Whip Kazarian and Chairwoman Euer honored by Common Cause RI for ‘Let RI Vote Act’

State House – House Majority Whip Katherine S. Kazarian and Senate Judiciary Chairwoman Dawn Euer were honored by Common Cause RI last night with the organization’s “Excellence in Public Service Award” for their sponsorship of the “Let RI Vote Act” in 2022.

The awards were presented at the 2023 Champions of Democracy Celebration and Annual Meeting held on October 19 in Pawtucket.

The Let RI Vote Act (2022-H 7100A, 2022-S 2007A) expands voter access while ensuring the integrity of Rhode Island elections. To accomplish these goals, the bill makes permanent several elections provisions put in place in 2020 to protect voters during the pandemic, including wider use of mail ballots, which helped result in a record number of Rhode Islanders casting votes that year.

“I am humbled by this recognition from Common Cause and I thank them for being tremendous partners in making the Let RI Vote Act law. These changes empower the most amount of Rhode Islanders to participate in the electoral process while providing safe and secure voting options for the residents of our state, ensuring that every voice is heard and every vote is counted,” said Whip Kazarian (D-Dist. 63, East Providence, Pawtucket).

“Common Cause RI was instrumental in the passage of the Let RI Vote Act and I thank them for their support and this thoughtful acknowledgment. It should be easy to access your right to vote and this law gives voters options to ensure that our elections really do produce results that reflect the will of the people – all the people,” said Senator Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown).

The new law makes mail voting easier by allowing online mail ballot applications, and permitting any voter to use a mail ballot or an emergency mail ballot without needing an excuse for why they can’t visit their polling location on Election Day. It also drops the requirement that mail ballots be either signed by two witnesses or notarized. Instead, voters’ signatures will be verified using their registration records using a four-tiered verification process. The bill requires every municipality to maintain at least one drop box where voters can deposit their ballots securely through the close of polls on Election Day. Additionally, the act allows nursing home residents to opt in to automatically receive applications for mail ballots for every subsequent election.

Common Cause of Rhode Island is a nonpartisan organization whose mission is to promote representative democracy by ensuring open, ethical, accountable, effective government processes at local, state and national levels by educating and mobilizing the citizens of Rhode Island.