WPRO News and The Associated Press
Election officials in Rhode Island are moving to improve the security of the voting process before the 2018 elections.
Democratic Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea provided an update Wednesday on the state’s efforts.
Among the changes implemented is a new audit system highly recommended by federal authorities. Rhode Island was the second state, after Colorado, to adopt the system. The state will also roll out automatic voter registration in the spring.
Gorbea says the state has among the most secure elections systems nationwide because it uses paper ballots and has the new auditing system.
“I feel good about the fact Rhode Island has taken so many proactive steps to protect the integrity of the vote,” Gorbea said.
“But, it is not something that ends today or ends after one election. This is going to be an ongoing road that we are going to have to stay on top of.”
Gorbea convened a task force last year that suggested 17 ways to improve the state’s procedures. The state has implemented 10 so far and is working on five more. Two were put on hold.
