PROVIDENCE – Civically minded Rhode Islanders are invited to grab a late lunch and a free voter identification card at Prince Hall Lodge on Saturday, Aug. 24.
The cookout is one of many scheduled, where representatives from the Secretary of State’s office visit different communities across the state to distribute free voter ID cards.
This week’s event is sponsored by the Providence chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Prince Hall Grand Masonic Lodge. It will take place from 1 to 3p.m at 833 Eddy St.
To obtain a free voter ID card, attendees are asked to bring proof of identity such as a Social Security card, Medicaid card, credit or debit card, utility bill or government-issued document. The ID, which includes a color photo of the voter and the voter’s full name, will be created on the spot.
Rhode Island’s voter ID law, passed last year, is being phased in over two election cycles. The non-photo ID requirement took effect January 2012, and the second stage – where voters must being a photo ID with them to be allowed access to the polls – will start in January 2014.
According to a release, Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis chose to begin these voter engagement events before the U.S. Presidential elections, while voting still in forefront of the public mind.
