Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-2 (2026)

Candidate required to be a qualified voter in the primary

✓ current as of July 2026
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(a) No person shall be eligible to file a declaration of candidacy, or be eligible to be a candidate or be eligible to be voted for or to be nominated or elected in a party primary unless the person, at the time of filing the declaration, is qualified to vote in a primary within the district for the office which he or she seeks.

(b) No person shall be eligible to file a declaration of candidacy, or be eligible to be a candidate or eligible to be voted for or to be nominated or elected in any party primary or general election if that person has declared to be a candidate for another elected public office, either state, local or both.

(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, individuals residing in state senate districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 17 may file a declaration of candidacy for state senator and/or senatorial district committee member for those senate districts for the 2004 election pursuant to § 17-14-1, provided they were registered to vote in the election for that district on or before June 16, 2004.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 12 cases, 1961–2009 · leading case: Conrad v. Town of Narragansett Bd. of Canvassers, 420 A.2d 50 (R.I. 1980).
Conrad v. Town of Narragansett Bd. of Canvassers, 420 A.2d 50 (R.I. 1980). · cites it 7× “1956 (1969 Reenactment) § 17-14-2, which reads as follows: “Candidate required to be qualified voter in primary-No person shall be eligible to file a declaration of candidacy, or be eligible to be a candidate or be eligible to be voted for or to be nominated or elected in a…”
Gelch v. State Bd. of Elections, 482 A.2d 1204 (R.I. 1984). · cites it 2× “"The parties have in their briefs and oral arguments raised no issues arising either under the Constitution of the State of Rhode Island or the Constitution of the United States.”
Fontes v. City of Cent. Falls, 660 F. Supp. 2d 244 (D.R.I. 2009). · cites it 9× “At the same meeting, the Local Board applied R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-2(b) against Edna Poulin, who had submitted declaration papers for both Mayor and City Council, invalidating her candidacy for the City Council.”
Holmes v. Begin, 684 A.2d 1141 (R.I. 1996). · cites it 4× “Accordingly, when Houle filed his declaration of candidacy on June 25, 1996, he was not “qualified to vote in a primary within the district for the office which he * * * seeks,” G.L.1956 § 17-14-2, because he had not been registered to vote “in that city or town and voting…”
Houle ex rel. Holmes v. Begin, 682 A.2d 1384 (R.I. 1996). · cites it 2× “Section 17-14-2 sets forth the following requirements in respect to eligibility to file a declaration of candidacy: “Candidate required to be qualified voter in primary.”
Parise v. Bd. of Canvassers & Reg., 170 A.2d 292 (R.I. 1961). · cites it 2× “1956, § § 17-14-2 and 17-15-24, as amended. The pertinent language of §17-14-2 as amended is, “No person shall be eligible * * * to be a candidate or be eligible to be voted for or * * * elected in a party primary, unless such person shall * * * at the time of the holding of…”
Rawlinson v. Bd. of Canvassers, City of Woonsocket, 420 A.2d 52 (R.I. 1980). “1956 (1969 Reenactment) § 17-14-2, which reads as follows: “Candidate required to be qualified voter in primary.”
De Stefanis v. Rhode Island State Bd. of Elections, 268 A.2d 819 (R.I. 1970). · cites it 2× “1956 (1969 Reenactment) §17-14-2 1 to be a candidate for nomination as representative in the Democratic Party primary in that district.”
Collins v. State Bd. of Elections, 480 A.2d 408 (R.I. 1984). · cites it 6× “1956 (1981 Reenactment) § 17-14-2, which in its pertinent portions stipulates that no person shall be eligible to be a candidate or to be voted for in a primary unless at the time of filing the declaration the candidate is “qualified to vote in a primary within the district for…”
Yale v. Curvin, 345 F. Supp. 447 (D.R.I. 1972). “One must look to § 17-14-2 which, prior to 1968, read: “No person shall be eligible to file a declaration of candidacy, or be eligible to be a candidate, unless such person shall, at the time of filing such declaration, * * * be a qualified voter eligible to vote at the primary…”
Giannini v. Bd. of Elections, 222 A.2d 193 (R.I. 1966). “1956, §17-14-2. That section, as amended, reads: “No person shall be eligible to file a declaration of candidacy, or be eligible to be a candidate or be eligible to be voted for or to' be nominated or elected in a party primary, unless such person shall, at the time of filing…”
Conrad v. Rhode Island State Bd. of Elections, 419 A.2d 316 (R.I. 1980). “1956 (1969 Reenactment) § 17-14-2 reads: “No person shall be eligible to file a declaration of candidacy * * * unless such person shall, at the time of filing such declaration be qualified to vote in a primary within the district for the office which he seeks.”
— R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-2(b) — 1 case
Fontes v. City of Cent. Falls, 660 F. Supp. 2d 244 (D.R.I. 2009). “At the same meeting, the Local Board applied R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-2(b) against Edna Poulin, who had submitted declaration papers for both Mayor and City Council, invalidating her candidacy for the City Council.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.