PROVIDENCE, RI -- Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis will give URI, RIC and CCRI students a practical lesson in political science during campus voter registration drives later this week.
* URI-Providence on Tues., March 29, in the Main Lobby at 80 Washington St. * RIC, on Wed., March 30, 600 Mt. Pleasant Ave., in the Student Union * CCRI-Newport, on Thurs., March 31, in the Atrium at One John H. Chafee Blvd.
All three drives will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. In order to register to vote, you must be 18 by Election Day 2012, a resident of Rhode Island and a U.S. citizen.
Mollis plans to visit every Rhode Island high school and college leading up to the 2012 elections. The initiative is a partnership with the state Board of Elections.
The college visits are part of a push to get younger voters to the polls next year. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 59 percent of eligible 18-to-24-year-olds were registered to vote on Election Day 2008. Just 49 percent actually voted in that election.
Students who miss the Secretary of State's visit are still in luck. They can find voter registration forms and answers to frequently asked questions at sos.ri.gov.
In order to register to vote, students must be 18 by Election Day 2012, residents of Rhode Island and U.S. citizens.
The Secretary of State’s office prepares the ballots for all federal, state and municipal elections held in Rhode Island. In addition, the office maintains the state’s central voter registration system and distributes handbooks that explain how to run for office, how to register to vote and how to vote.
Secretary of State Mollis is committed to making it easier to vote, helping business grow and making government more open and accessible. For more information about registering to vote, visit sos.ri.gov.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Barnett at 222-4293 or cbarnett@sos.ri.gov