Wilmington. Delaware does not have a General Election in odd numbered years. This is why you don’t see political signs, or receivie candidate mailings or robo calls.

Delaware’s next Primary Election will be on Thursday, September 6, 2018. The next General Election will on November 6, 2018. You must be registered to vote in order to vote in these elections. Additionally, you must be registered as a Democrat to vote in the Democratic Primary or as a Republican to vote in the Republican Primary. Registered wishing to change their Political Party Affiliation must do so no later than May 25, 2018 in order to vote in either Primary.

More information can be found on the State’s 2018 Election Calendar.  Citizens can use the State’s Voter Portal to register to vote, update their registration and for other services.

Wilmington – National Voter Registration Day is Tuesday, September 26, 2017. This nationwide event raises awareness of voting and civic engagement. It also stresses the importance of registering eligible but unregistered citizens to vote in upcoming elections. The Department is not participating in any special events. Citizens, however,  may register or update their registrations at any of the Department’s offices between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. during normal workdays and online using the State’s voter portal 24 hours every day.

Delaware’s voter registration program

“Delaware’s Department of Elections strongly supports this nationwide event. The First State is a national leader in making voter registration easy, convenient, and accessible.  The eSignature program, implemented in partnership with the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), is a model automatic registration process. It fully integrates the registration process into DMV customer transactions,” said State Election Commissioner Elaine Manlove. “Additionally, Delaware has online voter registration via a full-service voter information portal. A Delaware citizen can use the ivote portal to register to vote, update their registration information, and much more, at any time and at their convenience,” added Manlove.

Delaware joined ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center) to improve the quality of its voter registration records. Founded by The Pew Charitable Trusts to improve the accuracy of America’s voter rolls,  ERIC is now a non-profit multi-state consortium run its members. ERIC gives Delaware the tools necessary to increase the accuracy of its voter rolls. It also gives the Department information for reaching out to Delawareans who are eligible but not registered.

Other changes to the voter registration process lets the Department completely process most applications the same day that the Department receives them. Besides the daily flow of applications from DMV, the Department also receives applications online, by email and mail. This daily workflow ranges from moderate to heavy. The over-all volume this past fiscal year was moderately heavy. Specifically, the Department of Elections offices registered 38,083 new voters and processed 143,094 updates or corrections to voter records between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017.

Need more information? Visit the Department’s websites for additional election and voter registration information – State Election Commissioner, Kent County Office, New Castle County Office, Sussex County Office.

Wilmington – The Department of Elections has established a special 20 day candidate filing period for Christina School District Nominating District B due to a recent vacancy. Persons living in Nominating District B who are qualified to vote in School Board Elections may file to run for the vacant seat with the Department of Elections – New Castle County Office by 4:30 p.m. on April 20, 2017.  The Delaware Code also provides that a person may not serve as a School Board member if they hold a paid position subject to the rules and regulation of the School Board.

Additional information about filing  and a candidate filing packet are  available.  A Nominating District B map may assist interested persons in determining if they live within Nominating District B.

Contact the Department of Elections – New Castle County Office at (302) 577-3464 if you have questions about filing or your eligibility to run in the May 9, 2017, School Board Election for Nominating District B.

Dover –  With Election Day just a few days away, thousands of students across Delaware made their selections known today at the 2016 Student Mock Election Convention, tallying up victories for Democrats including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the presidential contest and Congressman John Carney in the race for Delaware governor.

After three days of polling in more than 180 schools, delegates from up and down the First State convened in Legislative Hall to count the votes and announce their winners. In addition to Clinton and Carney, the students also chose Democrats across Delaware’s other statewide races, tapping state Sen. Bethany Hall Long for lieutenant governor, Lisa Blunt Rochester for representative in Congress, and Trinidad Navarro for insurance commissioner. (Click here for full results of the election.) Since 2010, the Student Mock Election has correctly predicted the results of 13 out of 16 statewide races in Delaware, an 81-percent accuracy rate.

“Elections are the cornerstone of our democracy and this program brings that fact to the forefront for our students at an early age, then reminds them of how important it is as they approach the age when they’ll be voting for real,” said Governor Jack Markell. “I want to thank all of our teachers for putting their time and effort into this, and especially the students from all across Delaware who cast their votes this week.”

Each election year, the Student Mock Election is conducted by teachers statewide in partnership with the Department of State, the Office of the State Elections Commissioner, the University of Delaware Democracy Project and the League of Women Voters. Coupled with lesson plans and classroom discussion about elections and the democratic process, fourth through 12th grade students were given access to a special online voting portal in their schools from Monday, Oct. 31 until the polls closed on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

“Being a good citizen means exercising your right to vote, but it also means doing your homework about the people serving in office and those who are seeking office,” said Secretary of State Jeff Bullock. “That’s the key component of the Mock Election program, not only preparing our students for the act of voting, but teaching them what it means to be voters.”

“Every election year I’m more impressed by the young people who participate in this program, and the level of awareness and intelligence they have when it comes to the election, the candidates and the issues,” said Elections Commissioner Elaine Manlove. “If this is what the next generation of voters looks like, then our country and our state will be in good hands.”

Friday’s convention also featured awards for the schools with the highest rates of voter participation: Charter School of Wilmington, Newark Charter School and Campus Community Charter School; and the most spirited student delegation: Capital School District.

Dover DE – The deadline to change political party affiliation before the Presidential Primary is Friday, February 28, 2020.

Only voters registered as Democrats and Republicans can vote in their respective Party’s Presidential Primary. The deadline for registered voters to change political party affiliations before the 2016 Presidential Primary Election is Friday, February 26, 2016.  People who are not-registered to vote in Delaware who want to vote in Delaware’s Presidential Primary have until April 2nd to register.

The Department’s iVote System is designed as a full-service voter information portal, which permits Delaware residents to access a full range of voter registration services, and to obtain any information needed to participate in the elections process. Citizens can use IVote to change their political party affiliation, change their name, change their address and register to vote.

“We have worked very hard to make iVote a ‘one stop shop’ for Delaware’s voters,” said Elaine Manlove, State Election Commissioner.  “We are proud to offer a wide range of services and information to voters, which they can access whenever convenient for them,” added Manlove.

People may also change their political party affiliation at any the Department’s offices. For more information contact:

• Office of the State Election Commissioner: 302.739.4277, or by email

• Kent County Office: 302.739.4498, or by email

• New Castle County Office: 302.577.3464, or by email

• Sussex County Office: 302.856.5367, or by email