SEC. 4. The towns of Bristol, Warren, and Barrington shall Bristol. constitute the county of Bristol; and Bristol shall be the county town. SEC. 5. The towns of East Greenwich, Warwick, West Green- Kent. wich, and Coventry shall constitute the county of Kent; and East Greenwich shall be the county town. SEC. 6. The jurisdiction of counties separated by, or bordering on the public waters within the jurisdiction of the state, shall be concurrent over such waters, except as is herein before provided. The waters of Narragansett Bay, and the lands and rocks therein, situated to the northward of a line drawn from the mouth of Pawtuxet River to Sabin's Point, shall be deemed a part of the county of Providence, and be within the jurisdiction of said county; and all the other waters of the said bay shall not be deemed to make part, or be within the sole jurisdiction of, any one particular county. Counties separated by or bordering on public waters. Narragansett Bay, in what county. CHAPTER 4. OF TOWNS. SECTION 1. Boundaries of towns to remain as now established. SECTION 1. The extent and boundaries of the several cities and Boundaries to towns shall remain as now established by law. remain as now established. TITLE II. OF ELECTIONS. CHAPTER 5. Of the rights and qualifications of voters. CHAPTER 6. Of the registering, listing, and returning lists of voters, and of proof of their qualification to vote. CHAPTER 7. Of canvassing the rights, and correcting the lists, of voters. CHAPTER 8. Of elective meetings. CHAPTER 9. Of the manner of conducting elections. CHAPTER 10. Of the election of representatives to congress. CHAPTER 11. Of the election of electors of president and vice-president of the United States. CHAPTER 12. General provisions concerning elections. Persons enti tled to vote in all town, &c., meetings. Persons enti tled to vote, except in election of city council of Providence, and for taxes. SECTION 1. The two following classes of persons have, by the constitution, the first as registered, and the second as unregistered voters, a right to vote in the election of all civil officers, and on all questions, in all legally organized town, ward, or district meetings: First, Every male native citizen of the United States, of the age of twenty-one years, and who has had his residence and home in this state two years, and in the town or city in which he may offer to vote, six months next preceding the time of voting, whose name shall be registered in the office of the clerk of the town where he resides, on or before the last day of December in the year next preceding the time of his voting, and who shall show by legal proof that he has, for and within the year next preceding the time he shall offer to vote, paid a tax or taxes assessed against him in any town or city in this state, to the amount of one dollar, including in such tax or taxes, a tax upon his property in the town in which he shall offer to vote, valued at least at one hundred and thirty-four dollars. Second, Every male citizen of the United States, of the age of twenty-one years, who has had his residence and home in this state for one year, and in the town or city in which he may claim a right to vote, six months next preceding the time of voting, and who is really and truly possessed in his own right, of real estate in such town or city of the value of one hundred and thirty-four dollars over and above all incumbrances, or which shall rent for seven dollars per annum over and above any rent reserved or the interest of any incumbrances thereon, being an estate in fee-simple, fee-tail, for the life of any person, or an estate in reversion or remainder, which qualifies no other person to vote, the conveyance of which estate, if by deed, shall have been recorded at least ninety days. SEC. 2. The two following classes of persons have, by the constitution, as registered voters, a right to vote in all elections, and on all questions as aforesaid, except in the election of the city council of the city of Providence, or upon any proposition to impose a tax or for the expenditure of money in any town or city: First, Every male native citizen of the United States, of the age of twenty-one years, who has had his residence and home in this state two years, and in the town or city in which he may offer to vote, six months next preceding the time of voting, and whose name shall be registered in the town where he resided at the time of such registry, on or before the last day of December, in the year next preceding the time of his voting, and who shall show by legal proof that he has, for and within the year next preceding the time he shall offer to vote, paid a tax or taxes assessed against him in any town or city in this state, to the amount of one dollar. Second, Every such citizen, resident or registered as last aforesaid, who shall show by legal proof that he has been enrolled in a military company in this state, and been equipped and done duty therein according to law, for at least one day during the year next preceding the time he shall offer to vote. SEC. 3. The following class of persons have by the constitution, as unregistered voters, a right to vote in the election of all general officers, and members of the general assembly, in the town or city in which they shall have had their residence and home for the term of six months next preceding the election: Every male citizen of the United States, of the age of twenty-one years, who has had his residence and home in this state for one year, and shall own any such real estate within this state, but out of the town or city in which he resides, as is described in the second clause of the first section of this chapter, and who shall produce a certificate from the clerk of the town or city in which his estate lies, bearing date within ten days of the time of his voting, setting forth that such person has a sufficient estate therein to qualify him as a voter, and that the deed, if any, has been recorded ninety days. Persons entitled to vote in a town for gen- months' resi- CHAPTER 6. OF THE REGISTERING, LISTING, AND RETURNING LISTS OF SECTION 1. Of the registry book. 2. Who to be registered. 3. Penalty on town clerk for neglect, &c., in providing book and registering. 4. Of registered persons dead and non-resident. 5. Of purging the registry. 6. Penalty on board of canvassers for fraudulently, &c., adding to or striking from registry. 7. Of delivery by town clerks to assessors of taxes, of copy of registry. 8. Of delivery by city clerk of Providence to ward clerks, of copy of registry. 9. Of delivery by ward clerks of Providence of list of voters, &c. 10. Of assessment of tax on persons registered in towns. 11. Of assessment of tax on persons registered in Providence, and designation of class of voters. 12. Of delivery of assessments to collectors of taxes. 13. Penalty on town and ward clerks 18 and 19. Registry and other taxes 20 and 21. Of payment of two registry 22. Of payment of property tax to 24. Collectors of taxes where to be on Of the registry book. Who to be registered. Penalty on town clerk for neglect, &c., in providing book and registering. SECTION 25. Town clerk to certify payment of 26. Penalty on collector, town clerk, &c., of duty under two preced- 27. Town clerk or treasurer may re- 28. Town, &c., clerks to give certified 29. Town clerks to give certified copies 30. Collectors, &c., to furnish certified 31. Collectors, &c., when to return to SECTION istered persons who have paid taxes, and how. 32. Penalty on collectors, &c., for not 33. Proof of military service. service. 36. Penalty for neglect to make such return. 37. Power of commanding officer to require returns and evidence under oath. 38. Penalty on officer or private for refusal to give such return or evidence. 39. Of return by town clerk to canvassers of list of voters. 40. Penalty on town clerk for neglect, &c., to make such return. SECTION 1. Every town clerk shall provide a suitable book for the registry of the names of all persons, who in order to vote are required by the constitution to be registered, which book shall be kept in the office of the town clerk, for the purpose of such registry only, and shall always be open to the inspection of any elector of such town. SEC. 2. The town clerk shall register in such book, with the date of the registry, the name of every male inhabitant of the town, who shall demand such registry and who shall declare that he is qualified by birth, and is or will be within a year qualified by age and residence, to vote in such town, and his place of residence therein as near as may be; and shall also register therein, with the date of registry, the name of every such inhabitant demanded to be registered by any elector of such town, who shall declare that such inhabitant is qualified by birth, and is or will be within a year qualified by age and residence, to vote in such town, and his place of residence therein as near as may be, and the town clerk shall also register opposite the name of such inhabitant, the name of the elector demanding the same: Provided, that neither the city clerks of the cities of Providence and of Newport, nor the town clerk of the town of Woonsocket, shall be required to register the name of any person as aforesaid, unless the person himself demand it, or the elector who presents such name shall make oath, before such clerk, that the person whose name he presents is qualified by birth, and is, or within a year will be, qualified by age and residence, to vote in such city or town, as the case may be. SEC. 3. Every town clerk who shall neglect to provide and keep such book, or who shall refuse at any suitable time, to permit such inspection of the same, or who shall refuse or neglect to register the name of any person, upon demand and declaration as aforesaid, or shall register a name without a date, or with a false date, or shall fraudulently erase from the registry the name of any person duly registered thereon, shall be fined one hundred dollars for every such offence. SEC. 4. No person whose name is upon the registry of any town shall be deemed to be registered therein, who shall have died, or who for the space of one year shall have ceased to reside in such town. SEC. 5. The board of canvassers of each town, of the city of New port, and of the wards of the city of Providence, shall, on the third Monday of June, in each year, carefully examine the registry of such town, in open meeting, and purge the same by placing against the names of all persons thereon who are dead, or who for the space of one year shall have ceased to reside in such town, or whose names shall not have been put upon some list of voters in said town, duly certified, for some election of general or town officers, for the space of three years next preceding the meeting of the town council, the word "dead," "non-resident," or " unqualified," as the case may be; and shall correct the registry, where the same person is registered more than once thereon. SEC. 6. If the name of any person shall be wilfully or fraudulently added to the registry, who shall not be entitled to vote as aforesaid, or shall be wilfully or fraudulently stricken from the registry whose name should be retained thereon, every member of the board of canvassers wilfully or fraudulently concurring therein, shall be fined one hundred dollars for every name so added, or stricken off. of registered persons dead and non-resident. Of purging the registry. Penalty on canvassers for Of delivery by town clerk to assessors of taxes of copy SEC. 7. On or before the second Monday of January in every year, the town clerk of each town shall deliver to the assessors of taxes of his town, a certified copy from the registry of the names of all persons registered in the town, on or before the last day of De- of registry. cember preceding, alphabetically arranged, placing opposite the name of every person thereon the amount of his assessed property tax, for and within the said year. SEC. 8. In the city of Providence, the city clerk shall, on or before the second Monday of January in every year, deliver to the ward clerk of each ward a certified copy from the registry, of names of all persons registered as residing in their respective wards, during the year ending December thirty-first, preceding. SEC. 9. Every ward clerk shall, within five days thereafter, deliver to the board of assessors of said city a certified copy of the names of all persons then standing on the list of voters in said ward, including the names of all persons registered during the year preceding, and of all persons who may become qualified to vote by payment of a tax. SEC. 10. The assessors of taxes in each town shall, within five days after said second Monday of January in every year, assess upon every person whose name shall have been registered as aforesaid, as his registry tax, a tax of one dollar, or such sum as with his other taxes shall amount to one dollar, and return to the clerk's office of the town the said copy of the registry by them duly certified, with the registry tax assessed against each person placed against his name thereon, which copy so returned, it shall be the duty of the town clerk to put on file in his office. SEC. 11. The board of assessors in the city of Providence shall, within thirty-five days after said second Monday of January in every year, assess upon each of said names the sum of one dollar, or such sum as with other taxes shall amount to one dollar, and shall also designate such persons on said list of voters, in each ward, as are entitled to vote under article two, section one, of the constitution of this state, and also such persons as have been assessed for a tax on personal property during the preceding year; and shall return said copies, with such assessments and designations, to the respective ward clerks. Of delivery by city clerk, Providence, to ward clerks. Of delivery by Providence, of &c. Of assessment of tax on persons registered in towns. of assessment of tax, and designation of voters, in Providence. |