Voting rights group notifies Pawtucket of potential violations in preparation for November election

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WLNE) — Common Cause Rhode Island notified the City of Pawtucket to prepare for the November general election due to alleged previous violations of the Voting Rights Act.

The City of Pawtucket allegedly violated the Voting Rights Act for the Sept. 10 primary election, which requires the city to provide legally-required language access to Spanish-language voters.

According to Common Cause R.I., the Voting Rights Act and Help America Vote Act require signage in Spanish for

• What Voter ID is needed
• The right to cast a provisional ballot
• Basic voting rules
• The availability of a bilingual voter hotline.

“Pawtucket must immediately investigate the problems Common Cause Rhode Island uncovered and issue a report so that immediate steps are taken to be ready for the November general election,” Executive Director of Common Cause Rhode Island, John Marion said.

In May 2024, the City of Pawtucket entered an official agreement with the United States Department of Justice for failing to abide by Section 203 of the Voting Right Acts.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Section 203 states:

Whenever any State or political subdivision [covered by the section] provides registration or voting notices, forms, instructions, assistance, or other materials or information relating to the electoral process, including ballots, it shall provide them in the language of the applicable minority group as well as in the English language.

The Executive Director of the Rhode Island Board of Elections, Miguel Nunez, made a statement:

Concerns were raised regarding the recent primary election in Pawtucket, where it was alleged that voters did not have access to required translated materials and live interpreters at polling places. We take these issues seriously, as language barriers should never prevent eligible voters from fully participating in our democracy…We are working closely with officials in Pawtucket to ensure they fully understand their obligations under the Voting Rights Act and that these vital resources are provided for all future elections.

ABC6 has reached out to the mayor of Pawtucket and the Pawtucket Board of Canvassers for a comment on this matter.