News

03-24-2022 - Legislation to Create an Office of the Inspector General

Legislation to Create an Office of the Inspector General

02-10-2022 - Proposal Would Increase Transparency in Schools, Foster Better Educational Outcomes

A new proposal that will soon be filed in the State House of Representatives seeks to help build better relationships between parents, teachers, and school officials. "The Delaware Education Right to Know Act is intended to increase educational transparency and build consensus among all the people with an interest in helping Delaware children succeed in the classroom," said the bill's lead sponsor, State Rep. Charles Postles (R-Milford North).

02-04-2022 - Bill Seeks to Nearly Double Senior Citizen Tax Break

A new bill pending action in the House of Representatives would nearly double a tax break for Delaware senior citizen homeowners. Recently introduced by Rep. Hensley, House Bill 287 would increase the Senior Real Property Tax Credit to $750 from its current $400.

01-20-2022 - House Lawmakers Making Renewed Push to Return Surplus Revenue to Taxpayers

The sponsors of five tax cut bills pending action in the General Assembly say they plan to make a renewed push to return surplus state revenue to Delawareans.

06-04-2021 - Legislative Hall to Open to Public in Limited Fashion

When the Delaware General Assembly reconvenes for session on Tuesday, members of the public will be welcomed back into Legislative Hall in a limited fashion for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

05-07-2021 - SCR - A Task Force to Improve Registered Voter List Accuracy

This concurrent resolution proposes the formation of the Registered Voter List Improvement Task Force to review current laws and practices associated with compiling and maintaining Delaware's registered voter list and suggesting methods for improving its accuracy.

05-07-2021 - HCR - Review Signature Verification for Absentee Balloting

This concurrent resolution would direct the Department of Elections to review practices used here and in other states for verifying signatures on absentee ballots. Following the evaluation, elections officials would issue a report to the governor and state lawmakers on the potential opportunities for improving Delaware's verification methods.

05-07-2021 - House Bill - Increasing the Penalties for Illegal Voting

This bill seeks to significantly increase the penalties for those found guilty of committing voter fraud. At present, people found guilty of vote illegally voting face a fine of between $50 and $200 and/or a prison sentence of between 30 days and two years. This bill would change the crime from an unclassified offense to a Class G non-violent felony. The revised law would maintain the possibility of up to two years in jail, but it would increase the fine to a minimum of $1,000 for a first offense and a minimum of $2,000 for any subsequent offense. Additionally, anyone found guilty of the offense would lose his or her right to vote for five years following the conviction.

05-07-2021 - House Bill - Reforming Voter Identification Standards

This legislation specifies that citizens wishing to vote at a polling place identify themselves by presenting a valid polling place card or one of 13 different types of photo ID. Any voter who is unable to provide an acceptable form of identification, or whose eligibility to vote cannot otherwise be determined, may cast a provisional ballot without any further action needed on the part of the voter. The ballot will be counted after the Department of Elections matches information provided by the voter against their registration records.

05-07-2021 - Reforming Identification Standards for Absentee Ballot Requests

This bill seeks to harmonize existing law for requesting an absentee ballot. It would require voters to present a form of photo identification to Department of Elections' staff processing the absentee ballot request. If the request is made via mail, a photocopy of an acceptable form of photo ID, as defined in the bill, are required to be included. Forms of acceptable photo identification detailed in the bill not only include those issued by various governments, but also include schools and employers. This requirement would be consistent with voter absentee ballot requests made in-person or online via Delaware's iVote system, which requires a driver's license or state identification to register. In the event the Department of Elections receives an absentee ballot request form lacking valid identification as defined in this Act, the Department shall attempt to contact the voter to confirm his or her identity.

05-07-2021 - House and Senate Republicans Roll Out Election Integrity Package

House and Senate Republicans are introducing a package of legislation intended to improve the integrity and efficiency of Delaware's voting system. The three bills and two concurrent resolutions seek to do the following: • Establish the Registered Voter List Improvement Task Force. • Review best practices to improve the verification of absentee ballot signatures. • Increase penalties for voter fraud. • Reform voter identification standards. • Reform the standards for absentee ballot requests.