View Scorecard for Year
Responsive Gov’s Grade TL;DR
During this past session, the Rhode Island State Legislature continued to make small changes to expand voter access – albeit, less impactful laws in comparison to last year. Unfortunately, it yet again missed an opportunity to remove barriers to voter registration by failing to pass legislation to upgrade its existing automatic voter registration system to a more secure and efficient system. It also failed to refer an initiative to voters to authorize same-day registration. Therefore, Rhode Island received a B on this year’s progress report.
Looking Back
Where Rhode Island Started at the Beginning of 2024
- Automatic Voter Registration: Partial AVR
- Online Voter Registration: DMV ID
- Same-Day Registration: Yes (presidential races only)
- Restoration of Rights: Prison Disenfranchisement
- Vote by Mail: No-Excuse
- Electronic Registration Information Center Member: Yes
- Early Voting Opportunities: Regular Ballot Early Voting
- ID Requirements: ID Requested, but not Required
Relying on the Cost of Voting Index for Rhode Island as of 2024, we considered the state a middle tier state for pre-existing voting policy and compared its 2024 activity against other middle tier states.
How Our Tier Compares
- COVI (2024): 22nd
- EPI Score (2022): 6th
- CLC State Scorecard (2022): 9/10
- MAP Democracy Rating (2024): MEDIUM
2024: This Past Year
Legislative Action
The Legislature passed several bills aimed at improving voter access.
- SB 2778/HB 7756 allows mail ballot applications to be accepted if they are postmarked by the deadline and arrive within 3 days.
- SB 2780/HB 7849 gives voters earlier access to ballot drop boxes by making them available to voters starting 35 days before the election.
- SB 2418/HB 7662 allows unaffiliated voters to participate in party primaries without joining a party.