State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > Rhode-island > Title-17 > Chapter-17-5 > 17-5-5SECTION 17-5-5
§ 17-5-5 Language contained on computerballots. – (a) Notwithstanding the authority of the secretary of state to determine thedesign and content of the computer ballots by rules and regulations, allcomputer ballots shall contain a clear and concise statement of the nature ofeach question presented without the necessity of repeating the full text of thequestion as adopted by the general assembly; provided, that in the case ofproposed amendments to the Constitution of the state of Rhode Island, the fulltext as adopted by the general assembly shall be reprinted on the computerballots. The secretary of state shall cause each question appearing on thecomputer ballot prepared by the secretary to be designated by number, the firstquestion to be designated by the number I and additional questions shall besubmitted with numbers in consecutive order.
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the general election tobe held on November 2, 2004, in order to avoid a two-sheet statewide ballot,given the number of public questions to be submitted to the electors at suchgeneral election, the secretary of state may prepare the ballot in such mannerthat the statewide public questions involving the issuance of bonds or otherevidence of indebtedness, or other long-term financial obligation shall appearon the ballot with only a caption and the amount of financial obligation to beincurred, but without the clear and concise statement of each question, asotherwise required. Provided, however, that such clear and concise statement ofsuch question shall instead appear in a conspicuous location within eachprivacy voting booth at each polling place with additional copies thereofavailable at each polling place; and for mail ballot voters, each such ballotsent to a mail ballot voter shall be accompanied by a clear and concisestatement of each question printed on a separate sheet of paper.
