East Providence, Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Board of Elections is reminding voters that Tuesday, Oct. 13 is the deadline to request a mail ballot for the upcoming general election. Eligible residents have until 4 p.m. to submit an application, either online or in person at their local board of canvassers office.

Early voting begins the following day, Oct. 14, and continues through Election Day on Nov. 3. Completed mail ballots can be returned via secure drop boxes located in every city and town, or dropped off directly at the Board of Elections office in Cranston.

This year's ballot includes major statewide races such as governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, along with several referendum questions. Congressional and state legislative seats are also being contested, and some cities will hold mayoral elections. Voters can look up a sample ballot to see the specific races in their precinct.

Early voting has begun in Rhode Island, where voters statewide face five bond referendum questions totaling roughly $600 million. Question 1 would authorize $275 million for higher education facility upgrades at URI, Rhode Island College and CCRI. Question 2 proposes $120 million for affordable and accessible housing projects, including new construction and redevelopment. Question 3 seeks $100 million for site development and infrastructure tied to growth industries, potentially covering the I-195 District, Quonset Business Park, land acquisition, and investment in ocean, defense, life sciences and data analytics sectors.

Question 4 would borrow $50 million to build a State History Center and fund a preservation grant program, while Question 5 proposes $55 million in green economy bonds for environmental and recreation projects. The state has mailed explanatory handbooks, also available online in English and Spanish, and Secretary of State Gregg Amore urged voters to review the lengthy measures carefully before casting ballots, noting Rhode Islanders historically tend to approve such long-term investment bonds.

Rhode Island's deadline to register to vote in this year's general election is Sunday, Oct. 4. Eligible residents, meaning U.S. citizens who are Rhode Island residents and at least 16 years old, can register online or by mailing in a paper application. Those already registered can review or update their voter records through the state's online system.

Voters who want to cast a ballot by mail have until Tuesday, Oct. 13, to submit their applications, which can also be completed online or by mail. Early in-person voting begins the next day and continues through Election Day on Nov. 3.

This year's ballot includes statewide races for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, along with several ballot referendums. Congressional and state legislative seats are also being contested, and a number of cities will hold mayoral elections, rounding out a busy slate of races for Rhode Island voters this fall.

Incumbent Democratic Lt. Governor Sabina Matos and Republican challenger John Loughlin met Friday for their first televised debate ahead of Rhode Island's lieutenant governor race, hosted in the WPRI 12 studios in East Providence. The candidates disagreed on most major issues facing the state, including immigration enforcement and cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, electric rates and energy policy, and grocery store affordability.

A recent University of New Hampshire poll shows the contest is close, with only about four points separating the two candidates. The tight polling and sharp policy contrasts make this race one to watch as it heads toward the general election, with immigration and cost-of-living issues shaping up as central themes for voters.

David Barboza, a former Bristol, Rhode Island town councilor, was found dead by suicide at his Constitution Street home last weekend at age 71. Barboza had a long record of civic service, having worked as a police officer, volunteer firefighter, Democratic Town Committee member, and administrator at St. Mary's Church, and was named chief marshal of Bristol's Fourth of July Parade in 2014.

Barboza had also faced allegations of sexual abuse from multiple boys and men dating back to the 1970s. The accusations were first reported in 2019 by Boston Globe Rhode Island journalist Amanda Milkovits. Following news of his death, Milkovits discussed how the men who say they were victimized by Barboza have reacted. Police have confirmed the cause of death as suicide.

Rhode Island voters headed to the polls to decide primary contests that will shape the state's general election ballot in November. The marquee race is the Democratic gubernatorial primary, where incumbent Dan McKee faced challenger Helena Foulkes, who had been leading in pre-election polling. Republicans chose between Aaron Guckian and Elaine Pelino for their nomination.

Other significant contests included the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, where Sabina Matos faced four challengers, and the race to succeed term-limited Attorney General Peter Neronha, with four Democrats competing for the nomination. In Providence, Mayor Brett Smiley faced a primary challenge from state Rep. David Morales, a notable test since no sitting Providence mayor has ever lost a primary; a recent poll suggested a close contest. Pawtucket and Woonsocket also held mayoral primaries, alongside various congressional and General Assembly races. Nearly 49,000 voters had already cast ballots early or by mail ahead of polling day. Primary winners advance to the November 3 general election.

Rhode Island voters went to the polls Wednesday in primaries for governor and other federal, state and local offices. Gov. Dan McKee, who ascended to office in 2021 and won a full term in 2022, faces a tough Democratic challenge from Helena Buonanno Foulkes, a former CVS executive who finished a close second in the 2022 primary. Foulkes has outraised and outspent McKee and has led him in independent polling throughout the year, though many voters remained undecided heading into the vote. A loss would make McKee the first elected Rhode Island governor to lose renomination since 1994.

The race has centered on McKee's handling of the Washington Bridge closure and reconstruction, now delayed until 2028, and a 2024 investigation finding he improperly intervened in a state contract award, though no laws were found broken. McKee has attacked Foulkes over CVS's alleged role in the opioid crisis. In the Republican primary, party-endorsed Aaron Guckian faces Elaine Pelino. Rhode Island hasn't elected a Republican governor in 20 years.