11/01/2026
Rhode Island Voters Are Not Required to Vote in Every Race on Their Ballot
RHODE ISLAND — When Rhode Island voters head to the polls on November 3, they will see candidates for federal, state, and local offices, along with several ballot questions. What some voters may not realize is that they are not required to make a selection in every race or answer every question for their ballot to count.
Rhode Island election law allows voters to leave individual contests blank without invalidating the rest of their ballot. The Rhode Island Board of Elections makes this clear in its official polling place instructions, stating, “You are not required to vote for every office or question.”
This means a voter can support a candidate for governor while leaving the lieutenant governor's race blank. They can vote in a congressional race without choosing a candidate for the General Assembly. They can also vote on some of the five statewide bond questions while declining to vote on others. Or they can vote for three candidates on a “Choose five” race for some local offices.
The practice is commonly called an "undervote." It occurs when a voter makes fewer selections than permitted in a particular contest, including making no selection at all.
An undervote is not the same as an invalid ballot. Rhode Island's optical scan voting equipment records the selections that were properly marked, even when other races or questions have been left unanswered. The unmarked contests simply receive no vote from that voter.
This also applies to races in which only one candidate appears on the ballot. Voters are not obligated to select an unopposed candidate simply because there is no alternative listed. Leaving that race blank records no vote for the candidate, but it does not affect the voter's selections elsewhere.
The same principle applies to offices where multiple candidates can be elected. If a school committee race allows voters to select up to three candidates, they may select one, two, three, or none. The number printed on the ballot establishes the maximum number of selections, not a minimum requirement.
There is an important distinction between leaving a ballot question blank and voting against it. For Rhode Island's five statewide bond questions, voters who want to register opposition must select "Reject." Leaving the question blank does not register opposition or support. It simply means the voter did not cast a vote on that question.
Rhode Island law also distinguishes undervoting from overvoting. Under Rhode Island General Laws § 17-19-24, voting for more candidates than permitted triggers an alert from the ballot scanner. Voters can request a replacement ballot to correct the mistake. The statute also specifically provides that if an incorrectly marked ballot is accepted, properly marked votes in other races can still be counted.
At the polling place, voters should review both sides of their ballot, along with any additional ballot pages. They can mark the contests they wish to participate in, leave others unanswered, and submit the ballot through the optical scanner. Poll workers can provide instructions or assist voters who need a replacement ballot.
Rhode Islanders can also preview their individual ballots before Election Day through the Secretary of State's Voter Information Center at vote.ri.gov.
Voting does not require selecting a candidate simply because a name appears on the ballot. Whether a voter is unfamiliar with a race, has no preference among the candidates, or chooses not to participate in a particular decision, Rhode Island's election procedures allow that contest to be left unanswered without sacrificing the votes cast elsewhere.
In fact, an undervote can sometimes send a stronger signal to candidates about how many people do not support them, or any of the names on some races. Those numbers are recorded and are viewed by many candidates for exactly that purpose. Feel free to use this method to send a message to your candidates.
