Ballot measure · Rhode Island · November 3, 2026

Question 3

Title as the state lists it: Economic Development1,2,3

Research draftReferred by the legislatureBond
How it got there
Referred by the legislature
Kind of measure
Bond
To pass
A majority of the votes on it
Researched
October 27, 2026

Research draft. We gathered this from official sources on October 27, 2026: election offices, state laws and court records, each linked to its source. Separate reviewers checked a random sample of 48 facts from the ballot-measure research against the cited sources and found no errors. The rest hasn't been reviewed fact by fact yet, so check the linked source before relying on anything here.

§1What your vote means

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

A yes vote

A yes vote would let the state borrow up to $100 million through general obligation bonds for economic development: $55 million to buy and prepare industrial sites, including in the Quonset Business Park and the I-195 District, and $45 million for facilities and projects that serve ocean, defense, life sciences and data analytics industries.3 Section 1, item (3)

A no vote

A no vote would withhold approval for this $100 million in borrowing, so the state could not issue these bonds for industrial site preparation or for facilities serving ocean, defense, life sciences and data analytics industries.3 Section 1, item (3)

More about it

Bonds issued under this act would be general obligations of the state and could not mature later than the twentieth state fiscal year after the year they are issued.3 Article 5, Sections 4 and 8

§2How it got on the ballot

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Referred by the legislature. The legislature voted to put it on the ballot.1,2,3

Bond. It would authorize borrowing through the sale of bonds.1,2,3

The General Assembly placed this bond question on the ballot in the state budget act for the 2027 fiscal year, which asks voters to approve or reject borrowing for each listed project separately.3,4 Article 5, Sections 1 and 2

It is on Rhode Island's list of statewide measures for November 3, 2026.1,2,3 None of the official sources we read calls the list certified or final, so we don’t either. What we couldn't confirm about the list is in the notes on Rhode Island's measures.

§3What it needs to pass

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

A majority of the votes on it. Each project is approved if a majority of the people voting on it vote to approve it.3 Article 5, Section 3