To register to vote in Rhode Island, you can apply online or by mail.
Online voter registration requires you to have a Rhode Island Driver’s License or a Rhode Island State Identification Card. If you do not, the system will generate a form for you to print and mail to your local Board of Canvassers. You will need to select your party affiliation on the online voter registration form or choose “Unaffiliated.”
Under the federal Help America Vote Act, if you are a first-time voter registrant in Rhode Island, you must provide a valid driver’s license number or RI Identification Card number issued by the RI Division of Motor Vehicles. If you have not been issued a valid RI driver’s license or RI Identification Card number, you must provide the last 4 digits of your social security number. If you have not been issued either, please indicate that on the form after you print it from the online voter registration portal.
If you do not provide this information or your driver’s license or social security number cannot be verified, you will be required to present one of the forms of identification listed below at the time of registration, before voting, or at the time of voting. Non-photo identification must have the voter’s name and address on it. If you indicate on the form that you have not been issued a Social Security Number or an RI driver’s license, you are still required to present identification at the polls.
You can also print a paper application and mail it in. Forms are available for download in English and Spanish.
Acceptable forms of identification for first time registrants include: an RI Driver’s License or state issued identification card; an RI Voter Identification Card; a U.S. Passport; an identification document issued by a U.S. educational institution; a U.S. Military identification card; an identification document issued by the U.S. or the State of Rhode Island; a government issued medical card; an employee identification card; an identification card issued by a commercial establishment; a credit or debit card; a student identification card issued by a U.S. accredited educational institution; a health club identification card; a health insurance card; a public housing resident identification card.
Additionally, you may use a copy of any of the following documents, provided that the document includes the presenter’s name and current address and is dated since the last general election, unless the document is deemed to be of a permanent nature such as a pardon or discharge: a utility bill; a bank statement; a government issued document; a lease or rent statement; a student identification card or tuition bill issued by a U.S. accredited educational institution; a health insurance card.
When you sign the voter registration application, you are swearing under oath that you meet the qualifications listed on the application. Note that these identification documents are different from the acceptable forms of photo identification at the polls on Election Day. Please refer to the Voter ID Card section for a list of acceptable photo identification.
