Saturday voting to be gauged on Saturday

The office of Secretary of State Ralph Mollis sends word that it will be doing exit-polling on the desirability of Saturday voting when Lincoln voters come to the polls this weekend. This is a good idea. Just because Election Day has traditionally been a Tuesday doesn't mean that it should be the only day to cast a ballot. The more things to encourage voting, the better.

Here are some of the details:

Lincoln residents will get the chance to influence the future of Rhode Island elections when they go to the polls this Saturday to vote on the expansion of the Twin River gaming facility.

 

Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis will conduct exit polls at all four Lincoln polling places in order to gauge the reaction voters have to Saturday voting. Mollis is considering submitting legislation in January that will pave the way to allow Rhode Islanders to vote on Saturdays as well as Tuesdays.

 

“We have sought a lot of public input over the past few months. More than 200 Rhode Islanders testified at the five public hearings we held around the state or mailed us their suggestions. But the response Lincoln voters give us will be our first hard data,” said Mollis.

 

This Saturday, Lincoln voters will be asked two questions pertaining to the expansion of Twin River:

 

• “Do you support the expansion of gaming hours at Twin River (formerly known as Lincoln Park) from its current closing hours to 24 hours per-day, 7 days per –week?”

 

• “Do you support the expansion of gaming operations at Twin River (formerly known as Lincoln Park) to include full-scale casino gambling operations including, but not limited to, table games?”