NEW: New Voter Registration Form Criticized By Moderate Party Chairman
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Rhode Island Board of Elections will discuss the the design of the Voter Registration Form at a public meeting this week.
This issue at hand is a 2010 change to that removed the list of party options in the box where a voter indicates their party affiliation. The new Voter Registration Form has only a blank box where a voter must write in their party affiliation.
The decision caught the ire of Moderate Party founder and former Gubernatorial candidate Ken Block, who is disappointed his party is no longer listed. In the past, a check box listed the Cool Moose, Reform, Green and Moderate parties, along with the standard Democrat and Republican Parties.
Block said the new form penalizes new political parties.
“The current Voter Registration Form penalizes new political parties,” he said. “Voters are not necessarily aware of what their choices are for party affiliation and the State should not make them guess. It is the job of the State to educate voters on the party affiliation choices available at the time of voter registration."
