Rhode Island Regulations § 410-RICR-20-00-12.3 Definitions

"Act of voting" shall include the period of time in which a voter has entered a polling place for the sole purpose of casting a ballot. The Act of Voting begins when the voter enters a Polling Place and begins approach to the supervisor's table. It concludes when the voter has inserted the ballot into the optical scan reader and exits the Polling Place.

"Bake sales" means the sale of food items such as cookies, cakes and non-alcoholic beverages for raising funds in support of non-profit and charitable organizations.

"Checkers" means representatives of each recognized political party bearing credentials signed by the proper ward or town committee chairperson who maintains a record of who has voted at the Polling Place.

"Election official" shall include the Board of Elections and its designees, the Local Canvassing Authority and its designees, including but not limited to, Moderator/Wardens, Clerks and Supervisors. No person shall be appointed or serve as an Election Official who has been convicted, found guilty, pleaded guilty or nolo contendere, or placed on a deferred or suspended sentence, or on probation, for any crime which involves moral turpitude or which constitutes a violation of any of the election or caucus laws of this or any other state. No candidate for any office to be filled at any election shall be appointed as an Election Official. Every Election Official shall make an affidavit before some member of the proper board of canvassers attesting that he or she is eligible to serve as an Election Official, consistent with the requirements of state law.

"Party representative" means any credentialed party checker, runner or watcher as designated under R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-22 .

"Political literature" shall include any paper, circular or other document designed or tending to aid, injure or defeat any candidate for public office or any political party or any question submitted to the voters. Documents that constitute political literature include any flyer, campaign button, or any item of clothing that contains any electioneering communication, including words or images, or election symbol attributed to a campaign that promotes the election or defeat of any candidate or ballot question that appears on the ballot.

"Polling place observer" means any person observing the election at a Polling Place on behalf of a party or candidate.

"Polling place" means the room or area in a building which contains voting booths and where voting is conducted at any primary or election for the election of any candidate, write-in candidate, party or ballot question.

"Railed" or "Enclosed voting area" means the enclosed area within the polling place where ballots are cast. The railed or enclosed area shall be delineated by tables or other means having one entrance and one exit in the area within which ballots are cast.

"Runners" means those representatives of any recognized party who shall retrieve whatever list or memoranda the Checkers have prepared and shall be allowed to come to the table for the Checkers at frequent intervals.

"Supervisors" shall be assigned by the Warden/Moderator in bipartisan pairs at the Polling Place and shall be in charge of the voting list and shall announce the voter's name and certify his or her identity before permitting the person to enter the Railed or Enclosed Voting Area. The Warden/Moderator may also assign additional duties to the Supervisors such as the oversight of and assistance to voters while they are in and about the voting booths.

"Wardens" or "Moderators" shall have general supervisory powers at each Polling Place and shall be responsible for supervising the overall orderly and efficient conduct at the Polling Place and shall ensure compliance with the elections laws and regulations governing polling place conduct, including the casting of ballots.

"Watcher" means a representative of each recognized political party bearing credentials signed by the proper ward or term committee chairperson. A Watcher shall be allowed outside the enclosed voting area to observe the voting and to assist the Checkers.