§ 17-19-26.1 - Voting assistance.

SECTION 17-19-26.1

   § 17-19-26.1  Voting assistance. – (a) Any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness,disability, or inability to read or write may be given assistance by a personof the voter's choice, other than the voter's employer or agent of thatemployer, or an officer or agent of the voter's union.

   (b) Every voter who requires assistance pursuant to thissection, and every person furnishing assistance to a voter pursuant to thissection, shall make and file with the warden an affidavit in substantially thefollowing form:

   AFFIDAVIT OF VOTER REQUIRING ASSISTANCE

   Under the penalty prescribed by law I hereby make affidavitthat

   I, ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] , of

   Print Name of Voter Street Address of Voter

   ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]], hereby choose

   City/Town of Voter Print Name of Assistant

   to provide assistance to me because I am either blind,disabled or unable to read or write in the English language and do herebycertify that the person chosen to assist me is not my employer, or agent of myemployer, or officer or agent of my union.

   

   Signature of Voter

   Under the penalty prescribed by law I hereby make affidavitthat

   I,, of

   Print Name of Person Assisting Voter

   Street and City/Town Address of Person Assisting Voter

   having been chosen by

   Print Name of Voter

   to provide assistance to voter by reason of either blindness,disability or inability to read or write in the English language on the part ofthe voter, do hereby certify that I am not the voter's employer, or agent ofthat employer, or officer or agent of the voter's union.

   

   Signature of Person Assisting Voter

   Subscribed and sworn to on this ]]]]]]]]]] day of ]]]]]]]]A.D. 20]]]].

   

   Signature of Warden

   Voter's Ballot Application No. ]]]]]]]]]]

   (c) An affidavit will be made available only upon request bythe voter to the warden in the polling place.

   (d) Every person who makes a false affidavit under thissection shall be guilty of a felony.

   (e) Under the penalty prescribed by law, the "assistant" isprohibited from marking a vote on the computer ballot, unless otherwiserequested by the voter who, due to a physical disability, is unable to mark hisor her ballot.

   (f) No person may approach a voter and ask if he or she needsassistance, once the voter is within the voting place or waiting in line tovote or within fifty (50) feet of the entrance or entrances to the building asprescribed in § 17-19-49.