PROVIDENCE, RI – With the State Primary less than a week away, Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea today announced how state and local elections officials are working to improve access to the ballot box while protecting the integrity of every vote. Key among these efforts are collaborations with cyber experts to safeguard the security of Rhode Island's elections systems and the completed update of voter records.
"The single act of casting a ballot is fundamental to our democracy and making government accountable to the people," Secretary Gorbea said. "We continue to identify and mitigate risks in a constantly evolving landscape so that voters trust the integrity of our elections."
On Thursday, August 30, Secretary Gorbea and Board of Elections Chair Diane Mederos met with state and federal IT officials and cyber experts to review security protocols for Election Day operations including physical access to the state's voting equipment. Secretary Gorbea also gave an update on additional measures being put in place to secure the state's Central Voter Registration System (CVRS), made possible through federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funding.
Secretary Gorbea has also worked with the Board of Elections and local cities and towns to ensure that elections are accessible to all eligible Rhode Islanders by updating records affected by a data transfer issue identified last week. The Department of Revenue determined that some records linked to DMV online license renewals were not properly transmitted to the state's CVRS due to an issue originating with Rhode Island Interactive, the vendor that processes the DMV's online transactions. To date, all records have been updated.
"I want to thank the Rhode Island Board of Elections, the DMV, and the local boards of canvassers for working hard to quickly update these 5,000 voter records," Secretary Gorbea said. "Rhode Islanders can be sure that all voter records are up to date and ready for the Wednesday, September 12 primaries."
Secretary Gorbea urges all eligible voters to check their voter information at vote.ri.gov, including polling place information and their local sample ballot.
For more information or answers to questions related to elections and voting in Rhode Island, please visit the Rhode Island Department of State's Elections Division online at vote.ri.gov or call 401-222-2340.
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