RHODE ISLAND 4 Electoral Votes 
link to clickable map
Population 
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Rhode Island Board of Elections)
Total Resident Population, July 1, 2019 est.
 1,059,361
Registered Voters, Nov. 2020
    732,125 >
Dem. 327,791 (44.77%)  Rep. 105,780 (14.45%)  Unaff. 298,554 (40.78%)

Rhode Island counties: Providence, Kent, Washington, Newport, Bristol. 
39 cities and towns.

Government
Governor: Gina Raimondo (D) re-elected 2018. 
State Legislature: Rhode Island General Assembly  House: 100 seats  Senate: 50 seats
Local: Cities and Towns   NACO
U.S. House: 2D - 1. D.Cicilline (D) | 2. J.Langevin (D).
U.S. Senate: Jack Reed (D) seeking re-election in 2020, Sheldon Whitehouse (D) re-elected in 2018. 
2020
 U.S. Senate:  Sen. Jack Reed (D), first elected in 1996, won a fifth term, defeating financial consultant Allen Waters (R) by 328,574 votes (66.47%) to 164,855 (33.35%).  Waters was on the ballot although on June 25 the Executive Committee of the Rhode Island Republican Party voted to pull the party's endorsement after reports he had been involved in a domestic dispute.
U.S. House: Both Members were re-elected. 
Ballot Measure: A legislatively referred constitutional amendment to change the name of the state from "Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" to "Rhode Island" was Question 1 on the ballot (+).  Voters approved the measure by 247,261 votes (53.1%) to 218,175 (46.9%).  In 2010 they rejected a similar measure. 

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The Ocean State
General Election -- Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Voter Registration Deadline: Oct. 4, 2020.

Rhode Island General Law 17-1-3 allows an individual who has missed the voter registration deadline to register and vote for President/Vice-President at a location designated by the local Board of Canvassers on election day.

Deadline to Request Mail Ballot: Oct. 13, 2020. 

An Aug. 2020 court ruling, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, removed the requirement that voters obtain two witnesses or a notary to vote by mail during the pandemic.
 
Emergency Voting Period: Oct. 14-Nov. 2, 2020.

Polling Place
 Mail
 Em. Ballot
Biden
 87,295
 133,474
 86,717
Trump
 107,500
 32,326
 60,096
Total
 200,094
(38.65)
 168,795
(32.60)
 148,868
(28.75)

Official Results >
  

+Biden/Harris (Dem.) 307,486
 		(59.39)
Trump/Pence (Rep.) 199,922
 		(38.61)
Jorgensen/Cohen (Lib.) 5,053
 (0.98)
De La Fuente/Richardson (All.)
 		923
 		(0.18)
La Riva/Freeman (PSL) 847
 (0.16)
Carroll/Patel (Am.Sol.)
 		767
 		(0.15)
write-ins
 		2,759
 		(0.53)
Total........517,757

Overview: Rhode Island's three electoral votes went to Biden, who won with a plurality of 107,564 votes (20.78 percentage points).  Other than a number of pro-Trump parades (+) there was not much activity.
[RISOS]  BALLOT [PDF]
[State Primary: September 8, 2020]
Presidential Preference Primary -- Tuesday, April 28, 2020 June 2, 2020
Democrats
Biden 79,728 (76.7%), Sanders 15,525 (14.9%), Warren 4,479 (4.3%)... Total 103,982.

35 Delegates: 18 District, 5 At-Large, 3 PLEO and 9 Unpledged.

 		Republicans
Trump 19,176 (87.1%), Weld 1,214 (5.5%), Uncomm. 1,069 (4.9%), w/in 368 (1.7%), De La Fuente 182 (0.8%) ...Total 22,009.
General Election Winners in Rhode Island, 1992-2016
1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016
Clinton
47.04%
 		Clinton
59.71%
 		Gore
60.99%
 		Kerry
59.42%
 Obama
62.95%
 Obama
62.70% 		Clinton
54.41%
  and the details...
General Election -- Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Voting Eligible Population*: 786,033.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 59.0%.


Voter Registration Deadline: Oct. 9, 2016.

Note: Rhode Island General Law 17-1-3 allows an individual who has missed the voter registration deadline to register and vote for President/Vice-President only at their local Board of Canvassers on election day.


Registration: Dem. 294,553 (41.10%)   Rep. 85,552 (11.94)   Mod. 2,407 (0.34)   Unaffil. 334,162  (46.63%)  ...Total 716,674
Official Results >

+Clinton/Kaine (Dem.)
 252,525
 (54.41)
Trump/Pence (Rep.)
 180,543
 (38.90)
Johnson/Weld (Lib.)
 14,746
 (3.18)
w/ins
 9,439
 (2.03)
Stein/Baraka (Grn.)
 6,220
 (1.34)
De La Fuente/Steinberg (AmD.)
 671
 (0.14)
Total........464,144

40,260 of the 464,144 votes tallied for President were mail ballots.
 		Overview: As expected Clinton won Rhode Island's three electoral votes, but her share of the vote, 54.41%, and plurality, 71,982 votes (15.51 percentage points), were significantly less than one would expect from results of presidential elections going back to 1996. 
   In terms of campaign visits, Tim Kaine did fundraisers in Newport and Providence on Aug. 13, and Mike Pence did a fundraiser in Newport on Oct. 8 (Trump had been scheduled for a fundraiser in Newport on Sept. 2 but cancelled on Aug. 29).  Jill Stein did an event at Rhode Island College in Providence on Sept. 23.  Libertarian VP nominee Bill Weld was scheduled to hold a rally in Providence on Nov. 5, but the LPRI withdrew support of the rally on Nov. 3 due to comments Weld had made.
Clinton  |  Trump
BALLOT [PDF]
 
General Election -- Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Voting Eligible Population*: 763,608.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 61.8%.

Note: Rhode Island General Law 17-1-3 allows an individual who has missed the voter registration deadline to register and vote for President/Vice-President only at their local Board of Canvassers on election day.

Registration: Dem. 299,006 (40.80%)    Rep. 77,175 (10.53%)    Mod. 1,090   Am.El. 109    Unaffil. 355,483 (48.51%) ...Total 732,860
Official Results >

+Obama/Biden (Dem.)
 		279,677 (62.70)
Romney/Ryan (Rep.) 157,204 (35.24)
Johnson/Gray (Lib.)
 4,388 (0.98)
Stein/Honkala (Grn.)
 2,421 (0.27)
Goode/Clymer (Const.)
 430 (0.05)
Anderson/Rodriguez (Jus.)
 416
 (0.05)
Lindsay/Osorio (PS&L)
 132 (0.01)
write-ins
 1,381
 (0.15)
Total........446,049

26,030 of the 446,049 votes tallied for President were mail ballots.
 		2012 Overview
Obama-Biden carried the Ocean State with a plurality of 122,473 votes (27.46 percentage points).  In terms of visits, Mitt Romney visited on April 11, before the primary; Jill Stein (G) visited on Aug. 18-19 and Oct. 11; and Jim Gray (L) appeared at Brown University on Sept. 20.
Obama  |  (Romney)
BALLOT [PDF]



General Election -- Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Voting Eligible Population*: 754,438.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 62.3%.


Record number of voters: "The total of 475,428 votes broke the 1992 record of 453,477 by more than 21,000."

Deadline to register to vote in the General Election: Oct. 2, 2004. +
Registration: Dem. 298,388 (42.55%)    Rep. 76,651 (10.93%)   Unaffil. 326,268 (46.52%)  ...Total 701,307
Official Results >

+Obama/Biden (Dem.)
 		296,571 (62.95)
McCain/Palin (Rep.) 165,391 (35.11)
Nader/Gonzalez (Ind.)
 		4,829 (1.03)
Barr/Root (Lib.)
 1,382 (0.29)
McKinney/Clemente (Grn.)
 797 (0.17)
Baldwin/Castle (Const.)
 675
 (0.14)
La Riva (SL)
 122 (0.03)
write-ins
 1,332
 (0.28)
Total........471,099

Top write-ins were Hillary Clinton (655) and Ron Paul (472).
 		2008 Overview
Obama-Biden carried the Ocean State with a plurality of 131,180 votes (27.84 percentage points).
Obama/Allies  |  McCain/Allies  |  Nader

General Election-- Tuesday, November 7, 2004
Voting Eligible Population*: 747,046.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 58.5%.


 Deadline to register to vote in the General Election: Oct. 2, 2004.
Official Results

+Kerry/Edwards (Dem.)
 259,760
(59.42)
Bush/Cheney (Rep.)
 169,046
 (38.67)
Nader (Ref.) 4,651 (1.06)
Cobb (Grn.) 1,333
(0.30)
Badnarik (Lib.)
907
(0.21)
write-ins
 845
(0.19)
Peroutka (Const.)
 339
(0.08)
Parker (WWP)
253
(0.06)
Total........437,134
 



19,046 were mail ballots; the rest cast at polling places.		 2004 Overview
Kerry carried Rhode Island with a plurality of 86,413 votes (20.75 percentage points)

General Election -- Tuesday, November 7, 2000
Voting Eligible Population*: 753,877.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 54.2%.








Note: Registration deadline to vote a full ballot was Oct. 7, 2000.  People registering to vote from Oct. 8 up to and including Nov. 7 (16,505 of the total 671,612) were eligible to vote for President and Vice President only.
Official Results                 


+Gore/Lieberman (Dem.)
249,508
(60.99)
Bush/Cheney (Rep.)
130,555
(31.91)
Nader/LaDuke (Grn.)
25,052
(6.12)
Buchanan/Foster (Ref.)
2,273
(0.56)
Browne/Olivier (Lib.)
742
(0.18)
Hagelin/Goldhaber (NLP)
271
(0.07)
Moorehead/LaRiva(WWP)
199
(0.05)
Phillips/Frazier (Const.)
97
(0.02)
McReynolds/Hollis (Soc.)
52
(0.01)
Harris/Trowe (SWP)
34
(0.01)
write-ins 329 (0.08)
Total........409,112

2000 Overview
Gore comfortably won Rhode Island's four electoral votes, gaining a plurality of 118,953 votes (29.08 percentage points).  Nader's 6-percent showing qualified the Green Party for ballot status in the next statewide election.

1992 and 1996 General Elections
Archive Pages: 2016 | 2012 | 2008 | 2004 | 2000 1992
Clinton (Dem.)........213,299
(47.04)
Bush (Rep.)............104,683
(29.02)
Perot (PfP.).............43,723
(23.16)
Others (5+scat.)........3,533
(0.78)
Total........453,478

1996
Clinton (Dem.).........233,050
(59.71)
Dole (Rep.).............104,683
(26.82)
Perot (Ref.)..............43,723
(11.20)
Nader (Grn.)..............6,040
(1.55)
Others (4+scat.).........2,788
(0.71)
Total........390,284