WARWICK, RI – In light of Don Carlson’s decision to suspend his campaign after allegations came to light, the Republican Party of RI renewed calls to reduce the current 20-day in-person early voting window to a shortened time frame.
Republican Party of RI Chairman Joe Powers released the following statement urging Secretary of State Gregg Amore and the Legislature to revisit in-person early voting:
“The CD 1 special election has shown us that our voting process needs reforms. Lt. Governor Sabina Matos’ signature scandal highlighted that there is no actual mechanism for removing candidates from the ballot who are found to have submitted fraudulent signatures or any other infractions. Don Carlson will continue to be on the ballot even though he has suspended his campaign.
The 20-day in-person early voting period is too long of a period, especially when the primary and in-person voting for the general election are less than 45 days apart. Once again, we strongly encourage Secretary of State Gregg Amore and the Legislature to shorten this period. A five-day in-person early voting period will ensure Rhode Islanders who cannot cast their ballot on Election Day can still take advantage of in-person early voting by visiting their local board of canvassers to cast their vote.”
