Today, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee signed the Hayaan ang RI Vote Act into law. The changes will be in effect for the 2022 election.

“Today Governor McKee signs into law the most sweeping reform to our elections in a generation,” said Marcela Betancur, spokesperson for the Let RI Vote campaign and Executive Director of the Latino Policy Institute. “The Let RI Vote Act will make voting more accessible for thousands of Rhode Island voters, including those with disabilities and language barriers, while also making our elections more secure.”

The Let RI Vote Act improves Rhode Island elections in ways that will make voting more accessible for eligible voters while modernizing processes to make our elections more secure. The Act removes the requirement that mail ballots be accompanied by the signatures of two witnesses or a notary public and requires all municipalities to provide secure mail ballot drop boxes; these practices were used successfully during three statewide elections in 2020. It also requires the state to create a secure online mail ballot application system, conduct more frequent voter roll cleanup, provide a multilingual voter hotline, and shorten the deadline for voters to request a braille ballot, among other improvements. The law finally recognizes that the in-person emergency mail ballot process is called ‘early voting’, which was an incredibly popular option for voters in 2020. 

A coalition of more than 40 community organizations supported the Let RI Vote Act, and the groups’ members sent over 30,000 letters to legislators in support of the measure. It is one the largest grassroots mobilizations for voting rights in modern Rhode Island history.

Pinapalawak ng Rhode Island ang access ng mga botante sa mga balota kahit na maraming ibang estado ang nagpapasa ng mga panukalang batas laban sa botante. Noong nakaraang taon, hindi bababa sa 19 na estado ang nagpasa ng mga batas na naghihigpit sa pag-access sa pagboto – at 40 estado ang may nakabinbing batas ngayon na maghihigpit sa pag-access ng mga botante o makakasagabal sa pangangasiwa ng halalan.

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The Let RI Vote campaign is a project of the Rhode Island Voter Access Coalition.

Kasama sa mga organisasyong sumusuporta sa proyektong ito ang:

AARP Rhode Island ⋄ ACLU ng Rhode ⋄ Alliance of RI Southeast Asians for Education (ARISE) ⋄ Mga Botong Kayumanggi ⋄ Malinis na Tubig Aksyon Rhode Island ⋄ Mga Demokratiko sa Kolehiyo ng Rhode Island ⋄ Karaniwang Dahilan Rhode Island ⋄ Mahalaga ang Bawat Boto sa Brown University ⋄ Dating Nakakulong Unyon ng Rhode Island ⋄ Network ng Pabahay ng Rhode Island ⋄ Latino Policy Institute sa Roger Williams University ⋄ Liga ng mga Babaeng Botante ng Rhode Island ⋄ NAACP Providence Branch ⋄ National Council of Jewish Women, RI Action Team ⋄ National Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI) ⋄ Pambansang Organisasyon para sa Kababaihan, Kabanata ng Rhode Island ⋄ Planned Parenthood ng Southern New England ⋄ Providence Alumnae Chapter ng Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc ⋄ RepresentUs ⋄ Rhode Island AFL-CIO ⋄ Unyon ng mga Karpintero ng Rhode Island ⋄ Rhode Island Coalition Laban sa Domestic Violence ⋄ Rhode Island Coalition Laban sa Karahasan ng Baril ⋄ Rhode Island Coalition para Tapusin ang Kawalan ng Tahanan ⋄ Komisyon para sa Mga Karapatang Pantao ng Rhode Island ⋄ Rhode Island Democratic Women's Caucus ⋄ Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council ⋄ Rhode Island Latino PAC ⋄ Rhode Island Service Employees International Union (SEIU) ⋄ Rhode Island Working Families Party ⋄ Kanan Sa Simula Kampanya ⋄ RI Interfaith Coalition para Bawasan ang Kahirapan ⋄ Ang Pambansang Pagboto sa Home Institute ⋄ United Auto Workers Region 9A ⋄ Ang Womxn Project ⋄ Pondo ng Kababaihan ng Rhode Island