PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Oct. 29, 2008) – Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis unveils a plan to help voters cope with the expected record turnout on Election Day. Based on a surge in voter registrations and mail ballot requests, Mollis expects more than 500,000 Rhode Islanders will cast ballots on Nov. 4
"People are tuning into this election more than any other that I can remember. The record-breaking response we have gotten indicates that voters are more focused than ever before,” said Mollis, whose office is responsible for voter registration and promoting turnout.
The plan includes a beefed-up website, more polling places, ballots and poll workers; partnerships with the state's chambers of commerce and a voter education media campaign to prepare Rhode Islanders for the largest turnout in state history.
The newspaper, radio, TV and web ads advise voters to visit the Secretary of State’s website at www.sec.state.ri.us to confirm the location of their polling place, confirm the accuracy of their voter registration information and to review a sample ballot.
“On Nov. 4, some Rhode Islanders may be headed to their third different polling place this year alone. Checking this information ahead of time will help avoid problems on Election Day,” Mollis said.
Working with the state Board of Elections, which oversees polling places, and local boards of canvassers, the state will open 542 polling places on Nov. 4, about 100 more than in September’s primary and slightly more than 3 times more than the 178 that opened for March’s presidential primary.
The Secretary of State’s office printed nearly 750,000 ballots – about 86,000 more than were printed in 2004.
A record 701,307 Rhode Islanders are eligible to vote including 42,439 who have registered in the past nine months. The previous record was 687,488 in 2004. About 85 percent of adult Rhode Islanders are eligible to vote.
Mollis expects more than 70 percent of eligible voters will cast ballots on Election Day. Rhode Island’s current record for turnout is 453,365 who voted in the 1992 presidential election.
“The heaviest turnout is expected from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., so plan to vote during off hours so you can get in and out of the polls quickly,” Mollis advised.
Mollis has asked the state's chambers of commerce to encourage their members to allow employees to vote during off hours as well as to pass along links to his website to their workforce.
In addition, Mollis reports that his office had a 15 percent increase in mail ballot requests compared to the last presidential election. More than 21,000 Rhode Islanders will use mail ballots.
For anyone who missed the October 4 deadline to register to vote, it is too late to cast ballots for most of the races in this year’s election. However, they will be able to cast a "same-day" ballot for President and Vice President if they are otherwise eligible to register to vote.
In most places, they can just to go to their community’s city or town on Election Day. Coventry, Little Compton, Smithfield and Providence have set up special locations.
Whether people go to town hall or a special location, local elections officials will be on hand to help. People can register to vote and cast a ballot in the presidential race on the spot. And they are officially registered in Rhode Island for future elections.
In addition to the race for president, the November ballot will feature contests for Jack Reed's U.S. Senate seat as well as Rhode Island's two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. There are also races for state representative, state senate, town council and school committee in many communities.
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 voting on Nov. 4, visit www.sec.state.ri.us.
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