Candidate filing for Rhode Island closed on June 30.  Although independent candidates, and the nominees of unqualified parties, do not need to submit petitions until July 22, the law requires them to file a declaration of candidacy by June 30.  Five independents filed for the U.S. House, First District.  Two filed for the U.S. House, Second District.  Each will need 500 valid signatures.  Rhode Island does not have a U.S. Senate election this year.

Independents in Rhode Island, and in about half the states, are permitted to choose a partisan label to be printed on the ballot next to their names, as long as it does not mimic the name of a qualified party.  All of the independents in Rhode Island this year chose the label “independent”, except that one chose “Legalize Freedom”, and one chose “Robot Skeleton.”

Rhode Island has three qualified parties, Democratic, Republican, and Moderate.  No one filed in the Moderate Party primary for Congress.  However, the Moderate Party has candidates in its primary for Governor, Attorney General, two State Senate seats, three State House seats, and partisan city offices in Bristol and Cranston.