurant Week continues in Newport and Bristol Counties through November 10 [WUN]

Obituaries

🕊️ Nathan Kivlehan

🕊️ Ann Louise Garvey-Morgan

Sports

🎾 Tiverton High School’s girls tennis team has secured the Division III Rhode Island State Championship. They clinched the title with a win over Exeter West Greenwich at Slater Park in Pawtucket. WUN’s Justin Walker was there and has a photo gallery of the game. [WUN]

⚽ On top of a second-straight hat trick from JJ Williams, Rhode Island FC won its first-ever playoff match on Sunday, defeating Indy Eleven 3-2 at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. [WUN]

🏒 Jeremy Swayman had 23 saves and his first shutout of the season, and the Boston Bruins beat the Seattle Kraken 2-0 on Sunday night. [WUN]

🏈 Nick Folk kicked a 25-yard field goal with 2:32 left in overtime and the Tennessee Titans beat the New England Patriots 20-17 Sunday, giving coach Brian Callahan his first victory at home this season. [WUN]

🏈 Devin Farrell threw for 265 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, with 171 yards and two scores going to Marquis Buchanan, and Rhode Island beat Monmouth 37-28 on Saturday for its seventh straight victory. [WUN]

🏈 Middletown High School’s varsity football team dominated Coventry High School 32-6 in a Division II game on Nov. 1. The win, which coincided with Middletown’s senior night, brings their season record to 4-4, while Coventry drops to 2-6. [WUN]

BOSTON – A member of a nationwide drug trafficking ring was sentenced in federal court in Boston for drug trafficking and money laundering. During the investigation, over 160 pounds of pure methamphetamine, as well as an AK-47, a Glock with no serial number, two loaded Smith & Wesson handguns and over 4,200 rounds of ammunition were seized. An illegal marijuana grow operation with hundreds of marijuana plants was also dismantled.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 64-year-old Patrick O’Hearn of Braintree was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 15 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2024, O’Hearn pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, as well as one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of money laundering. 

O’Hearn was charged along with 10 others in September 2021 in a 15-count superseding indictment.  

O’Hearn was part of a large-scale methamphetamine distribution network that distributed significant quantities of pure methamphetamine throughout New England. The investigation began in late 2020, when O’Hearn’s methamphetamine supplier Reshat Alkayisi was identified as a large-scale methamphetamine trafficker, who distributed multi-pound quantities to customers throughout the New England area. O’Hearn was subsequently identified as one of Alkayisi’s regular large-scale distributors who routinely purchased methamphetamine and redistributed it throughout the Boston area. Bank records indicated that O’Hearn paid Alkayisi at least $100,000 between January and July 2021. O’Hearn also purchased over $465,000 worth of methamphetamine from Alkayisi between January and May 2021.

O’Hearn conspired with Alkayisi to launder their drug proceeds. As part of that money laundering conspiracy, Alkayisi used O’Hearn’s residence as the address for his shell company that he used to launder drug proceeds. 

In July 2021, O’Hearn was arrested and over 680 grams of pure methamphetamine was seized, as well as small quantities of cocaine, ketamine, MDMA and other controlled substances from O’Hearn’s residence. Over $213,000 in cash was also found in O’Hearn’s residence and in bank safe deposit boxes.

Alkayisi pleaded guilty in April 2024 and in September 2024 sentenced to 23 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. O’Hearn is the 10th defendant to be sentenced in the case. The remaining defendant has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. 

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Stephen Belleau, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts Department of Correction; Norfolk County Sherriff’s Office; and Concord, Hudson, Peabody, Reading, Watertown and Waltham Police Departments. Assistance was also provided by the Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alathea Porter and Katherine Ferguson of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.