§ 17-19-21 - Arrangement of polling places – Election officials – Police officers.
SECTION 17-19-21
§ 17-19-21 Arrangement of polling places– Election officials – Police officers. – (a) The polling places shall be established, equipped, and furnished with theparaphernalia necessary for the conduct of each election, by the officers andin the manner provided by this title. There shall be placed, outside eachpolling place, a clearly marked sign to be provided by the state board ofelections indicating the location of the polling place. This sign shall be of aconspicuous nature, and shall be visible from the street. The area within whichthe balloting is conducted shall be arranged with a guard rail having one placefor entrance and another place for exit. The rail shall be placed so that onlypersons admitted inside the rail can approach within five (5) feet of anyvoting booth or optical scan precinct count unit. The voting booths and opticalscan precinct count unit shall be placed so that the warden and the clerk shallalways have a clear view of the front of each voting booth and the optical scanunit. It shall be the duty of the warden to direct the location of the votingequipment in relation to the guard rail and the posts of the warden and theclerk so as to enforce the requirements of this section.
(b) One bipartisan pair of supervisors, the clerk, and thewarden shall be stationed, in that order, along the guard rail so that a voterdesiring to cast a ballot will pass first in front of the bipartisan pair, thenin front of the clerk, and finally in front of the warden. A second bipartisanpair shall be stationed within the guard rail and shall be available to relievethe first bipartisan pair or the clerk, and to assist voters within the limitsprescribed by this title. The second bipartisan pair, when not engaged in thepreceding duties, shall watch the voters in and about the voting equipment andshall call to the attention of the warden any violation, or circumstancesuggesting a violation, of the provisions of this title.
(c) The chiefs of police of cities and towns, and townsergeants of towns having no chief of police, shall detail a certain number ofpolice officers to each polling place as may be requested by the local board.The police officers shall preserve order at each polling place and within twohundred (200) feet of the polling place. It shall be the duty of every policeofficer or other peace officer or constable to arrest without warrant anyperson detected in the act of violating the provisions of this chapter, but noarrest shall be made without the approval of the warden.
(d) The election officials provided in subsections (a) and(b) of this section shall be provided with, and shall be required toprominently display upon their persons, identification badges which shalldesignate that person as an election official. Powers and duties of alldesignated election officials at polls shall be posted in a conspicuous andprominent location within the voting place, preferably with the posted sampleballot.