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RED: Precinct 501: Meadowbrook Inn (Carolina
Back Road near Old Mill Road)
GREEN: Precinct 502: Town Hall
YELLOW: Precinct 503: Police Station
BLUE: Precinct 504: Ambulance Barn
(just east of the police station)
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November 6. That’s TODAY. You can vote between 7 AM and 8 PM.
Are you registered to vote?
More than 90% of Charlestown residents are registered. Click here to see if you are registered. But if you’re not among that number, you can still cast a ballot for President (but no other office) on Election Day. Go to Town Hall.
Do you know where you are supposed to vote?
We have four precincts and therefore four voting places this year. Most Charlestown residents will be voting in a different place than in 2008 and 2010. Click here again because this link will also tell you where you are supposed to vote. Also check out this map, also shown on this page.
Do I need to show ID?
You will be asked to state your name and then to show an ID. Yes, it sucks and I wish Rhode Island didn’t fall for this unnecessary voter suppression gimmick, but until it is overturned by legal challenge, bring an ID. Click here to see a list of acceptable forms of ID.
Can I vote in Charlestown if I own a vacation home in Sonquiquag?
In my opinion, the only good thing about RI’s new voter ID law is that it will make it harder for nonresidents to vote. Contrary to what the Charlestown Citizens Alliance or RI Statewide Coalition may preach, you actually have to live in RI to vote in RI, not just own property. So if all you have for ID is a Florida or Connecticut or Massachusetts driver’s license, you should go there to vote, not here. Besides, Charlestown’s nonresidents have already cast their “ballots” by funding the CCA’s 2012 election campaign.
What do I do if my name isn’t on the voting list or I don’t have the right ID?
If you are not on the voting list or you don’t have the right kind of ID, you can still vote by “provisional ballot.” These will be set aside for further verification before being included in the official vote count.
What does the ballot look like?
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| Connect the arrows to cast your vote. |
Click here to see what the Charlestown ballot looks like. It’s long – four full pages. On page one, you’ll see the candidates for President/Vice-President (seven sets in all including five sets of fringe candidates), US Senate, US House of Representatives, State Senate, State House of Representatives, Town Moderator, Town Council and Chariho School Committee.
On the flip side, page 2, there are the candidates for Charlestown Planning Commission and the seven state ballot questions (two that would allow full casino gaming in Newport and Lincoln and five very important bond measures). Pages three and four contain the four generally counterproductive Charlestown Charter Revision questions.
What levers do I pull?
You don’t “pull a lever.” You use the marker provided at each voting station to fill in the gap and complete the drawing of the arrow next to the person or ballot question answer you want.
How do I use the Master lever?
Also called “straight-ticket voting.” Rhode Island still retains what is anachronistically referred to as a “Master Lever.” That’s a line right at the beginning of a ballot that automatically casts your vote for every candidate listed under one of the major parties.
For example, you could fill in the arrow next to the “Moderate Party” and your ballot will be cast for every Moderate Party candidate on the ballot (except there aren’t any).
If you use the master lever option, you still need to vote for the technically “nonpartisan” Planning Commission as well as the state and Charlestown ballot questions, unless you decide you don’t care (shame on you). If you use the master lever, you can still mark individual candidates in partisan races. The scanner will count that vote, not the master lever vote, for that office.
What if I make a mistake?
You can fix it, but do it right away and right on the spot. Either go to or call out to one of the poll workers and explain what you did wrong. They can take the ballot you messed up, void it and issue you with a new one. Don’t expect to be able to come back later in the day and decide you want to change your vote for President to the “Socialism and Liberation Party.” (They’re on the ballot – I’m not making this up.)
Can I vote for somebody not on the ballot, like my mother?
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| There are always some witty characters who write in Mickey Mouse |
If you want to vote for someone whose name is not on the ballot, you can use the line marked “Write-In” to do so. Some disgruntled voters use that line to make witty political commentary like writing in “Mickey Mouse” or “None of the Above” or “Your mama.”
Chariho School Committee member Deb Carney is finishing up her term on the committee, which she won as a very reluctant write-in candidate. Nobody wanted to run for the job so several smartass friends of Deb wrote her in. Ever the duty-conscious good sport, Deb accepted the position and has honorably done six years of hard time. DON’T do that to her again (at least not for School Committee).
If you write in a name, try to get the person’s complete name, print it clearly in the space and then fill in the arrow to confirm your vote.
What is Bullet Voting?
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| You can vote for less than five if you choose Shown - CDTC endorsed candidates |
For Charlestown Town Council, there are five positions up for grabs and eleven people running for them. For Charlestown Planning Commission, there are five positions open and ten candidates. For either office, you can vote for up to five people, but you are not required to vote for five people.
You can vote for fewer. You can vote for one. That’s your choice. Purposely voting for less than the maximum number is sometimes called bullet voting, especially if you make a deliberate choice to vote only for those people you really want and don’t want to give a vote to their opponents.
Can I wear my Al Gore T-shirt when I go to vote?
Election campaigning is banned within 50 feet of the entrances to polling places. At the marked 50-foot line, you’re likely going to see some folks making a last-minute pitch to you to support their candidate or issue. None of that is supposed to happen within that 50-foot buffer and certainly not inside the polling place.
Up until recently, the Board of Elections had considered banning the display of campaign material – clothing, buttons, hats, etc. – inside the polling place. That could have led to your ouster if you showed up to vote wearing your “I Love George Tremblay” T-shirt or your “Ruth Platner – 16 More Years!” button. But the BOE decided that might not be a very good rule and canned the idea.
