Nearly 70 voters had voted early at Newport City Hall as of 11:15 a.m. Wednesday on the first day of early voting. A half dozen voters were in line when the polling site on the ground floor opened at 8:30 a.m., a poll worker said. (Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current)
Nearly 9,100 Rhode Island voters cast their ballots Wednesday on the first day of early voting for the Nov. 5 general election.
Cranston, where a mayoral race is drawing heavy interest, saw the most early voters, with 665 people casting a ballot by 4:30 p.m., according to the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s online Voter Tracker.
Warwick, which has a three-way race for mayor, had the second heaviest turnout with 603 early voters. Providence had the third highest turnout with 371 early voters.
Early voting continues through 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4.
With three weeks still to go before Election Day, statewide turnout is 1.4% between the 9,091 early voters and 2,068 submitted mail ballots received by the Rhode Island Board of Elections. A total of 54,279 applications were received by Tuesday’s deadline to request a mail ballot.
Rhode Island is among the majority of states where voters can cast ballots in-person early without having to provide an excuse for why they cannot vote on Election Day.
Eligible voters can find their early voting location online at vote.ri.gov or by contacting their local board of canvassers.
Election information is also available by dialing 2-1-1 to connect with a trained United Way 211 call specialist who can answer questions including:
Polling locations and times
How to vote early in-person
Where to return a mail ballot
Election Day voting information
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