---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS"
description: "Requires mail ballot drop boxes to be opened thirty-five (35) days prior to election day, and twenty (20) days prior to special elections."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ri"
legislature: "Rhode Island General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 7849"
citation: "Rhode Island HB 7849 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Carson"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 14
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2024-03-01"
last_action: "2024-06-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1131d19c-20c6-444a-b76c-fc2afd56f2a6"
source_url: "https://status.rilegislature.gov/"
source_hash: "16ea991c28c71c191aea96d81f5250cbc8cc41fe60471aeee106378017018fdb"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ri"]
---

# Rhode Island HB 7849 (2024) — AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS

Requires mail ballot drop boxes to be opened thirty-five (35) days prior to election day, and twenty (20) days prior to special elections.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **7849 as amended** (committee substitute) — [source](http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText24/HouseText24/H7849aa.pdf)

## Votes

- PASSAGE OF AMENDMENT — **63–5** (pass) · lower
- AS AMENDED — **54–16** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Carson — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-03-01** 03/01/2024 Introduced, referred to House State Government & Elections `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2024-03-22** 03/22/2024 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (03/26/2024)
- **2024-03-26** 03/26/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study `committee-failure`
- **2024-04-05** 04/05/2024 Scheduled for consideration (04/09/2024)
- **2024-04-09** 04/09/2024 Committee recommends passage `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-04-19** 04/19/2024 Placed on House Calendar (04/24/2024) `reading-3`
- **2024-04-24** 04/24/2024 House passed as amended (floor amendment) `passage`
- **2024-05-13** 05/13/2024 Referred to Senate Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2024-06-08** 06/08/2024 Scheduled for consideration (06/11/2024)
- **2024-06-11** 06/11/2024 Committee recommends passage as amended in concurrence `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-06-11** 06/11/2024 Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar (06/13/2024) `reading-3`
- **2024-06-13** 06/13/2024 Senate passed as amended in concurrence `passage`
- **2024-06-20** 06/20/2024 Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2024-06-25** 06/25/2024 Signed by Governor `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1131d19c-20c6-444a-b76c-fc2afd56f2a6`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Rhode Island legislature records).