Nearly 30,000 Rhode Islanders have applied to vote by mail in the presidential election, up from roughly 23,000 in 2012. Those numbers from the office of Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea. Mail-in ballots are counted on Election Night. Gorbea says local boards of canvassers help to guard against vote fraud.
“The mail ballot comes in and is reviewed by the local boards of canvassers and if there are any kinds of discrepancies that seem to trigger a concern, they’re taken up by the state Board of Elections,” said Gorbea.
To qualify for a mail-in ballot, Rhode Islanders must be unable make it to their regular polling place due to travel, illness or other reasons. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot has passed, but local boards of canvassers will accept emergency applications until 4 p.m. on November 7th, the day before the election.
