---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS"
description: "Allows the board of elections to tabulate mail ballots in local special elections in the same manner as in tabulate mail ballots in statewide elections."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ri"
legislature: "Rhode Island General Assembly"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 5311"
citation: "Rhode Island HB 5311 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Batista", "Biah", "Hull", "Noret", "Shanley"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 14
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2025-02-05"
last_action: "2025-06-17"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/85e75de8-82fb-4aef-b524-235e77d2941d"
source_url: "https://status.rilegislature.gov/"
source_hash: "2eff69d7f453a134e6a598f244d3baab731e9e159d0098d9aa5ea5986b8ca42e"
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 5311 (2025) — AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS

Allows the board of elections to tabulate mail ballots in local special elections in the same manner as in tabulate mail ballots in statewide elections.

## Version chain

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

1. **5311** (committee substitute) — [source](http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText25/HouseText25/H5311.pdf)

## Votes

- PASSAGE — **62–4** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Batista — primary (person)
- Biah — primary (person)
- Hull — primary (person)
- Noret — primary (person)
- Shanley — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-02-05** 02/05/2025 Introduced, referred to House State Government & Elections `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2025-03-14** 03/14/2025 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (03/18/2025)
- **2025-03-18** 03/18/2025 Committee recommended measure be held for further study `committee-failure`
- **2025-03-28** 03/28/2025 Scheduled for consideration (04/03/2025)
- **2025-04-03** 04/03/2025 Committee recommends passage `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-18** 04/18/2025 Placed on House Calendar (04/24/2025) `reading-3`
- **2025-04-24** 04/24/2025 House read and passed `passage`
- **2025-05-02** 05/02/2025 Referred to Senate Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-05-23** 05/23/2025 Scheduled for consideration (05/27/2025)
- **2025-05-27** 05/27/2025 Committee recommends passage in concurrence `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-06-06** 06/06/2025 Placed on Senate Calendar (06/12/2025) `reading-3`
- **2025-06-12** 06/12/2025 Senate passed in concurrence `passage`
- **2025-06-13** 06/13/2025 Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-06-17** 06/17/2025 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/85e75de8-82fb-4aef-b524-235e77d2941d`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Rhode Island legislature records).