Rhode Island

The polls must be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Election Day. The only exception is New Shoreham (Block Island), where the polls must be open from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (except for presidential primaries, when New Shoreham polls must be open from 12:00 p.m.). A voter who is waiting in line by 8:00 p.m. must be allowed to vote.

Voters can find their polling place by visiting their personal Voter Information Center on the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s webpage.

Registration Deadlines

• The voter registration deadline for the Rhode Island Congressional, State and Gubernatorial General Election is Received by Sun Oct 4, 2026.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to register to vote in Rhode Island if you:

• At the age 16
• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are a resident of Rhode Island

You are NOT eligible to vote in Rhode Island if:

• You are in prison or jail for a felony conviction.
• You were disqualified from voting due to a court order

Restorative Requirements

• If you have completed a felony prison sentence, even if you are still on parole or probation, then you are immediately eligible to register to vote.

You may preregister to vote in Rhode Island

• At the age 16

How to register 

• Rhode Island Congressional, State and Gubernatorial Primary Election
  • Submit an Application: Received by Mon Aug 10, 2026
  • Last Date to Change Party Affiliation by Mon Aug 10, 2026
• Rhode Island Congressional, State and Gubernatorial General Election
  • Submit an Application: Received by Sun Oct 4, 2026

A voter may be eligible to register to vote if they are: 

• A citizen of the United States
• A resident of the Rhode Island city or town where the voter wishes to vote (for 30 days preceding the next election)
• At least 16 years of age (but cannot vote until 18 years of age)

A voter may not register to vote if: 

• There is a written court order stating that the voter cannot vote. 
• The voter was convicted of a felony and is still in prison. Once released, the voter’s voting rights will automatically be restored if the voter was registered to vote when the voter entered the correctional facility. If the voter was not registered, the voter can exercise the right to vote by either notifying the local board of canvassers in writing or by submitting a new voter registration form.

Voters can register to vote online on the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s “Voter Information Center” or by paper submission. If eligible, the voter will automatically be registered to vote when they interact with the DMV unless they opt out.

The voter can determine whether they are registered to vote by checking the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s “Voter Information Center” webpage. Voters will need to provide their name, date of birth, and zip code. 

Voters may affiliate with a party when they register or register as unaffiliated (aka Independent). Persons registered as affiliated with a party may only vote in that party’s primary. Unaffiliated voters may vote in any primary and do not become affiliated with a party by doing so. Voters can change affiliations at least 30 days before voting in a primary. See Party Affiliation.

Voters must apply to register to vote 30 calendar days before an election in which the voter intends to vote.

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail
• Online

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Rhode Island Congressional, State and Gubernatorial Primary Election

Ballot Request:

• Received by Wed Aug 19, 2026 4:00PM

Ballot Return:

• Received by Wed Sep 9, 2026 8:00PM

Rhode Island Congressional, State and Gubernatorial General Election

Ballot Request:

• Received by Tue Oct 13, 2026 4:00PM

Ballot Return:

• Received by Tue Nov 3, 2026 8:00PM

All registered voters may vote by mail. For more information on how to cast a mail ballot, Rhode Island Secretary of State’s “Vote from Home with a Mail Ballot” website. 

Voters must submit their written mail ballot application by hand or by mail, and it must be received by 4:00 p.m. ET on the 21^st day before the election. Applications postmarked by the deadline and received within three days will be accepted. Voters may also apply for a mail ballot online. 

Every mail ballot includes a postage-paid return envelope so voters can easily return their mail ballot for free. Voters may also hand-deliver it to their local board of canvassers, drop it in a secure 24-hour drop box, or give it to someone they trust to return it for the voter. See Drop Box Locator.

All mail ballots must be received by the State Board of Elections by 8:00 p.m. ET on Election Day. See Rhode Island Secretary of State’s vote by mail information page.

Any registered voter has the option to vote early at their local board of canvassers or at designated locations during the 20 days leading up to Election Day. 

The early voting period for the September 2026 Primary Election begins on August 20 and ends on September 8 at 4:00 p.m ET. Early voting may optionally be offered on Labor Day, September 7.

The early voting period for the November 2026 General Election begins on October 14 and ends on November 2 at 4:00 p.m ET.
Most voters can vote in person at their city or town hall during their regular business hours, although some cities and towns designate alternative locations. Voters can find their city or town’s early voting hours and locations on the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s website.

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Rhode Island you should provide one of the following:

• Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
• Your Rhode Island Driver’s License Number
• Your Rhode Island ID Number

Voting In-Person

In Rhode Island, you need to show a valid ID to vote. You can use any ID from this list:

• Valid Rhode Island Voter ID Card with Photo
• Valid Federal Issued ID
• Valid Military ID
• Valid Rhode Island Driver’s License
• Government Issued Medical Card
• Valid US Passport
• Valid Rhode Island Issued ID

Mail ballots do not require Voter ID and no longer require signatures from two witnesses or a notary. The signature on the mail ballot will be compared to the signature in the voter record. It is a felony to fill out a mail ballot application or a mail ballot fraudulently.

For in-person voting, IDs must be valid or, if expired, have not expired more than six (6) months prior to voting.
No eligible voter will be turned away at the polls. Voters who do not bring ID to the polls can vote using a standard provisional ballot, which will be counted if the signature they give at the polling place matches the signature on their voter registration card. See Rhode Island Voter ID Information on the Board of Elections webpage.

All Rhode Island voters can vote by mail. 

If the voter is registered to vote in another state, but living temporarily in Rhode Island, they can still vote in their state’s election with a mail ballot.

If the voter moved within the same city/town less than 30 days before the election, they are eligible to vote at the polling place of their previous address. 

If the voter moved within the same city/town more than 30 days before the election, they are eligible to vote at the polling place of their new address.

If the voter moved to a new city/town less than 30 days before the election, they are eligible to vote at the polling place of their previous city/town of registration.

If the voter moved to a new city/town 30 days or more, but less than 6 months before the election, they are eligible to vote a Limited Ballot at the Board of Canvassers of their previous City/Town of registration.

If the voter moved to a new city/town more than 6 months before the election, the voter is only eligible to vote for President/Vice-President, if this is a Presidential election year.

If the voter moved from a different state, they must register 30 days before the election EXCEPT in a presidential election when they are eligible to vote for President/Vice-President only. 
See this chart from the Rhode Island Board of Elections website.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Your state does not require an ID to be provided in order to register your ballot.

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Your state does not require an ID to be provided in order to register your ballot.

Rhode Island military/overseas voters use a special absentee voting process to receive and return their mail ballot. The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) provides step-by-step guidance on how a military/overseas voter can apply for and receive their mail ballot.

The absentee voting process applies if the voter is:

• an active duty member of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine absent from their voting residence.
• An eligible spouse or family member of a active duty member of the Uniformed Services or Merchant Marine.
• a U.S. citizen residing outside the country.

Voters can register and request an absentee ballot using the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) at least 90 days before the election, and the FVAP recommend that military/overseas voters send in a new FPCA every January and each time they move. 

Voters may either fill out the FPCA online or download the fillable form and send the completed and signed application to their local board of canvassers by mail, email, or fax.
If a voter has registered and requested an absentee ballot, but there is not enough time to receive and send back the ballot before the election, voters may use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), which functions as a backup.

A resident of Rhode Island who has been convicted of a felony and is currently incarcerated may not vote in Rhode Island elections. 

However, voting rights are automatically restored to all Rhode Island residents who have been released from incarceration or who were never incarcerated following felony convictions. Upon release from incarceration, the department of corrections shall notify individuals that their voting rights have been restored, provide them with a voter registration form, offer assistance in filling out the form, and transmit the form to the state board or the local Board where the individual resides.

If the individual was registered to vote before entering the correctional facility, their voting rights will be automatically restored. If the individual was not registered or now has a new address upon release, they may submit a new voter registration form.