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HB 5517

AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTION -- VOTING DISTRICTS AND OFFICIALS

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jackie Baginski and 2 co-sponsors

Raises polling-place cap from 3,000 to 3,500 voters, reducing sites while protecting access for disadvantaged communities and ensuring stability across redistricting.

07/02/2025 Signed by Governor
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Bill Summary · HB 5517

Summary — HB 5517 (Rhode Island)

Title: AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTION — VOTING DISTRICTS AND OFFICIALS
Status: Signed by Governor (effective upon passage, 07/02/2025)
Statute amended: R.I. Gen. Laws §17-11-1

Purpose

HB 5517 amends the statutory rules governing how local boards establish voting districts and polling places to (1) raise the maximum number of eligible registered voters that a single polling place may serve and (2) add and clarify standards and protections related to polling‑place location and continuity.

Key provisions

  • Increases the polling‑place maximum:
    • Raises the target cap from 3,000 to 3,500 total eligible registered voters served by the same polling place.
  • Minimum and exceptions:
    • Retains a lower limit that a polling place should not serve fewer than 500 eligible registered voters, except when the polling place is located in a low‑income or elderly residential development or when smaller size is caused by legislative district boundaries.
    • Existing polling places currently located in low‑income or elderly residential developments may not be eliminated.
  • Stability of polling‑place assignments:
    • Once the state board approves an established polling place, changes are generally not permitted until the next legislative decennial redistricting, unless the polling place becomes unavailable or fails to meet state board minimum requirements.
  • Polling places outside a voting district:
    • A polling place may be located outside its voting district only if the local board unanimously determines that no suitable site exists within the district and the state board approves.
  • New uniform location standards (cities/towns, subject to state board approval) must consider:
    1. Accessibility to historically disenfranchised communities (cultural, ethnic, minority groups);
    2. Proximity to dense concentrations of voters;
    3. Public transportation access;
    4. Equitable distribution of polling places across the municipality;
    5. Maximizing voter participation, including use of community centers and public gathering places.
  • Grandfathering over‑cap polling places:
    • A polling place that exceeds the new cap because of normal shifts in registration may continue to operate above the cap until the next decennial redistricting only if the local board unanimously approves and the state board of elections certifies that the site can adequately serve anticipated turnout for each general election it will be used.

Who is affected

  • Local boards of canvassers/boards responsible for establishing polling places and voting districts.
  • Rhode Island Board of Elections (state board) — approval and certification roles expanded.
  • Voters — especially residents in dense areas, low‑income or elderly developments, and historically disenfranchised communities.
  • Municipal election administration (precinct staffing, polling‑place logistics).

Legislative timeline (selected)

  • Introduced: Feb–Mar 2025 (sponsored by Representatives Paplauskas, Lima, Baginski)
  • House passed: 05/08/2025
  • Senate concurred: 06/21/2025
  • Transmitted to Governor: 06/27/2025
  • Signed into law: 07/02/2025 (effective upon passage)

Potential impacts / considerations

  • Raising the cap to 3,500 could reduce the number of polling locations needed, potentially improving administrative efficiency and reducing costs, but may increase wait times at some sites if not matched by staffing and resources.
  • The added location standards and grandfathering provision aim to protect access for disadvantaged populations and maintain continuity where appropriate.
  • Unanimous local board approval and state certification requirements create procedural safeguards but may limit flexibility for mid‑decade adjustments.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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