Wilmington – Delaware ranks third nationally in the 2016 Election Performance Index, or EPI.  The State finishes behind Vermont and Minnesota. Delaware ranked from fifth to ninth in previous EPIs.

The EPI evaluates the overall performance in election administration of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Pew Center for the States produced the first EPI following the 2008 General Election. Pew published subsequent EPIs following the 2010, 2012 and 2014 General Elections. The EPI uses data from various surveys to determine State scores in the 17 indicators used to rank the States. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) took over the EPI starting with the 2016 General Election.  The EPI includes a detailed explanation of the methodology.

Delaware scored higher than the National Average in 13 areas, including:

• Residual vote rate of 0.32% compared to the National Average of 1.4%. The EPI states that this “…measures the performance of voting [equipment] by calculating the number of under- and over-votes cast in an election, as a percentage of voter turnout.” The EPI explains this topic more fully in the Indicators section.
• Voting wait time of 4.9 minutes compared to the National Average of 8.24 minutes.
• Voter registration rate of 86.99% compared to the National Average of 84.18%.
• Turnout of 64.61% compared to the National Average of 61.64%.

Delaware scored lower that the National Average in the following areas:

• Disability or illness-related voting problems where Delaware scored 17.22% compared to the National Average of 14.16%.
• Mail ballots not returned where Delaware scored 11.93% compared to the National Average of 11.11%.
• Military and overseas ballots rejected where Delaware scored 4% compared to the National Average of 3.55%.
• Registrations rejected where Delaware scored 7.58% compared to the National Average of 5.65%.  Long-standing procedures resulted in staff coding records coding records as rejected instead of duplicate or test records. The Department corrected this problem. Delaware’s future rejected registration score will be much lower than the National Average.

Delaware uses technology to improve the delivery of election services to the State’s voters.  The state’s iVote voter portal is a “one-stop location” where Delaware voters can register to vote, update their voter registration, find their polling place, view their sample ballot, request an absentee ballot, and much more at their convenience. The iVote system operates 24/7/365 with the exception of brief periods for maintenance.  Additionally, the Delaware’s award-winning e-Signature system, is a model copied by many states including those touting automatic registration.  The e-Signature system offers a convenient method for Delaware’s citizens to register to vote or update their voter registration record while conducting business with the Division of Motor Vehicles, maximizing efficiency and respecting their busy schedules.

State Election Commissioner Elaine Manlove noted: “Delaware’s Elections Team is dedicated to providing the highest quality and most convenient voter registration and voting experience to the State’s voters. Our mission of using technology to improve every facet of elections is reflected in our EPI rating.  We will remain dedicated to continually improving the quality of service provided to Delawareans.”

Contact: Howard Sholl, Department of Elections, New Castle County Office, (302) 577-3464.

Wilmington – Absentee voting for the Thursday, September 6th Primary Election, has started for voters in New Castle County, Delaware. New Castle County  Democrats or Republicans may vote by absentee ballot for a reason stated in the Delaware Code. Voters must return their voted absentee ballots to the New Castle County Office no later than 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 6, 2018, in order for them to be counted.

Those eligible to vote by absentee ballot in the Primary may vote in-person starting August 11th. The in-person schedule is here.  People can vote by absentee ballot in-person at the New Castle County Office or the New Castle County Warehouse. The addresses for these buildings are below.

Delaware provides absentee services to Delaware citizens:

• Within the United States,
• Who are members of a Uniformed Service and their family, or
• Living outside the United States.

Delaware citizens living in the United States can request an absentee ballot:

• Fastest – Online via the IVOTE system,
• Slower – By printing an application, completing it, and emailing or mailing it to the New Castle County Office. The mailing address is below.
• Slowest – By asking the New Castle County Office ( (302) 577-3464) to email or mail you an Absentee Application. Then completing the form and emailing or mailing it to the New Castle County Office. The mailing address is below.

Uniformed service members and their family members as well as citizens living outside the United States, get the most efficient service by submitting a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) to the New Castle County Office. They can do this:

• Fastest – Online via the IVOTE system,
• Slower – By printing the FPCA, completing it, and emailing or mailing it to the New Castle County Office. The mailing address is below.

For more information regarding about voting by absentee ballot in New Castle County check our Web Site, email the office, or call (302) 577-3464.

Citizens of Kent County should call  (302) 739-4498 or email the Kent County Office for information regarding absentee voting, and citizens of Sussex County  should call (302) 856-5367 or email the Sussex County Office for information regarding absentee voting.

Mailing address:
Department of Elections, New Castle Office
PO BOX 7079
WILMINGTON DE 19803-0079

In-person absentee voting locations:
Department of Elections, New Castle County Office
Carvel State Office Building
820 N FRENCH ST SUITE 400
WILMINGTON DE 19801

Department of Elections, New Castle County Warehouse
220 LISA DR
NEW CASTLE DE 19720

Contact: Howard Sholl, Department of Elections, New Castle County Office, (302) 577-3464.

Saturday, August 11th is the last day for unregistered citizens to register to vote before the Thursday, September 6th Primary. Citizens who are already registered do not have to re-register.

The quickest and easiest way to register to vote is via Delaware’s IVOTE system. This system is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week with the exception of occasional brief periods for system maintenance. In order to be eligible to vote in the Primary you must be registered as a Democrat to vote in the Democratic Primary or as a Republican to vote in the Republican Primary. Folks registering without designating a party or with another party will not be able to vote in the September Primary. Citizens who are already registered without a party affiliation or in another political party can apply to change their party affiliation, however the change will not be effective until after the September 6th Primary.

Another way to register is to print a form, complete it and mail it to the Department of Election office in your county.  In order to be eligible to vote in the Primary, the envelope containing the Voter Registration Application must be postmarked on or before August 11th.

Delaware’s Election Offices in each county will be open from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 11th for those who want to register in-person. The addresses are listed below.

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

Kent County Office – 100 Enterprise Pl Suite 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

New Castle County Warehouse – 220 Lisa Dr, New Castle DE 19720, Phone: (302) 328-8652

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

Contact: Howard Sholl, Dept of Elections, New Castle County Office, (302) 577-5066.

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship invites the public to vote on finalists in the first Delaware Watersheds Photo Contest by visiting www.delawarewatersheds.org. The contest aims to share the beauty of Delaware’s diverse environment while acting as a vivid reminder that everything happening on land within the state’s watersheds also directly affects what happens in our waterways.

A watershed is all of the land that water moves across or under while flowing to a specific body of water. The contest was open to all photographers, with images from any of Delaware’s watersheds accepted as entries. Judges were looking for striking photographic images of Delaware’s landscapes, waterscapes, native plants, and native wildlife.

Contestants entered photographs in three categories:

• Natural Landscapes and Waterscapes of Delaware – Photographs of any waterbodies such as streams, rivers, lakes, creeks, estuaries, bay, ocean, etc. or scenic landscapes in Delaware.
• Native Wildlife of Delaware — pictures of native animals, birds, fish, insects, and amphibians.
• Native Plants of Delaware – photos of native plants in any setting.

Online votes must be cast by Sunday, July 8. Contest judges determined the photographs that moved on to the online voting phase of the photo contest. Public voting will determine the top finalists in each category. Photography by contest finalists will be on display at the 2018 Delaware State Fair, and will be voted on by fairgoers to determine first, second and third-place winners. The three winners in each category will receive a DNREC Delaware State Parks annual pass for 2019. First-place winners in each category also will be recognized at the annual DNREC Awards ceremony on Governor’s Day at the Delaware State Fair in July. Winning photographs also will appear in a future issue of Outdoor Delaware magazine.

For more information, please contact Phil Miller at phillip.miller@delaware.gov or 302-290-3578.

CONTACT: Philip Miller, Conservation Programs Section, DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship, 302-290-3578.

Vol. 48, No. 174

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.