Not all endorsers of a candidate need sign on the same nomination papers, but endorsers who are voters in different cities and towns shall not sign the same sheet. Every voter signing a nomination paper shall sign in person with his or her name, place of residence, and street number, as it appears on the voting list. The signature shall be accepted as valid if it can be reasonably identified to be the signature of the voter it purports to be. A variation of the voter’s signature by the insertion or omission of identifying titles or by the substitution of initials for the first or middle names, or both, shall not in itself be grounds for invalidation of the signature. Any voter who is unable to write may sign by making his or her mark “X” on the nomination paper in the presence of two (2) witnesses who shall subscribe their names on the paper as witnesses to the signing.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-8
Signing of nomination papers
Known as the Election Law
The act spans §§ 17–17 (616 sections).
Applied in 1 court decision — leading case 781 F. Supp. 100 - Felice v. Rhode Island Board of Elections (1991)
Most recently applied in 781 F. Supp. 100 - Felice v. Rhode Island Board of Elections (December 1991)
P.L. 1947, ch. 1886, § 10; P.L. 1948, ch. 2100, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 17-14-8; P.L. 1958, ch. 18, § 1; P.L. 1978, ch. 271, § 1.
Official source: Rhode Island General Assembly. Reproduced from public-domain Rhode Island statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.