There’s a chalk semicircle drawn on the ground outside the Pastore Youth Center.

On one side, candidates and supporters hold signs. On the other, the sole entrance to the city’s lone early voting polling place.

“Under state law there’s no campaigning permitted inside a polling place or within 50 feet of the exterior entrance of a polling place,” said Nick Lima, Cranston’s Registrar and Director of Elections. “Our office has jurisdiction to enforce up until that point, and any violations should be reported to the Canvassing Authority.”

Each voter has to run the political gauntlet as they enter the youth center at 155 Gansett Ave.

On Monday, Oct. 28, the mayoral race’s two contenders — incumbent Cranston Mayor Kenneth Hopkins and City Councilor Robert Ferri — stood with their toes touching the chalk line. City Councilman and candidate Daniel Wall stood between them.

Hopkins greeted a voter with a hug. Ferri watched quietly.

Inside, voters made their decision by casting ballots. Outside, they could meet some of their fellow city residents running for office.

“That said, we do not have any legal authority regarding campaign activities or signage beyond the 50-foot marker, with the exception of sound devices (i.e., speakers or bullhorns), which are prohibited within 200 feet of a polling place,” Lima said earlier this week.

Along Gansett Avenue, at least three campaign vehicles were parked. Two of them carried signs for Hopkins and Council President Jessica Marino, and they were parked near City-wide City Council candidate Richard D. Campopiano’s restored vintage taxicab.

Around 3 p.m., a pair of voters loudly voiced frustration on their way in because some of the campaigners (and a news reporter) were standing outside the circle but inside a row of reserved parking spots for voters with disabilities.

“Voters in the act of voting can bring in any materials/apparel they want, even if it has electioneering elements (T-shirts, hats, stickers, buttons, etc.), provided that they check in, vote their ballot, and immediately proceed to the exit,” Lima said. “If candidates or their representatives enter a polling place as observers, they must remove any partisan stickers or materials first.”

Lima directed city employees to mark off the 50-foot “no electioneering” buffer zone.

“In Cranston the 50-foot radius of the entrance is marked by crews from Parks and Rec. (polls in Wards 1, 2, and 3) and the Highway Dept. (polls in Wards 4, 5, and 6) using the same chalk used to line baseball fields,” Lima explained via email. “At particularly busy polls I also will often put down a ‘No Electioneering Beyond This Point’ sign atop a 36” cone at the 50-foot marker.”

As of 10 a.m. Tuesday morning (Oct. 29), Lima said 5,702 voters had already cast their early ballots at the youth center.

Faith Chybowski, Director of Communications and Public Affairs for the Rhode Island Department of State and Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore, forwarded a link to the state statute governing electioneering outside the polls.

“No poster, paper, circular, or other document designed or tending to aid, injure, or defeat any candidate for public office or any political party on any question submitted to the voters shall be distributed or displayed within the voting place or within fifty (50) feet of the entrance or entrances to the building in which voting is conducted at any primary or election,” according to state law. “Neither shall any election official display on his or her person within the voting place any political party button, badge, or other device tending to aid, injure, or defeat the candidacy of any person for public office or any question submitted to the voters or to intimidate or influence the voters.”

Christopher D. Hunter, a communications specialist with Advocacy Solutions (a public relations firm working for Amore’s office), had advice for any voters who felt the state laws on campaigning at the polls have been violated.

“Any suspected violations of polling place rules should be reported to the local Board of Canvassers,” Hunter replied via email. “In the event of any threatening behavior, people should call their local police department.”