PROVIDENCE — Even when the pandemic is over, should Rhode Island continue to allow early, in-person voting weeks ahead of an election? How about signature matching, in lieu of witness requirements, for mail ballot voting; and election day registration of new voters? Republicans in Rhode Island and beyond, including at least one failed Rhode Island congressional candidate, alleged massive opportunities for fraud by absentee voters in the last statewide and presidential election, but were unable to make their allegations stick. But advocates on the other side of the debate point to Rhode Island's experience in the 2020 election as evidence that the removal of potential barriers during the pandemic contributed to record-high voter participation.