PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island will send applications for mail-in ballots to every registered voter in the state in advance of the Nov. 3 general election.
Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea announced Friday that she’s taking the action to make it easy to vote from home and to avoid crowding polling places during the coronavirus pandemic.
Voters should begin receiving applications at home starting Saturday, she said.“It’s going to ensure that voters don’t have to choose between their health and their constitutional right to vote,” Gorbea said.
Joined at a press conference by a member of the state’s Board of Elections, Gorbea said she has the authority to send mail-in ballot applications without any specific approval by the state Legislature.