A first for upcoming R.I. presidential preference primary: 17-year-old voters

You still have to wait till you turn 18 to buy a lottery ticket or get a tattoo without parental permission.

But for the first time this year, voting in a primary election is no longer a rite of passage that Rhode Island teenagers have to wait until their 18th birthday to mark. A new state law approved in June 2023 lets 17-year-olds vote in primaries as long as they will be 18 by the time of the general election.

The change comes ahead of the upcoming presidential preference primary, which marks the first non-municipal primary in which soon-to-be 18-year-olds can participate.  All residents, including newly eligible voters, must register by March 3 to cast ballots in the April 2 presidential primary.

As of February, more than 720,000 registered voters are listed as active, according to the Rhode Island Secretary of State registration database. How many of those voters are 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the Nov. 5 general election was not available; however, in 2020, 1,200 voters turned 18 after the primary and before the general election, according to Faith Chybowski, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s office.

The law change, which took effect Jan. 1, was heralded by proponents as a way to engage young voters and improve turnout in primary races — especially important because more than one-third of state races were uncontested in the 2022 general election, according to Common Cause Rhode Island.

“This legislation empowers young Rhode Islanders to get involved with their democracy even sooner, and to have a say in who will be on the ballot when they participate in a general election,” Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore, a former high school history teacher, said in a statement. “It is crucial that we instill strong habits of civic participation in our students — from voting in elections at all levels, to contacting their elected officials, to organizing a voter registration drive in their school. I hope these newly eligible voters will take advantage of this opportunity to participate.” 

Rhode Island joins 17 other states — including Connecticut, Maine and Vermont — in letting 17-year-olds vote in primaries providing that they are 18 by the general election, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Eligible state residents who want to register or update their voter registration can do so online or by submitting a form to their local board of canvassers.