PROVIDENCE, RI – Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis has just released the list of candidates who beat today’s 4 p.m. deadline for officially filing for office. The contenders for every race from Congress to school committee are posted on his website at http://www.sos.ri.gov/candidates/.
More than 3,300 candidates filed for office this year, up nearly 18 percent over 2008, according to Mollis.
“Two years ago we had record-breaking elections that saw more Rhode Islanders register to vote and turn out to vote than ever before. This is an indication that 2010 could be just as remarkable,” said Mollis.
According to Mollis, there is still a short window for anyone who missed today’s filing deadline. State law gives political parties 24 hours to fill last-minute holes in their tickets by nominating candidates for offices where no one from their party has filed to run.
The next important milestone in the election calendar is July 7 through July 16, when candidates must collect the signatures of enough eligible voters to officially put them on the ballot.
The threshold ranges from 50 signatures for the state House of Representatives to 500 for the U.S. House of Representatives and most statewide offices to 1,000 signatures for governor.
Rhode Islanders have until Aug. 14 to register to vote in order to cast ballots in the Sept. 14 state primary. Oct. 2 is the deadline for registering to vote in the general election Nov. 2.
Every key deadline in the 2010 election calendar is included in a 26-page guidebook that Mollis created to assist candidates and voters with understanding Rhode Island election law.
Secretary of State Mollis is committed to making it easier to vote, helping business grow and making government more open and accessible. For more information about the programs and services the Secretary of State offers Rhode Islanders, visit sos.ri.gov.
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