Nation’s Capital — As the general election approaches on November 5, the race for Rhode Island’s four electoral votes is heating up, featuring current Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and former Republican President Donald Trump. Voters in the state will also be making choices on congressional seats, legislative positions, various ballot initiatives, and local mayoral elections.
In the previous presidential election of 2020, Democratic President Joe Biden secured Rhode Island with a substantial 59% of the vote.
Alongside the major party candidates, several independent and third-party figures will also be on the ballot. This includes Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who notably withdrew from the race in August to endorse Trump. Historically, Rhode Island has leaned Democratic in presidential elections over the past six decades, with Richard Nixon in 1972 and Ronald Reagan in 1984 being the only Republican candidates to claim victory since 1960.
In the Senate race, incumbent Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse seeks a fourth term against Republican challenger Patricia Morgan. In 2018, Whitehouse was reelected with 61% of the vote. Meanwhile, Republicans are making efforts to unseat Democrats in both of Rhode Island’s U.S. House districts. Lincoln Chaffee was the last Republican to occupy a U.S. Senate or House position in the state, having lost to Whitehouse in 2006 but later winning the governorship as an independent in 2010.
On a different note, voters will also consider whether Rhode Island should convene a constitutional convention to explore potential amendments to the state constitution.
Polls in Rhode Island will close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. Absentee voting can commence 20 days before the election, with nearly 30% of votes in 2022 coming from advance ballots. On Election Day, the initial results to be reported will be those cast in-person, followed by mail-in and early in-person votes later in the evening. In the last election cycle, over 98% of ballots were accounted for on the night of the election.
Should there be a race with at least 100,000 votes cast, a candidate trailing by half a percentage point or by fewer than 1,500 votes may request a recount in Rhode Island.
The reporting agency does not make predictions about the outcomes but will announce a winner only when it is confident that no possibility remains for closing the gap between candidates. Until a race is declared, any significant developments like concession speeches or declarations of victory will continue to be monitored, while clarifying that the outcome has not yet been officially determined..
Here’s a breakdown of the upcoming election in Rhode Island:
Election Day: November 5.
Poll Closing Time: 8 p.m. ET.
Presidential Electoral Votes: 4 awarded to the statewide winner.
Key Races and Candidates: President: Harris (D) vs. Trump (R) vs. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Independent) vs. Chase Oliver (Libertarian) vs. Jill Stein (Green) and others.
U.S. Senate: Whitehouse (D) vs. Morgan (R).
Additional Races: U.S. House, state Senate, state House, mayoral contests, and various ballot measures.
Recent Presidential Results: 2020: Biden (D) 59%, Trump (R) 39% – Announced on November 3, 2020, at 8 p.m. ET.
Voter Registration and Turnout: Registered voters: 789,035 (as of October 2024). This includes approximately 38% Democrats, 14% Republicans, and 48% independents. The turnout for the 2020 election was about 66% of registered voters.
Pre-Election Day Voting: Pre-Election Day votes for 2020 totaled approximately 61% of all votes cast, compared to nearly 29% in 2022. The data for 2024 will be available closer to the election date.
Vote Counting Timeline: Initial votes for the 2020 election were reported shortly after polls closed at 8:11 p.m. ET, with roughly 52% of the total votes being tallied by midnight.
