Deadlines Prompt Local Presidential Election Activities

The Rhode Island Presidential Preference Primary is still three months away (April 24), but the deadline for candidates to apply to be on the ballot is tomorrow, and those candidates must then file 1,000 eligible Rhode Island voter signatures by Feb. 2 to qualify, according to the Office of the Rhode Island Secretary of State, A. Ralph Mollis, the official responsible for executing elections.

As a result, there are activities on tap locally.

• The Middletown Republican Party is gathering today, Friday, January 27, from 4-7 p.m., at The Courtyard by Marriott, 9 Commerce Dr., Middletown, with the purpose of discussing Republican Presidential candidates for the Rhode Island Ballot.
• Democratic volunteers in Rhode Island will be collecting signatures tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 28, starting at 2 p.m., at 282 Thames St., Newport, to get President Obama’s name on the Rhode Island ballot, according to Devin Driscoll, Rhode Island State Director, Obama for America.

As of this morning, the candidates who had filed to be on the Rhode Island presidential primary ballot were: Mark Callahan, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Buddy Roemer, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum, all Republicans; and Barack Obama, as the Democratic candidate, according to the Office of the Secretary of State, Rhode Island.

None of the eight candidates has submitted 1,000 signatures yet.

In addition, other deadlines of note:

• A voter who wants to be a delegate to his or her party’s National Convention must file a Declaration of Candidacy with the Office of the Secretary of State during the period from February 22 through February 23, 2012 (and must already have been registered to vote by Jan. 23).
• March 24, 2012, is the deadline to register to vote in order to be eligible to vote in the presidential primary. For information on registering to vote, visit the voter registration page of the Secretary of State website  or go to your Local Board of Canvassers (in Newport City Hall, Middletown Town Hall, or Portsmouth Town Hall).

A complete guide to the Rhode Island presidential primary election is posted on the RI Secretary of State’s website, and is also available accompanying this article (see PDFs). For additional information, contact the Elections Division at 401-222-2340, TTY 711, or elections@sos.ri.gov.