Rhode Island has not sent a voter list maintenance mailing to all active registered voters in over 15 years. That changes as early as Monday, Nov 3, when voters across the state should start receiving a notice in a white envelope with yellow markings and an “Official Election Mail” decal.
The enclosed letter asks recipients to review the information on their voter record and update any inaccurate or outdated information online at vote.ri.gov or by mail using the form on the back of the letter.
Reviewing and responding to the mailing will help ensure the accuracy of Rhode Island’s voter list and that voters are eligible to vote in the 2026 elections, according to the office of Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore.
If voters receive a letter addressed to someone who does not live at their address, they are asked to write “Not at this address” above the address on the envelope and return the envelope to their mail carrier.
State and local election officials receive voter list maintenance information from several agencies, including the Division of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Health, and the U.S. Postal Service’s National Change of Address program.
A voter’s registration becomes inactive when a piece of official elections mail is returned to the sender as “undeliverable.” If an inactive voter does not cast a ballot in one of the next two federal elections, their voter registration can be removed from the voter list, according to federal and state law.
Election officials have removed 107,738 voters from the state’s voter list through these voter list maintenance processes since Amore took office in January 2023.
Voters who need assistance updating their record can call the Department of State Elections Division at (401) 222-2340 or their local Board of Canvassers’ office. For more information on the mailing and a list of frequently asked questions, visit sos.ri.gov/mailing.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
