This year, the Rhode Island state legislature will be considering a voting reform package that will create a more safe, secure and efficient election system in Rhode Island. These commonsense initiatives will protect our elections. By modernizing our elections system with automatic voter registration, implementing early voting and auditing our elections data, we will make our elections more efficient and secure.

These updates will ensure that all eligible citizens -- and only eligible citizens -- will have their voices heard in our elections.

ADD YOUR NAME: Support elected officials in Rhode Island who are trying to modernize and secure our elections

In-Person Early Voting: We need to continue the modernization of the electoral process by establishing a formal process for in-person early voting in Rhode Island. This will provide Rhode Islanders with more convenient opportunities to vote beginning 20 days prior to Election Day. In-person early voting offers convenient times to vote to accommodate working families and busy schedules; it increases voter satisfaction by making the overall voter experience more accessible; and it decreases the use of emergency mail ballots.

Automatic Voter Registration: Rhode Island already has online voter registration, which uses technology to modernize our elections. Automatic voter registration is the logical next step to ensure that all eligible Rhode Islanders can have their voices heard on Election Day. This small change to our elections data uses current technology to eliminate paperwork errors, keeps registration rolls clean, streamlines bureaucracy, saves the state money and ensures that any citizen who wants to have their voice heard in our elections can.

Post-Election Audit: Our state invested millions of dollars in new voting equipment in 2016. Now, we should put systems in place to assess its performance and make sure there is no tampering with the system. Post-election audits are used to catch human errors as well as actions by those who may seek to hack our elections. Rhode Island squanders the advantage of having a paper-based voting system by not adopting post-election audits. Post-election audits will provide greater security so every voter knows their ballot was counted as cast.

SIGN THE PETITION: We need to show our champions in the State House that we have their back. Sign the petition to let them know we support them and their efforts to modernize and protect our elections.