Seven questions. One answer: YES!
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After a year that has devastated Rhode Island’s health and economy, we have the chance to carve our own path to economic recovery on March 2.
Governor Gina Raimondo (D) has certified seven bond issues for the March ballot. All seven of these important ballot measures are related to state spending. Because they’re bonds, our taxes will not go up if we approve these measures.
As a Rhode Island voter, you have options for safely and securely casting a ballot.
So exercise your right to vote on March 2, whether in-person or by mail.
After a year that has devastated Rhode Island’s health and economy, we have the chance to carve our own path to economic recovery on March 2.
Governor Gina Raimondo (D) has certified seven bond issues for the March ballot. All seven of these important ballot measures are related to state spending. Because they’re bonds, our taxes will not go up if we approve these measures.
As a Rhode Island voter, you have options for safely and securely casting a ballot.
So exercise your right to vote on March 2, whether in-person or by mail.
On The Ballot
Name | Description | What this really means for Rhode Island families | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
Question 1 | Issues $107.3 million in bonds for the University of Rhode Island Fine Arts Center, the Rhode Island College Clarke Science Building, and the Community College of Rhode Island | Improved public higher education facilities and research centers to better prepare the next generation | Approved |
Question 2 | Issues $74 million in bonds for state beaches, parks, recreational facilities, and water projects | Clean parks and safe drinking water | Approved |
Question 3 | Issues $65 million in bonds for building and renovating public housing projects | Housing that Rhode Island families, seniors, and veterans can afford, and good-paying construction jobs | Approved |
Question 4 | Issues $71.7 million in bonds for transportation infrastructure | Repaired bridges and roads built by local workers | Approved |
Question 5 | Issues $15 million in bonds for the Early Childhood Care and Education Capital Fund | Empowering working parents through better public childhood education facilities, including for the 18 towns that do not have any infant/toddler care options | Approved |
Question 6 | Issues $7 million in bonds for the Cultural Arts and the Economy Grant Program and the State Preservation Grants Program | Investment in and repair of public and nonprofit arts programs and historical sites | Approved |
Question 7 | Issue $60 million in bonds to fund improvements to invest in job-creating industrial facilities infrastructure | Invest in Quonset’s Port of Davisville, Rhode Island’s only public port, to help create jobs supporting offshore wind; bring Quonset’s successful model for new businesses statewide. | Approved |
There are three main ways to vote in the upcoming Special Election. For full details, visit the Rhode Island Department of State website.
Voting in Person – Early Voting
- Vote early in-person at your city/town hall during their regular business hours in the 20 days leading up to Election Day.
Voting in Person – Election Day
- Vote in person on Election Day, Tuesday, March 2, 2021. Be sure to visit your Voter Information Center to get accurate information of your polling place location and hours.
Voting By Mail
- The mail ballot application deadline was 4 p.m. on February 9th, 2021.
- If you have already applied for your mail ballot, you should receive your ballot, fill it in completely, and return your ballot so that it is received by the Board of Elections by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Do one of the following:
- Mail it in to the Rhode Island Board of Election:
Rhode Island Board of Elections
P.O. Box 6128
Providence, RI 02940 - Hand deliver the sealed envelope to the Board of Elections:
2000 Plainfield Pike, Suite A
Cranston, RI 02921 - Hand deliver the sealed envelope to any of the drop box locations around the state
- Mail it in to the Rhode Island Board of Election:
- If you cannot vote in-person and you missed the mail ballot application deadline, you may request an emergency mail ballot from your local board of canvassers.
- Go to your local city/town hall and ask for an Emergency Mail Ballot. You can also download the Emergency Mail Ballot Application when available.
- Remember your emergency mail ballot must be received by the Board of Elections by 8 p.m. on Election Day. You may mail back your emergency mail ballot or hand deliver it to the Board of Elections at: 2000 Plainfield Pike, Suite A, Cranston, RI 02921
Important Dates
01/31/2021 12:00 AM 01/31/2021 11:59 PM America/New_York Voter Registration Deadline Voter Registration Deadline Rhode Island YesforRI info@yesforri.org true January 31 02/09/2021 04:00 PM 02/09/2021 11:59 PM America/New_York Mail Ballot Application Deadline Mail Ballot Application Deadline Rhode Island YesforRI info@yesforri.org true February 9 02/10/2021 12:00 AM 03/01/2021 04:00 PM America/New_York Early Voting Period Early Voting Period Rhode Island YesforRI info@yesforri.org true February 10 03/01/2021 12:00 AM 03/01/2021 04:00 PM America/New_York Early Voting Period Ends at 4pm Early Voting Period Ends at 4pm Rhode Island YesforRI info@yesforri.org false March 1 03/02/2021 12:00 AM 03/02/2021 11:59 PM America/New_York Special Election Special Election Rhode Island YesforRI info@yesforri.org true March 2FAQ
Help save our small businesses and heal our community so Rhode Island families can have a future.
- $107.3 million for public higher education
- $74 million for a “green bond”
- $65 million for affordable housing
- $71.7 million for transportation
- $15 million for early childhood care and education
- $7 million for arts and cultural infrastructure grant programs
- $60 million for commerce and infrastructure
- Affordable childcare access for working parents
- Clean drinking water and safe beaches
- Safe, equitable access to quality public higher education
- Affordable housing for families, seniors and children who may otherwise be homeless
- Safer roads and bridges that can be built and repaired by Rhode Island workers
- An economic stimulus package that will save jobs, rebuild our economy, keep businesses open, and put Rhode Island families first – without raising taxes
- Our taxes will not go up if we approve these measures because they’re bonds. A bond is like a mortgage or loan. Just like people might borrow money to get an education or buy a home, the State is asking to borrow money from a lender with the promise to pay it back over time with interest. Because this occurs between the State and private lenders, this does not affect our taxes. And by using these bonds to invest in projects that will grow Rhode Island’s economy, when it’s time for the State to pay back these bonds, our economy will be stronger than ever.
- In an economic crisis, some might think that states are supposed to cut back on spending . But these are investments that will create jobs and stimulate economic growth and we cannot wait to start our economic recovery.
- Voting yes means keeping our communities safe, healthy, and employed – without new taxes
- Voting yes means our state will build back better and faster, saving jobs and businesses
- Voting yes means that you care about Rhode Island families and their access to good careers, good schools, clean drinking water, safer roads, and a future that puts Rhode Island families first – ahead of special interests who want to hold us back
- Voting yes means we won’t compromise on the safety or future of our families, our seniors, or our children
- 2020 was an unprecedented year, and we need to take bold action to recover from it quickly in a way that addresses the concerns of all Rhode Islanders.
- Gov. Gina Raimondo proposed the use of bonds in her original January 2020 budget. By the summer, after the COVID-19 crisis hit, she increased that amount to $400 million. Amid financial uncertainty caused by the pandemic and the gridlock in D.C., the Rhode island General Assembly took until December 2020 to pass the budget after the general election took place.
Resources
State Board of Elections
2000 Plainfield Pike,
Cranston, RI 02921
Ph: 401.222.2345
Disability Rights Rhode Island
33 Broad Street, Suite 601,
Providence, RI 02903
Ph: 401.831.3150
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Coalition Participants
Build RI
LiUNA New England Region
RI AFL-CIO
RI Building and Construction Trades Council
RI Associated General Contractors
Construction Industries of RI
IBEW 99
LOCAL INITIATIVES SUPPORT CORPORATION Rhode Island
Office of the RI General Treasurer
IUPAT District Council 11
UA Local 51 Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 51
Unite-Here
American Council of Engineering Companies – Rhode Island (ACEC-RI)
United Way
RI State Council of the Arts
RI Coalition for Arts and Preservation
The Nature Conservancy
Audubon Society of Rhode Island
Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council
Clean Water Action
National Education Association Rhode Island
Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals
North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters
Carpenters Local 330
Iron Workers Local 37
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