It’s going to be a crowded ballot when voters head to their Cranston polling locations on Election Day, Nov. 5.

In addition to races for U.S. president and Cranston mayor, all nine City Council seats and a handful of School Committee spots are up for grabs. But in addition to candidates, voters will also decide on five statewide ballot measures.

For Cranston residents, there are two local referendum questions. Here’s what voters should know about the statewide and local questions.

Knowing’s Half The Battle

 “Voters have a plethora of choices to make on the ballot, more so than in recent memory,” said Nick Lima, director of Canvassing Authority for the City of Cranston. Lima said he is working his 13th election since first getting appointed as director in 2017.

Cranston has 28 precincts on Election Day, at 26 physical polling locations, not including the city’s early voting precinct. On Election Day, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Cranston.

Question 1: Constitutional Convention

“Shall there be a convention to amend or revise the Rhode Island Constitution?”

Every 10 years, Rhode Islanders are asked whether the state should hold a “constitutional convention,” where elected delegates propose amendments to the state constitution. Proposed amendments then go before voters in a separate election.

Voters again face this question on their ballots this year.

Under state law, if the question passes, voters will then select a delegate to represent them at the convention. A total of 75 convention delegates would be elected, one for every house district.

Supporters of the measure argue that constitutional conventions can address important issues in the state. Whereas the governing process can be slow and influenced by a relatively small number of people working in state government, a constitutional convention creates an opportunity for wide-scale change.

“A constitutional convention is an opportunity to change how Rhode Island operates, to reform it,” said Steven Frias, a lawyer, Cranston historian, and former member of Cranston’s Charter Review Commission, which reviews and amends local city rules.

Frias said that term limits, government transparency laws, and greater accountability for the governor’s office are all issues that could be tackled by a constitutional convention.

“A convention is probably the only way to get substantial government reforms and to make government work more openly, where power is not as concentrated with a handful of people in the general assembly, and those who influence them,” Frias said.

Opponents say that a constitutional convention could create an opportunity to enact change that could roll back hard-fought legislative progress, like reproductive rights and gun control laws.

Melissa Carden, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence and recent Democratic primary candidate for the state Senate’s 28th district, said her biggest concern was that there were no limits on the money that could be used to influence public opinion during the convention.

Carden said she believes in how state government currently operates and that it can still lead to legislation that affects people’s lives.

“We’ve passed many good laws over the past decade, making us the second safest state in the country,” Carden said. “That’s because a lot of people worked really hard to get them passed.”

State Bond Referenda Measures

The other statewide questions ask voters to approve the state borrowing money through bonds for capital investments. The questions cover higher education facilities at the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College; affordable housing subsidies; environmentally conscious facilities improvements; and the arts.

The estimated costs assume the bonds will be repaid in increments over 20 years. If all proposed Rhode Island referenda are approved, the total cost is estimated at $551,271,500, based on a 20-year loan term with a 5% interest rate.

Question 2: Higher Education Facilities — $160,500,000

Question 2 proposes allocating $160.5 million to improve higher education facilities with $87.5 million designated for the University of Rhode Island Biomedical Sciences Building and $73 million for the Rhode Island College Cybersecurity Building.

According to Dawn Bergantino, a public information officer at the University of Rhode Island, the construction of Biomedical Sciences Building for $87.5 million is part of a vision to build URI into a hub for innovation in the life sciences field, which encompasses biology, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and chemistry, among other subject areas.

She said a feature of the new building would be a state-of-the-art laboratory space for researchers engaged in the life sciences. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.

At Rhode Island College, $73 million would go toward RIC’s newly launched Institute for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies, which was founded in 2023 by former U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin.

Through the institute, RIC is aiming to position itself as a statewide hub for cybersecurity training. The money would be used to finance renovations to RIC’s Whipple Hall, a facility built in 1958. Renovations are anticipated to begin in 2025 and be completed by 2028.

Question 3: Housing and Community Opportunity — $120,000,000

As buying a home becomes increasingly out of reach for Rhode Islanders, voters will consider a $120 million bond focused on increasing the availability of long-term affordable homes and supporting community revitalization.

Data from HousingWorks RI’s latest fact book, released earlier this month, revealed there is now not a single city or town in the Ocean State where a household earning less than $100,000 can affordably buy a home.

The bond will allocate $80 million to increase and preserve the availability of low- and moderate-income housing, according to the 2024 Housing Fact Book. The remaining $40 million would be split up as follows:

$10M for acquisition and redevelopment of existing structures

$20M to homeownership for low-, moderate-, and middle-income households

$5M to site acquisition for redevelopment as affordable and supportive housing

$4M for housing related infrastructure

$1M for municipal planning to implement changes that enable additional housing development through upzoning or other measures.

The projects are expected to begin by 2026 and be completed between 2027 and 2030.

Question 4: Green Economy Bonds — $53,000,000

This bond would pay for environmental improvements and public recreational facilities for nine projects. The funds would go to upgrading Rhode Island’s only public port, land conservation, outdoor recreation, fixing the Newport Cliff Walk, and clean-up funds for brownfields. The most expensive project is $15 million in financing for Quonset’s Port of Davisville to create new berthing spaces, build access roads, and make security upgrades. A coalition of environmental and business organizations as well as a wide range of elected officials supports the bond. Including the port project has been criticized because it is considered more pro-business than pro-environment. The full list of bond funds are:

$15 million: Port of Davisville infrastructure at Quonset

$10 million: Municipal resiliency $5 million: Brownfields remediation and economic development

$5 million: Local recreation projects $5 million: Agricultural land preservation commission

$5 million: Forests and habitat management

$3 million: Newport Cliff Walk

$3 million: Open space program

$2 million: Climate resiliency

Question 5: Cultural Arts and The Economy Grant Program — $10,000,000

The arts are on the ballot as well, with voters being asked to approve $10 million in 1:1 matching grants to continue the Cultural Arts and Economy Grant Program, administered by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA). Several organizations get called out specifically for receiving funds, including:

Tomaquag Museum for Indigenous cultural education and preservation on the URI Kingston Campus

Newport’s Center for Arts, Dance & Education, which would be used to improve arts and cultural facilities in public and nonprofit artistic centers, performance spaces, and museums across the state.

Trinity Repertory Conservancy’s Lederer Theater Center in Providence

An additional sum of $4 million is being allocated by RISCA to nonprofit cultural organizations that lease or own space for programs. RISCA will consider financial need, available funds, the size of the space to be improved, location, and audience demographics. If passed, grants are expected to be awarded over a period of 3-5 years.

Editor’s Note: Geoff Decker is a Cranston resident and regular contributor to the Cranston Herald. Contact Geoff at geoffreydecker@gmail.com with questions or concerns.

ON THE WEB

To learn more about Cranston’s election, visit the city’s upcoming elections page: https://www.cranstonri.gov/departments/canvassing-department/election-information/upcoming-elections/