Changing the Official Name of the State | |||||||||||||
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| Source: Associated Press[1]
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Question 1 was a 2020 ballot measure in Rhode Island to change the official name of the state from State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations to State of Rhode Island. The proposal passed with 53% of the vote.[2]
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Main article: Rhode Island § Name |
The state was officially named the "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" when it declared statehood in 1790. Over time it became commonly known as simply "Rhode Island".
The General Assembly voted in 2009 to hold a referendum in November 2010 on removing "and Providence Plantations" from the official name. Advocates for excising plantation argued that the word symbolized a legacy of disenfranchisement for many Rhode Islanders, as well as the proliferation of slavery in the colonies and in the post-colonial United States. Advocates for retaining the name argued that plantation was simply an archaic synonym for colony and bore no relation to slavery. The people voted overwhelmingly (78% to 22%) to retain the entire original name.[3]
In June 2020, Governor Gina Raimondo signed an executive order to remove the phrase "Providence Plantations" from all official state documents.[4] Raimondo wrote "the pain that this association causes to some of our residents should be of concern to all Rhode Islanders and we should do everything in our power to ensure that all communities can take pride in our state", referring to the ties of the word "plantations" to American slavery. However, changing the state's full official name required a state constitutional amendment that needed to be approved by voters.[5]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 Yes
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247,261 | 53.12 |
| No | 218,175 | 46.88 |
| Total votes | 465,436 | 100.00 |
