Rhode Island General Laws 17-11-15. Persons ineligible to serve as election officials
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 person shall be disqualified simply because he or she is a notary public. No candidate for any office to be filled at any election shall be appointed at the election as an election official. Every election official shall make an affidavit before some member of the proper board of canvassers, to the effect that he or she is not disqualified by reason of the provisions of this section; provided, that the provisions of this section shall not apply to moderators and town clerks.
History of Section.
G.L. 1896, ch. 11, § 35; G.L. 1909, ch. 11, § 40; P.L. 1910, ch. 640, § 22; G.L. 1923, ch. 11, § 39; G.L. 1938, ch. 312, § 35; P.L. 1940, ch. 819, §§ 3, 6; P.L. 1944, ch. 1474, § 2; G.L. 1956, § 17-11-15; P.L. 1958, ch. 18, § 1; P.L. 1986, ch. 342, § 1; P.L. 1994, ch. 99, § 2; P.L. 1994, ch. 264, § 2; P.L. 1997, ch. 370, § 1; P.L. 2002, ch. 113, § 1; P.L. 2002, ch. 203, § 1.
Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 17-11-15
- Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
- Caucus: From the Algonquian Indian language, a caucus meant "to meet together." An informal organization of members of the legislature that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members. There are regional, political or ideological, ethnic, and economic-based caucuses.
- Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
- person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
- Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
- town: may be construed to include city; the words "town council" include city council; the words "town clerk" include city clerk; the words "ward clerk" include clerk of election district; the words "town treasurer" include city treasurer; and the words "town sergeant" include city sergeant. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-9