elections

Woonsocket voters go to the polls next week to elect a state representative to replace Lisa Baldelli-Hunt, who was recently elected mayor of that city.  The election represents the first time that photo identification will be required of voters.

The American Civil Liberties Union is reminding Woonsocket voters to be sure to take along a photo id when they head to the polls Tuesday. Woonsocket is holding a special election to fill the House seat vacated by newly-elected Woonsocket Mayor Lisa-Baldelli Hunt.

In Woonsocket, voters have chosen a new mayor.

They voted by a more than 2-1 margin to elect  State Representative Lisa Baldelli-Hunt, ousting incumbent mayor Leo Fontaine.

Baldelli-Hunt will take the reins of a city that severely raised property taxes to avoid bankruptcy.  Like many residents, voter Farid Latash said the city's financial problems are frustrating.

"Big problem with the taxes.  Nobody working.  Nobody got no money.  They keep raising taxes, raising everything.  That's about it," said Latash.

The leader of efforts to kill straight-ticket voting, Moderate Party founder Ken Block, says opponents of the master lever plan to raise their focus on winning support from House Speaker Gordon Fox and Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed.

“It’s up to the speaker and the Senate president to bring those bills up for a vote in committee to get them to the floor, and now the public pressure begins to mount on both of those offices to do that," Block says. "We’ll be pushing on that very hard over the next month, month and a half.”

Rhode Island elections director Bob Kando gets to keep his job, but he first had to endure a dressing down from his bosses, the Board of Elections. The board felt Kando exceeded his executive authority when he presented lawmakers with a package of elections-related bills.