PROVIDENCE, RI -- Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis has made it easy for voters to track the progress candidates are making collecting signatures leading up to this Friday's deadline.
"We added a page to our website at sos.ri.gov. The certified signature totals for every candidate are updated every weeknight, so on most mornings you can wake up to the most current numbers available," said Mollis.
The figures will reflect only what local boards of canvassers have reported to Mollis. So, it is possible that some candidates may have submitted signature papers that local boards have not processed yet. The deadline for certifying the signatures is July 23.
State law gives candidates until July 16 to collect the signatures of enough eligible voters to officially qualify them to appear on the ballot. The threshold ranges from 50 signatures for many municipal offices to 500 for most statewide offices to 1,000 for Governor.
More than 4,000 people filed the paperwork necessary to run for office by the June 30 deadline. That is up 40 percent compared to 2008, according to Mollis.
“We set new records for voter registration and turnout two years ago. It looks like that wave of public engagement is carrying over to 2010,” said Mollis.
The next milestone in the state’s election calendar is July 19, which marks the deadline for the public to file objections to the eligibility of candidates for municipal office. Local boards of canvassers must rule on any objections to a candidate’s signatures by July 21.
July 23 is the last chance for the public to file objections to the eligibility of candidates running at the state and federal level. It is also the deadline for Secretary of State's office to certify the signatures in order for candidates to officially be placed on the ballot for the Sept. 14 primary and Nov. 2 election.
July 26 is the deadline for the state Board of Elections to make decisions on objections to eligibility of candidates or sufficiency of nomination papers for candidates for state and federal offices.
Secretary of State Mollis is committed to making it easier for Rhode Islanders to vote, helping businesses grow and making government more open and accessible. For more information about this year's elections, visit sos.ri.gov.
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