{"data":{"id":"us-ri/r.i.-gen.-laws-17-19-26.1","jurisdiction":"us-ri","citation":"R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-19-26.1","heading":"Voting assistance.","body":"(a) Any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may be given assistance by a person of the voter’s choice, other than the voter’s employer or agent of that employer, or an officer or agent of the voter’s union.\n(b) Every voter who requires assistance pursuant to this section, and every person furnishing assistance to a voter pursuant to this section, shall make and file with the warden an affidavit in substantially the following form:\nAFFIDAVIT OF VOTER REQUIRING ASSISTANCE Under the penalty prescribed by law I hereby make affidavit that\nI, _______________________________________ ,\tof _______________________________________\nPrint Name of Voter\tStreet Address of Voter\n_______________________________________ , hereby choose _______________________________________\nCity/Town of Voter\tPrint Name of Assistant\nto provide assistance to me because I am either blind, disabled or unable to read or write in the English language and do hereby certify that the person chosen to assist me is not my employer, or agent of my employer, or officer or agent of my union.\nUnder the penalty prescribed by law I hereby make affidavit that\nI, _______________________________________ Print Name of Person Assisting Voter, of\n_________________________________________\nStreet and City/Town Address of Person Assisting Voter\nhaving been chosen by _______________________________________ Print Name of Voter\nto provide assistance to voter by reason of either blindness, disability or inability to read or write in the English language on the part of the voter, do hereby certify that I am not the voter's employer, or agent of that employer, or officer or agent of the voter's union.\nSubscribed and sworn to on this ___________ day of _____________________ A.D. 20___________ .\nVoter’s Ballot Application No. ___________\n(c) An affidavit will be made available only upon request by the voter to the warden in the polling place.\n(d) Every person who makes a false affidavit under this section shall be guilty of a felony.\n(e) Under the penalty prescribed by law, the “assistant” is prohibited from marking a vote on the computer ballot, unless otherwise requested by the voter who, due to a physical disability, is unable to mark his or her ballot.\n(f) No person may approach a voter and ask if he or she needs assistance, once the voter is within the voting place or waiting in line to vote or within fifty (50) feet of the entrance or entrances to the building as prescribed in § 17-19-49.","path":["Title 17 Elections","Chapter 19 Conduct of Election and Voting Equipment, and Supplies"],"source_url":"https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE17/17-19/17-19-26.1.htm","current_through":"site files published 2025-08-13","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T19:56:04Z","sha256":"041c39f1a874d64b416dcca4a964f9a4590d4a8a7b157cf6a4ca431d4e4b6096","source_id":"us-ri","stale":true,"prev":"us-ri/r.i.-gen.-laws-17-19-26","next":"us-ri/r.i.-gen.-laws-17-19-27"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}