Why Were Key Complaints Ignored Prior to RI’s 2024 Election Certification?
by Sara Vieira, founder of RI Fair Elections & Education
On November 22, 2024, Chris Arsenault, a poll watcher and witness for State Representative District 33 Candidate Jessica Drew-Day, submitted three official complaints to the Rhode Island Board of Elections. These complaints raised serious concerns about the integrity of the 2024 General Election in the state.
Despite being filed before the election was certified, these complaints went unaddressed by the Board. Such inaction only serves to heighten the concerns over the integrity of elections in Rhode Island.
Following is a breakdown of the complaints, which include issues of transparency, voter registration data, and system security.
- Lack of Transparency and Civil Rights Concerns
Chris Arsenault’s first complaint focused on the lack of transparency during the election process. According to his notarized statement submitted to Miguel Nunez, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Board of Elections, the election was conducted in a way that prevented full public witness, potentially violating the civil rights of the electorate.
The complaint argued that:
“The State of Rhode Island’s General Election of 2024 (RIGEN24) should not be certified until the following complaints and deficiencies have been thoroughly investigated so that any results produced by the RI Board of Elections have met all federal and state constitutional and statutory requirements as required by law.”
Arsenault emphasized the need for public scrutiny to ensure the legitimacy of the election results. In his view, failing to allow full transparency compromised the integrity of the process.
- Corrupted and Deficient Central Voter Registration System
The second complaint pointed to issues with the Central Voter Registration System (CVR). Arsenault and his team conducted a comprehensive assessment of the registry records and found several discrepancies that raised concerns about the accuracy and authenticity of voter information. These included:
- 3,022 records with undeliverable addresses.
- 26,611 records missing a deliverable apartment or street number.
- 4,513 records with dual or non-specific addresses.
- 44,852 records showing incorrect secondary numbers.
These findings, reported by the company BlueCrest (which sorts incoming mail ballots for the Board), suggested significant flaws in the system that could have undermined the election process.
Despite these concerns, when Director Nunez was confronted about the issues, his response downplayed their significance, claiming the addresses were “immaterial” as mail was forwarded to Box B addresses. However, Arsenault argued that this response ignored the reality that some voters, such as students at universities like URI, were using non-traditional addresses like mailboxes or even locker numbers. These types of records, Arsenault claimed, posed challenges to ensuring accurate and deliverable voter information.
- Security Risks and Manipulation Potential in the Central Voter Registration System
The third complaint dealt with the technical security of the Central Voter Registration System, which Arsenault described as “deficient” and “open to manipulation.” According to his analysis, the system exhibited serious flaws in the way voter IDs were serialized, which resulted in gaps in the records. These gaps could potentially allow for the movement of voter information and the duplication of IDs, thus undermining the authenticity of the voter registry.
The report indicated that there were an estimated 39 million gaps in the system across Rhode Island—roughly one million per town. Arsenault contended that such gaps could compromise the integrity of the election and questioned the Board’s reliance on this flawed system for certifying the results.
Why Were the Complaints Ignored?
Despite the gravity of these concerns, the Rhode Island Board of Elections failed to address Arsenault’s complaints before the certification of the election results on November 22, 2024. This raises important questions about the transparency and accountability of the election process in Rhode Island. Why were these issues not investigated prior to certification? Was the Board aware of the potential flaws and chose to overlook them, or were these concerns simply not given the attention they deserved?
A Call for Transparent Elections
Arsenault’s complaints and his request to testify before the Board underscore a fundamental principle: citizens have the right to trust the integrity of their elections. As Arsenault notes:
“We encourage all concerned citizens of Rhode Island to join our endeavor and share our message of transparent, lawful elections which are important to maintain order and trust of our Constitutional Republic. While we must make it easy for all citizens to vote, we must make it impossible to cheat.”
Drew-Day added, “Thank you, Chris, and everyone who supported my campaign—it truly takes a village. My political journey is built on transparency and accountability for Rhode Island.
While BOE employees worked hard during the 2024 elections, the mail ballot process revealed critical flaws. I’m committed to advocating for reforms, improving oversight, and ensuring transparency. Rhode Islanders deserve a government they can trust and a voting process beyond question.”
Conclusion: The Importance of Accountability
The failure to address these complaints casts a shadow over the integrity of the 2024 General Election in Rhode Island. As citizens, it is essential that we demand accountability and transparency from our election officials, ensuring that every vote counts and that our civil rights are protected. Until these concerns are addressed, public trust in the electoral process will remain at risk.

Support local and honest journalism by becoming a charter member of the Ocean State Current.
As our liberties are under constant attack – and the dishonest corporate media fails to hold public officials accountable – The Ocean State Current has become the choice of parents and citizens who value honest and fearless reporting. Why? Because we provide in depth discussion of stories that other news organizations refuse to even cover.
For just $3.99 per month, or only $39.99 for a pre-paid full year, as Cruise Member you will support journalism you can trust… on issues that are important to you and your family.