Rhode Island
Divided Board of Elections backs proposal to let voters drop off mail ballots earlier – Rhode Island Current
A seemingly innocuous proposal to let voters drop off their mail ballots earlier has divided Rhode Island elections administrators.
The Rhode Island Board of Elections (BOE) on Thursday narrowly backed a proposal to let voters deposit ballots in state-certified, secure drop boxes 35 days prior to Election Day. The 3-2 vote serves as a recommendation, requiring legislation and approval by the Rhode Island General Assembly, to amend existing law, which says drop boxes stationed outside city and town halls must stay locked until 20 days prior to an election.
The vote came after nearly an hour of discussion and debate, clouded with questions over logistics, and the specter of public doubt over election integrity.
Chair Jennie Johnson, along with members David Sholes and Marcela Betancur, supported the earlier opening. Board members Randy Jackvony and Michael Connors opposed the earlier opening date.
Proponents including the Rhode Island Department of State, local boards of canvassers and the Rhode Island Town and City Clerks’ Association backed the change as a way to make voting easier and more convenient for voters eager to exercise their civic duty.
“Voters love to use the drop box,” said Kathy Placencia, elections director for the Department of State.
An earlier opening date also allows drop boxes to be used for voter registration forms, which are due 30 days before an election. Typically, city and town halls have to open their offices on the Sunday registration deadline to accept registration forms from stragglers.
But some BOE members hesitated, concerned about confusion created by combining registration forms and mail ballots in the same collection box. Not to be discounted: public trust in election safety and security, which has taken a hit nationwide.
“There is a lot of distrust in elections around mail ballots already,” said Michael Connors, a board member who also serves on the three-member legislative subcommittee. The subcommittee on Feb. 20 voted 2-1 not to support a change in drop box opening dates.
Even Miguel Nunez, BOE deputy director (who will take the helm as executive director next week), acknowledged the solution was imperfect.
Identical legislation was submitted last year on behalf of the state elections board, and approved by both chambers, but was pulled at the eleventh hour due to conflicts with local special elections.
There is a lot of distrust in elections around mail ballots already.
– Michael Connors, a Board of Elections member who opposed to the earlier start for opening drop boxes
Existing state law requires local boards of canvassers to lock drop boxes at 8 p.m. on Election Day, the same time polls closed. When a special election is held a month before a regular state or federal election, the earlier drop box opening might overlap with a time when the drop box has to be locked for a local election.
Nunez presented BOE members with a few options to minimize this conflict. They included getting rid of the requirement that local elections administrators lock the drop box when polls close. Or keeping the 8 p.m. locking time but reopening the drop box the next morning. A third option: opening drop boxes 30 or 32 days prior to the election, rather than 35.
Board member Sholes also suggested another hack to assuage concerns about ballot confusion: color-coded ballots to make it easier for local election workers to differentiate between special, local races and state or federal ones.
‘Can of worms’
But the multitude of Band-Aid fixes suggested to Jackvony that perhaps the best solution was no change at all.
“I think we’re opening up a can of worms,” Jackvony said. “We’re very concerned about giving people a positive sense of the integrity of elections. I think we’re going in the wrong direction with something like this.”
“Very few” mail ballot applications get sent out by the Secretary of State’s office 35 days before an election, Nunez said.
But the handful of voters who want to turn in mail ballots early would benefit by opening up the drop boxes, which are already paid for, under surveillance, and otherwise sitting empty, said Nick Lima, Cranston elections director and chairperson for the Rhode Island Town and City Clerks’ Association Elections Committee.
Lima has heard from a few Cranston voters who already received their mail ballots for the upcoming April 2 presidential preference primary but can’t drop off their ballots in the drop boxes until March 13, based on the 20-day opening date.
“That voter will show up at City Hall at 4:35 p.m. today with that mail ballot in-hand and have nowhere to drop it,” Lima said.
Meanwhile, the city of Cranston is spending $2,000 across its four special elections this year to pay its staff to sit in City Hall on the Sunday when voter registration forms are due, Lima said. That cost could be eliminated if voters could drop their registration paperwork in a secure container.
“It’s a large expense for us, and it really isn’t a necessity,” said Lima, adding he “never” sees city voters dropping off registration forms on that final Sunday deadline.
The proposed changes in drop box openings was one of 25 election-related bills considered by the BOE Thursday, ranging from repealing constitutional requirements for 30-day residency prior to voting, to the maximum number of voters a single polling place can serve.
The drop box legislation has not been introduced yet, but must be submitted by Feb. 29 to be considered by the General Assembly.
Board members Diane Mederos and Louis DeSimone did not attend the meeting.
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RHODE ISLAND (5-5-2, 2-2-0 A-10) at DAYTON (9-3-0, 3-1 A-10)
Sunday, Oct. 6 at 1:00 p.m.
Baujan Field (Dayton, Ohio)
Live Stream | Live Stats | Game Notes
RHODE ISLAND VS. DAYTON- SERIES NOTES
- Rhode Island travels to Baujan Field in Dayton, Ohio to face their fifth Atlantic 10 opponent.
- Rhody comes off a big win over Richmond on Thursday, beating the Spiders 6-0 at home on Breast Cancer Awareness Night to improve their record to 5-5-2.
- Historically, Dayton has a significant edge on the Rams with a series record of 19-3-1, with Rhode Island’s last win dating back to November 2nd, 2006 (3-2).
- In their last ten games against the Flyers, Rhode Island is 0-1-9 while being outscored 27-4.
SCOUTING THE FLYERS
- The Flyers enter Sunday’s match on a three-game win streak.
- Last time out, Dayton beat Duquesne 2-1.
- The Flyers are 3-1 in conference play, with their lone loss against Loyola (1-0).
- In four A-10 games, Dayton has outscored its opponent 9-2. In its 12 games on the year, 34-13.
- The Flyers are 5-1 at home.
- 11 different players have scored a goal for Dayton this season.
- The Flyers are led by Noel Blain, who has recorded 23 points in 12 games on nine goals and five assists. The 23 points is first in the league and tied for sixth nationally.
- Between the posts for Dayton is junior Batoul Reda. Reda has spent every minute in goal for the Flyers this season, collecting 31 saves and posting six shutouts.
RAMS SURPASS WIN TOTAL FROM 2023
- Rhode Island’s win over Richmond last time out was the fifth win of the season, surpassing the four wins from a year ago.
- It’s the first time the Rams have collected five wins since the 2021 season. That year, the Rams were 6-9-2 and had their first appearance in the Atlantic 10 Championship in five seasons.
- It’s the second 5+ win season for Rhody under head coach Megan Jessee.
- A year ago, all four of Rhody’s wins came in the league slate.
- The Rams finished 3-3-2 in the non-conference portion of the schedule this season.
RHODE BATTLE
- Rhode Island has struggled on the road this season. A win Sunday would be the Ram’s first victory away from Kingston.
- This year, Rhody is 0-4-2 on the road.
- Last season, head coach Megan Jessee led the Rams to 3-2-4 away from Kingston. It was the best record on the road since the 2016 season when Rhody was 3-5-2 under Michael Needham.
Rhode Island
Looking to go book a fishing charter? This is RI’s best fishing town, per FishingBooker
Winter Flounder
R.I. DEM researchers look for winter flounder during a fish trawl survey to collect data on the numbers and varieties of fish in Narragansett Bay.
Kris Craig, The Providence Journal
If you’re looking to book a fishing trip out of Rhode Island, consider Narragansett.
Narragansett, which has a long history as a fishing community, is the best fishing town in Rhode Island, according to a recent ranking from FishingBooker.
As the world’s largest platform for booking fishing trips, FishingBooker based their rankings of the best fishing towns in each state on booking and reviewing data from their website over the last year. Each town was given a score from 1-10 in the following six categories:
- Number of available fishing charters
- Average review score
- Average recommended score
- Number of guides with the Angler’s Choice Award
- Number of bookings
- Minimum price of a fishing trip
Out of the six categories, Narragansett received a perfect 10 in four, winning the No. 1 spot by over 20 points.
Why is Narragansett good for fishing?
Originally settled around 1675, the coastal fishing town of Narragansett has access to both the bay and the open waters of the Atlantic. It encompasses some of the historic fishing villages in the state, such as Galilee and Point Judith.
Galilee has maintained its fishing heritage. Galilee is home to the largest fishing fleet in Rhode Island, according to the Rhode Island Party and Charter Boat Association. It’s also the fourth-highest-value fishing port on the East Coast as of 2021, according to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
Common fish species caught in Narragansett include striped bass, bluefish and flounder.
According to FishingBooker, Narragansett won due to its high number of Angler’s Choice winning captains, amount of bookings and recommendation scores, adding up to 55 out of 60 possible points.
More: How did Jerusalem and Galilee, Rhode Island, get their names? We asked around.
Their website recommends 76 fishing charters to book trips with, the most of any Rhode Island town. Many of the charters have received top awards and guest recommendations.
What other RI destinations made the list?
Here is the full list of the top fishing towns in Rhode Island, according to FishingBooker:
- Narragansett
- Portsmouth
- Warwick
- Newport
- South Kingstown
- Westerly
- North Kingstown
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