5Q: Nellie M. Gorbea | R.I. secretary of state
1. You expressed concern with the effect of a delayed primary on the remainder of the year’s election calendar. What specifically are your concerns? First and foremost, Rhode Islanders should know that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the presidential preference primary has moved to June 2, and will be a mostly mail-ballot election. When the issue of moving the primary was first mentioned, I was concerned that delaying the [presidential primary] would leave less time to prepare for Rhode Island’s statewide primary election in September and the general election in November. Ultimately, we must ensure that any changes to our elections calendar do not disenfranchise voters.
2. How is the state preparing for a primarily vote-by-mail election? My office will be sending every registered Rhode Island voter a mail-ballot application with clear instructions and a postage-paid return envelope. Once voters fill out and return their mail-ballot application, my office will send them a mail ballot with another postage-paid return envelope.
3. How do you anticipate the date change and mail ballots will affect turnout? States that have entirely mail-ballot elections have higher turnout because, as times have changed and people’s lives have gotten more complicated, mail-ballot elections better fit the time demands on today’s voters. However, Rhode Island’s mostly mail-ballot June 2 presidential primary will be a big change, so I think it’s too soon to predict what the impact on turnout will be.
4. How do these changes affect election security? Rhode Islanders can trust the integrity of every vote cast in the June 2 primary. Our mail-ballot system has always relied on verification of the voter’s signature as its key security feature. That hasn’t changed. Additionally, our state-of-the-art Central Voter Registration System has digitized signatures for every registered voter. These digitized signatures are matched to the mail-ballot applications submitted by registered voters before a ballot is sent out. Then, in a separate process, the signature on a voter’s actual mail-ballot envelope is matched to the signature on the application.
5. What other changes to the election system should voters know about heading into this election cycle? The deadline to file your mail-ballot application is May 19. There will still be emergency mail ballots available at city and town halls at least 20 days before the June 2 primary. On June 2, there will be at least one physical polling location in each city and town to serve voters with disabilities, or those who do not request a mail ballot in time.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Lavin@PBN.com.
