Wilmington –  The deadline for a person to change their party affiliation before Delaware’s 2018 Primary Election is Friday, May 25, 2018.  You must be registered as a Democrat or Republican to vote in a primary. Democrats vote in a Democratic Primary and Republicans vote in a  Republican Primary. Delaware does not permit persons registered as unaffiliated or with another party to vote in a Primary Election.

You can change your party affiliation –

♦ On-line at https://ivote.de.gov (available 24/7).

♦ Any business day at a Department of Elections office until 4:30 p.m.

♦ By returning a completed application to one of the State’s Election offices.

Department Offices:

♦ State Election Commissioner – 905 S. Governors Ave Suite 170, Dover DE 19904, Phone: (302) 739-4277.

♦ Kent County Office – 100 Enterprise Pl Ste 5, Dover DE 19904, Phone: (302) 739-4498.

♦ New Castle County Office – Carvel State Office Building, 820 North French St Suite 400, Wilmington DE 19801, Phone: (302) 577-3464 .

♦ Sussex County Office – 119 N. Race St, Georgetown DE 19947, Phone: (302) 856-5367.

Wilmington – One last reminder. Delaware DOES NOT have a General Election on Nov 7, 2017.  Delaware only has Primary and General Elections in even numbered years.

The fact that Delaware does not have elections in odd numbered years often confuses citizens and the media. The Department receives numerous inquiries for citizens looking for their ballets, wondering where they vote, etc.

Dover DE – The Department of Elections has scheduled two campaign finance training sessions in order to assist candidates and treasurers of political committees to understand the requirements set forth in Title 15, Chapter 80. In addition, we want to be certain that all responsible parties are familiar with our Campaign Finance Reporting System (CFRS) so that they are able to file reports, amend information, and navigate the system comfortably and effectively.

Date: January 9, 2018

Times and Locations:

10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Office of the State Election Commissioner, 905 S Governors Ave, Suite 170, Dover DE 19904

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, Department of Elections New Castle County Warehouse, 220 Lisa Drive, New Castle DE 19720

*It is important to note that the trainings will cover the same information that is covered in our video tutorials located here. In addition, a question and answer session will commence to address any inquiries that candidates and treasurers may have.

**To attend please RSVP by January 5, 2018 at COE_CampaignFinance@delaware.gov or by calling (302) 739-4277.

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.