Rhode Island ballot measure · November 3, 2026

Rhode Island Housing and Homeownership Bond, explained

$120 million for affordable housing. A ballot measure is a yes-or-no question put directly to voters — no candidate is involved, and the wording on the ballot is the wording that becomes law. This page shows that wording first, then what it actually changes.

Researched by Ballot Explained and checked against the sources cited on this page. Last updated October 1, 2026. How we research · Report a correction

The official wordingWhat appears on the ballot. Everything below explains it.

"Shall the action of the general assembly, by an act passed at the January 2026 session, authorizing the issuance of bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes of the State of Rhode Island for the capital projects and in the amount with respect to each such project listed below be approved, and the issuance of bonds, refunding bonds, and/or temporary notes authorized in accordance with the provisions of said act?" (2) Housing and Homeownership — $120,000,000 Approval of this question will allow the State to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and/or temporary notes in an amount not to exceed one hundred and twenty million dollars ($120,000,000) to increase and preserve the availability of affordable and accessible housing to meet the needs of all Rhode Islanders and support community revitalization through the redevelopment of existing structures, new construction, property acquisition, and infrastructure improvements. Of this amount, at least twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) shall be allocated towards increasing production of housing intended for homeownership and up to ten million dollars ($10,000,000) may be used to support a program for public housing development.

What it actually means

Rhode Island has put a housing bond to voters repeatedly — $65 million in 2021 and $120 million in 2024 — and this asks for another $120 million. The money would subsidise building and rehabilitating affordable housing, buying property, and the infrastructure that development needs. Two amounts are earmarked inside it: at least $25 million must go to housing intended for people to own rather than rent, and up to $10 million may support a public housing development programme.

If you vote YES

The state may issue up to $120 million in general obligation bonds, refunding bonds or temporary notes for affordable and accessible housing.
The money may be used for redeveloping existing structures, new construction, acquiring property and infrastructure improvements, and for community revitalisation.
At least $25 million must go towards increasing production of housing intended for homeownership.
Up to $10 million may be used for a public housing development programme — a direction Rhode Island has only recently begun to take.
The debt is repaid from state general revenue over the life of the bonds.

If you vote NO

The bonds are not issued, and this round of housing subsidy is not available.
Existing state housing programmes continue on their current funding, including whatever remains of the bonds voters approved in 2021 and 2024.
No money is set aside for homeownership production or for a public housing development programme from this source.
Any further housing capital would have to come from the annual budget or from a future bond question.
The other four bond questions are unaffected.

The numbers that matter

Amount authorised: Up to $120,000,000
Minimum for homeownership housing: $25,000,000
Maximum for a public housing development programme: $10,000,000
Previous Rhode Island housing bonds: $50 million in 2016; $65 million in 2021; $120 million in 2024

What each side says2 for, 2 against — quoted, not summarised

Why supporters say YES

The bond is the state's best lever on housing: "Housing is the single best investment that we can make as a State and in our communities to strengthen our wellbeing and economy. Housing is foundational infrastructure. It underpins our ability to reduce homelessness, improve health outcomes, support educational success, connect people to jobs, and build a workforce ready to thrive."
— Housing Network of Rhode Island, as quoted on Ballotpedia's page for the measure
Earlier bonds worked, and costs have risen since: "Previous housing bonds have been critical in addressing this need, helping create over 8,000 long-term deed-restricted units that could not have been built otherwise. Today, broader economic pressures — rising costs, supply chain disruptions, and labor shortages — are affecting all development across the state."
— Women's Development Corporation, as quoted on Ballotpedia's page for the measure

Why opponents say NO

The 2024 bond bought few homes for the money — $52.2 million had financed 200 new rental units at an average cost of $512,377 each by April 2026: "This is an inefficient and unsustainable path that requires a strategic shift to ensure a real return for taxpayers and an increase in housing production. We should not continue to ask taxpayers to fund a model that fails to benefit the vast majority of Rhode Islanders."
— Michael DiBiase, president of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, a business-backed research group, on its June 2026 housing report, reported by Rhode Island Current. RIPEC asked for conditions on future housing bonds rather than calling for a no vote.
State housing policy has meant more spending without enough homes: "For the past five years, the General Assembly has pushed a policy of more spending, more mandates, more centralized control, and less local authority."
— House Minority Leader Mike Chippendale (R-Foster), responding to the RIPEC report, June 2026, reported by Rhode Island Current

What's genuinely uncertain

No campaign committee had registered for or against the bond as of September 2026, so the arguments above come from housing groups and from critics of how earlier housing bond money was spent, not from organised campaigns.
The proposition sets the total and two earmarks but leaves the rest of the allocation to the agencies that administer the money, so how much reaches rental versus ownership beyond the $25 million floor is not fixed.
How many homes $120 million produces depends on construction costs, which supporters themselves describe as rising; no official unit estimate accompanies the question.
The total cost with interest is not stated in the ballot language and no official estimate was available to us.
This is Question 2 on the ballot, following the order Article 5 lists the projects in. The Secretary of State's sample ballot is the final word on numbering.

The bottom line

Whether to borrow another $120 million for affordable housing and homeownership after similar bonds in 2021 and 2024 — more subsidised homes against more long-term state debt, with the split between renting and owning largely left to the agencies.

One neutral sentence describing the tradeoff — not a recommendation.

Sources (4)The numbers in the text above link here

Checking it against the official text

The Rhode Island Department of State publishes the certified measures and, in most states, an official voter guide with fiscal notes. That is the authoritative version. Everything here is an explanation of it, not a substitute for it.

Confirm this with the official source

Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Rhode Island Department of State.

Other measures on the Rhode Island ballot

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Rhode Island Housing and Homeownership Bond, explained

What it actually means

If you vote YES

If you vote NO

Why supporters say YES

Why opponents say NO

Checking it against the official text

Other measures on the Rhode Island ballot

Candidates on the same ballot

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