Delaware Passes Bill to Enact Same-Day Registration

UPDATE: On July 22, Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) signed two pro-voting bills into law. House Substitute 1 to House Bill 25 enacts same-day voter registration and Senate Bill 320 allows any voter to request a mail-in ballot without an excuse. A Republican state senator was successful in adding an amendment that requires voters to include the last four digits of their driver’s license or social security number to request a ballot. Delaware is now the 22nd state to enact same-day voter registration and the 28th state with no-excuse mail-in voting.

Notably, the Delaware Constitution requires voters to provide a justification to receive an absentee ballot; the Republican Party of Delaware has already promised to bring litigation. A parallel law recently survived a GOP lawsuit in Massachusetts.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On June 22, the Delaware Senate passed House Substitute 1 to House Bill 25, legislation that would enact same-day voter registration in Delaware in time for this year’s elections. The bill passed 14-7, with all Democrats voting in favor and all Republicans opposed. It now awaits the signature of Gov. John Carney (D).

If Carney signs the bill into law, the deadline to register to vote in a Delaware election will be the day of the election. Additionally, any unregistered Delawarean will be able to register at their polling place during in-person voting by submitting a completed application and required proof-of-identity documents such as a photo ID or utility bill.

Read H.B. 25 here.