The bill amends Section 17-9.1-23 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-9.1 entitled "Registration of Voters" to allow individuals registering to vote to designate their party affiliation or indicate that they are not affiliated with any political party. The bill also provides for the maintenance of unaffiliated status for voters who participate in a party primary, specifying that such participation includes casting a ballot by various methods or signing a ballot application. It introduces a form for disaffiliating from a political party to be available at polling and early voting locations, and ensures that voters are informed that participating in a party primary does not change their unaffiliated status.

Additionally, the bill amends Sections 17-15-21 and 17-15-24 of the General Laws in Chapter 17-15 entitled "Primary Elections" to allow non-affiliated voters to participate in primary elections of either party without becoming affiliated with a party. It removes the disqualification of voters who have participated in another party's primary without changing their party designation. The bill emphasizes that no person shall be affiliated with any political party solely because of their involvement with nomination papers of a candidate. The act is set to take effect on June 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
7662: 17-9.1-23