Primary Brings Changes to Polls

Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis is reminding voters to be prepared for changes at the polls when voting in this Tuesday’s presidential primary.

Under the state’s new Voter ID law, poll workers will ask voters for ID for the first time. A wide range of common IDs including a R.I. driver's license, RIPTA bus pass, college ID and Social Security card will be accepted.

No eligible voter will be denied the right to vote. Voters who do not bring an acceptable ID to the polls can vote using a standard Provisional Ballot. If the signature they give at their polling place matches the signature on their voter registration, their ballot will be counted.

There will only be 135 polling places open statewide, compared to 500 for the last statewide election in November 2010, so voters should use the Voter Information Center on Mollis' website at https://sos.ri.gov/vic/ to find their polling place, check the accuracy of their voter registration record, find out when their polling place opens and see a sample ballot.

Coventry's combined voting districts and polling places for the Apr. 24 Presidential Preference Primary are as follows:

Districts: 1A, 1C - (1176 Victory Hwy.)
Districts: 2A, 2B, 2D, 4A, 5D - (1670 Flat River Rd.)
Districts: 1D, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C - (1277 Main St.)
Districts: 1B, 4B, 4C, 4D, 5A, 5B, 5C - (446 Tiogue Ave.)

Be reminded that polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Barack Obama will be the only candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination on the ballot. There are 15 candidates vying for 11 delegate seats.

Following former Sen. Rick Santorum's decision to drop out of the Republican race — although his name and delegates still appear on the Rhode Island ballot — Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul remain the three active candidates in the GOP field.

Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III, who withdrew from the Republican race, is still running a campaign to earn the Americans Elect and Reform Party nominations.

Each candidate also has a slate of delegates to be chosen.