Supreme Court of Delaware

Supreme Court hears voting cases; opinion to come later

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

The fate of Delaware’s mail-in voting and same-day registration statutes — and Delawareans’ ability to do both in the Nov. 8 general election — rests in the hands of the Delaware Supreme Court. The court heard oral arguments on the matter Thursday in Dover.  Depending on its decision, the vote-by-mail statute passed by the General Assembly in July and deemed …

Delaware early voting and primary

Delaware Supreme Court to hear vote-by-mail appeal Thursday

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

The Delaware Supreme Court on Thursday will consider whether the state’s new mail-in voting law violates the Delaware Constitution. The Department of Elections appealed an earlier ruling from the Delaware Court of Chancery deeming the law unconstitutional. RELATED: Delaware judge halts mail-in voting “My injunction in this matter was compelled by an advisory decision from five decades ago that, in …

York Lorrah

Meet the candidates for Delaware state auditor

Charles MegginsonHeadlines, Government

In the race for state auditor, Delawareans have two choices: Democrat Lydia York, a career accountant and attorney, and Republican Janice Lorrah, an attorney who rose to prominence by suing Delaware’s governor over his COVID-era school mask mandate. Both say they’re running to restore integrity to the Office of the Auditor — a position that traditionally doesn’t get much attention, …

Hensley Williams 2

Will this Republican in solid blue district win again?

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

Delaware’s 9th Representative District is one of New Castle County’s last remaining Republican holdouts, and Democrat Terrell Williams, an attorney, hopes to flip the seat blue in Delaware’s Nov. 8 general election. Rep. Kevin Hensley, a Republican, has represented the district where Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly two-to-one since 2015.  The district runs along the Delaware Bayshore from the Chesapeake …

Mail-in voting

Mail-in voting ruling on hold pending Supreme Court appeal

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

The Delaware Department of Elections will be allowed to continue processing mail-in voting applications and preparing ballots while it appeals last week’s Chancery Court decision rendering the new law unconstitutional. The department will not be allowed to mail ballots to voters. In a letter opinion Monday, Vice Chancellor Nathan Cook granted the Department of Elections’ request to stay his ruling …

Leg Hall

Vote-by-mail ruling: More complex than simply barring it

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

  Republicans were quick to say “we told you so” Thursday as word spread that a Chancery Court judge had ruled that Delaware’s new vote-by-mail law violates the state Constitution. Democrats were quick to say the ruling – all but guaranteed to be appealed to the Delaware Supreme Court – will disenfranchise voters, especially low-income voters and people of color. …

Mail-in voting

Delaware judge halts mail-in voting

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

A Chancery Court judge has ruled Delaware’s new mail-in voting provision unconstitutional. In an 87-page memorandum opinion issued Wednesday afternoon, Vice Chancellor Nathan Cook said allowing mail-in voting in the Nov. 8 general election “will result in the dilution of constitutional votes with unconstitutional votes.” Cook issued an injunction that will prevent the Department of Elections from accepting applications for …

Election Center 8

Who’s running in Delaware’s Nov. 8 general election?

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

Tuesday’s primary election saw the lowest voter turnout in at least a decade with just 16.2% of the state’s registered voters participating. That’s despite numerous new initiatives designed to increase ballot access, including mail-in voting, early voting and same-day voter registration. It was a big night for women — especially women of color. Of Tuesday’s 15 statewide and legislative races, …

Bonini Buckson

Goodbye Bonini, Hello Buckson

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

Longtime conservative state Senator Colin Bonini, R-Dover, has lost re-election to Kent County Levy Court Commissioner Eric Buckson. Because no Democratic candidate filed to run for the 16th Senate District, Buckson will be that district’s next senator.  First elected to the Delaware Senate in 1995, Bonini, who serves on the powerful Bond Bill Committee, has infamously never once voted for …

Primary Results

Delaware 2022 primary election results

Charles MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

Bold = projected winner. Data as of September 14, 2022 at 1:23 a.m. Just 16.2% of Delaware’s registered voters participated in Tuesday’s primary election. State Auditor Kathleen McGuiness, who in July was convicted of three misdemeanor corruption charges, later reduced to two by the judge, has lost her primary election against Democratic Party-endorsed candidate Lydia York. Longtime conservative state Senator …