RI Election Day, Tue, Nov 7: How and where to vote

A special election to fill the US House 1st district seat vacated by David Cicilline will be held Tue, Nov 7, between candidates Gabriel “Gabe” Amo (D) and Gerry W. Leonard, Jr (R). Half of the population lives in the 1st district, and the other half in the 2nd district (represented by Seth Magaziner) will not be having a special election.

Polling places are open in almost all cases from 7am to 8pm, although there are occasional local exceptions. Where and how to vote can be found at the elections web site of the Office of the Secretary of State: vote.sos.ri.gov/Voter/VoteatthePolls

RI requires photo identification at the polls, either currently valid or expired not longer than six months. Valid identification is:

• RI driver’s license/permit
• US passport
• ID card issued by any federally recognized tribal government
• ID card issued by an educational institution in the United States
• US military identification card
• ID card issued by the US government or State of Rhode Island (RIPTA bus pass, etc.)
• Government issued medical card
• RI Voter ID card

The 1st district is heavily Democratic, with analysts estimating that had the redistricting map from the most recent census been in effect for the 2020 presidential election, the vote would have been 65% for Joe Biden and 35% for Donald Trump.

Amo previously worked for President Joe Biden as deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs from 2021 to 2023 and for RI Gov. Gina Raimondo as director of public engagement and community affairs in 2020.

Leonard retired in 2019 at the rank of colonel after 30 years of service in the US Marine Corps, including as vice president of operations, chief of staff and COO with the US Marine Forces Reserve, and as chief of plans and chief strategy officer of the NATO International Security Assistance Force.