Updates

Updated Nov. 7, 2020, 11:40 a.m.

Results:

  • From NPR: Former Vice President Joe Biden has been elected the 46th president of the United States, narrowly emerging victorious from a contentious White House campaign that stretched days past election night, as vote tallies in several swing states were slowed by an unprecedented surge in mail-in ballots.
  • Rhode Island will shorten its formal name. The Associated Press has called Ballot Question 1 approved, with nearly 53% of voters casting ballots in its favor. The measure amends the state Constitution to remove the words "Providence Plantations" from the state's official name. In 2010, about 78% of voters rejected the proposal. The effort regained momentum this year following protests for racial justice after the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
  • Republican Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung has defeated Democratic House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello in Rhode Island’s 15th legislative district in Cranston. Mattiello conceded the race Wednesday morning. As Speaker, Mattiello has been one of Rhode Island’s most powerful politicians, and his defeat opens a battle for control of the House.  
  • Mayoral returns: In Cranston, Democrat Maria Bucci conceded to Republican Kenneth Hopkins. Maria Rivera declared victory in the race for mayor of Central Falls shortly after polls closed. And in Warwick, independent Frank Picozzi beat out incumbent Democrat Mayor Joseph Solomon. 
  • Rhode Island's two Democratic U.S. Representatives, David Cicilline and James Langevin, both won reelection, according to the AP. In the open race for Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District, AP called the race for Democrat Jake Auchincloss. Democrats won every U.S. House seat in the Bay State. 
  • Senators Jack Reed in Rhode Island and Ed Markey in Massachusetts, both Democrats, cruised to re-election, according to the AP. 
  • The four electoral votes from Rhode Island and eleven electoral votes from Massachusetts and are all going to Democrat Joe Biden. The AP called both states for Biden only minutes after the polls closed.
  • The presidential race hinges on the results of a few key states, as vote continue to be tallied.

Election security:

  • Rhode Island state police and law enforcement in Providence say polls closed across the state without major problems. Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare reported “no incidents” after the 8 p.m. end of in-person voting. “There was so much build-up about sort of fear of the unknown of what would happen,” said John Marion of the good governance nonprofit Common Cause Rhode Island Tuesday night. “Potential intimidation, foreign interference, and we really didn’t see that come to fruition.” 

Tracking the vote:

  • As of Wednesday morning, the Rhode Island Board of Elections has not yet released the results of early in-person voting in Cranston. Robert Rapoza, executive director of the Board of Elections, attributed the delay to an equipment error, specifically a USB drive in a Cranston voting machine that became full and then could not be tabulated. The Board of Elections authorized staff to feed the roughly 9,000 early ballots cast in Cranston through the state's high-speed mail ballot tabulating machines, beginning Wednesday afternoon.
  • Rhode Island set a new record for the number of ballots cast in an election, with an unprecedented number of voters opting to vote early in person and by mail. According to the Board of Elections' unofficial tally, 507,052 people voted in the 2020 election, surpassing the previous 2008 record of 475,428 ballots cast. 


Rhode Island Results Map




Massachusetts Results Map




Contested Rhode Island House Races

Of the 75 Rhode Island House races, 32 are contested. Forty-three races are uncontested, although one candidates has mounted a write-in campaign. All results are available on the Board of Elections website.







Contested Rhode Island Senate Races

Of the 36 Rhode Island Senate races, 17 are contested. Nineteen races are uncontested, although two candidates have mounted write-in campaigns. All results are available on the Board of Elections website.




Additional results, including the outcome of mayoral races, town council races, and local ballot measures, are available on the Board of Elections website.