§ 17-19-24 - Procedure for voting.
SECTION 17-19-24
§ 17-19-24 Procedure for voting. –(a) Each person desiring to vote shall state his or her name and residence,including that person's street address, if he or she has any, to the pair ofbi-partisan supervisors, who shall then announce the name and residence in aloud and distinct voice, clear and audible.
(b) A bipartisan pair shall locate the voter's name on thecertified voting list for the voting district. Upon finding the voter's name onthe certified voting list for the district, the voter shall sign their name onthe line next to their printed name on the certified voter list, and thebipartisan pair shall initial the certified voter list in the place providednext to the voter's signature entered on the certified list of voters. Thebipartisan pair shall also make a proper notation on the certified voter listthat the applicant has voted in the election. If the bipartisan pair cannotlocate the voter's name on the certified voting list for the voting districtthe bipartisan pair shall direct the voter to the clerk who shall review thecertified list for the city or town and determine if the voter is registered tovote and in which voting district they are eligible to vote. The bipartisanpair of supervisors shall provide the voter with the appropriate computerballot and security sleeve. The warden shall direct the voter to the votingbooth which the voter shall use, and unless the voter needs instruction orassistance as provided in this chapter, the voter shall cast his or her vote,and if he or she desires place the voted computer ballot in a security sleeve,and shall proceed to the optical scan precinct count unit and shall personallyplace his or her voted ballot into the designated ballot slot on the unit, andafter doing so, shall leave the enclosure at once. No voter shall remain withinthe voting booth longer than ten (10) minutes, and if the voter refuses toleave after the lapse of ten (10) minutes, the voter shall be removed from thevoting booth by order of the warden. Except for the election officials and theelection inspector, not more than two (2) voters in excess of the number ofvoting booths shall be permitted within the enclosed space at any time.
(c) The optical scan precinct count unit shall be programmedto return a ballot to the voter if the voter has cast votes for more personsthan which he or she is entitled to cast. The warden, by reading the messagegiven on the optical scan precinct count unit, must advise the voter of thefact that the ballot has been over-voted. The voter will be instructed by thewarden to remove his or her own ballot from the optical scan precinct countunit ballot slot. The warden will then ask the voter to surrender the ballot asvoid and receive a new ballot. If the voter agrees, the voter will makeadditional marks on the ballot so as not to identify the actual votes intendedby the voter for the ballot. The ballot will be marked void by the warden anddeposited in the receptacle for void ballots provided at the polling place. Ifthe voter insists on casting the over-voted ballot, he or she will be advisedthat all races, other than the over-voted race, will be counted by the opticalscan precinct count unit, and if he or she still insists, the warden willmanually override the appropriate control on the unit and allow for the ballotto be entered and counted for all races other than the over-voted race.
(d) In the event a voter incorrectly marks a ballot byindicating his or her choices other than in the spaces provided for them, theballot will be returned to the voter. The warden, by reading the message givenon the optical scan precinct count unit, must advise the voter of the fact thatthe ballot has been marked incorrectly. The voter will be instructed by thewarden to remove his or her own ballot from the optical scan precinct unitballot slot. The warden will then advise the voter to surrender the ballot asvoid and receive a new ballot. If the voter agrees, the voter will makeadditional marks on the ballot so as not to identify the actual votes intendedby the voter for the ballot. The ballot will be marked void by the warden anddeposited in the receptacle for void ballots provided at the polling place. Thewarden will then provide for the instruction of the voter on the correct mannerof marking his or her vote and the voter will be issued a new ballot. If thevoter insists on casting the incorrectly marked ballot, the warden willmanually override the appropriate control on the optical scan precinct countunit and allow for the ballot to be accepted.