Should Rhode Islanders be able to vote on the same day they register? What both sides say
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PROVIDENCE – Should Rhode Islanders registering to vote for the first time be permitted to vote that same day in town council, state legislative and congressional races, and for the state's next governor?
Some people think so, including Secretary of State Gregg Amore and others who gathered at the State House this past week to renew their pitch to repeal the current 30-day residency requirement for new voters in the Rhode Island Constitution.
It's a bit more complicated. State lawmakers would still have to decide what to do next with the matching state law.
Should they adopt some other minimum residency period, or require some minimum level of proof that the newly registered voter actually lives where he or she says they do?
Of the 22 states that have some version of same-day registration, John Marion, executive director of Common Cause RI, says: "Some have no residency deadline, others have lengthy deadlines. All have residency requirements." The maximum allowed under legal precedent is 30 days."
This year's version of the legislation has not yet been introduced, but Marion confirms his group's intent: If the repeal wins voter approval in November, "we would then advocate for an enabling statute that would allow for same-day voter registration."
GOP: 'This only opens opportunities for abuse'
There are enough unanswered questions to worry Rhode Island's outnumbered legislative Republicans.
"This only opens opportunities for abuse," says House Minority Leader Michael Chippendale.
"The current 30-day time period between registration and voting in our state's Constitution is a valid safeguard, allowing for proper verification by cities and towns. ... Why would we remove a safeguard?" asks Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz.
Democrat Amore's response to critics: "Some of the folks who will oppose this legislation are very, very much concerned about strong voter ID laws and in-person voting. The reality with same-day registration voting is both of those things are in play ... [so] I think it's as safe and secure as the voting system [that] exists."
"So let's have a statewide debate," said Amore, a retired East Providence history and civics teacher.
What does the Constitution say?
Under the heading "Persons entitled to vote," Section 1 of Article II of the R.I. Constitution says: Every citizen at least 18 years old, who has had "residence and home" for at least 30 days "in the town or city from which such citizen desires to vote," who has been registered to vote from there at least 30 days "preceding the time of voting ... shall have the right to vote."
What do the advocates say?
Marion is among those arguing: "For too long, Rhode Island has made it too difficult for too many of our residents to vote. That is because Rhode Island has the longest voter registration deadline in the country.
"We're in the same company as states that include Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and that's not company we want to keep.
"We want to be less like Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and more like Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, all of which offer same-day registration," said Marion.
"Not only do four of the six states in New England offer voters the opportunity to register and vote at the same time, but 22 states plus the District of Columbia offer same-day registration. ... Those states range [from] the deep blue California to purple Colorado and red Utah."
"It's to me a no-brainer," added Amore, "Rhode Island already does this in presidential elections for the president and vice president. ... We [had] nearly 5,000 same-day registered voters in the 2020 presidential election."
He gave examples of who might be shut out of Rhode Island elections for state, local and federal offices.
"If someone becomes an American citizen on October 20th ... [who has] been a vibrant and important part of our community for years. The idea that they cannot cast a vote – the most American thing you can do – after they become an American to me is outrageous."
Another example: military veterans who, hypothetically, move from Massachusetts into an assisted-living facility in Rhode Island and, "based on the time of that move, are unable to vote."
"When is it too late to be engaged?" the secretary of state asked. "I would say the day after the election.
"We should be able to harness that enthusiasm. We should be able to take that piece of citizenship and allow people to act on it right up until the moment that the polls close."
Advocates cite the results of a 2021 poll of 500 voters, conducted by Lincoln Park Strategies for LetsVoteRI, that found 39% "strongly support" and 22% "somewhat support" allowing Rhode Islanders to register to vote at polling locations the same day they cast a ballot.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Push for same-day voter registration renewed in RI
