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Election Denial in Delaware

  • 0 Election Deniers currently hold statewide office with election oversight power.

  • 0 Election Deniers are on the ballot for statewide office.

  • 0 Election Deniers have held, or run for, statewide office since 2020.

  • 0 Election Deniers are sitting members of Congress.

  • 0 Election Deniers are on the ballot for Congress in November.

The landscape in Delaware

Delaware is a model state for upholding free and fair elections. 

None of the statewide officials who oversee voting in the state is an Election Denier—and no Election Deniers were even on the ballot in the primary or general elections. Delaware is unusual in that its Secretary of State is not the top election official. That responsibility falls to the state Commissioner of Elections, who is not an Election Denier.

Delaware legislators also have not introduced any bills since 2020 that would politicize, criminalize, or interfere with election administration, according to our tracker.

0 Election Deniers hold statewide Office right now.

Elections are run by the states. In Delaware, the Governor, Attorney General, and state commissioner of elections are the state officials responsible for overseeing elections. In most states, the Secretary of State is the chief election official. Delaware is an exception: The state commissioner of elections holds that responsibility. It’s up to all of them to make sure the will of the people is always respected.

Read more about The Roles of Our Elected Officials in Elections

All parties
Election Deniers

No candidates match the selected filters.

0 Election Deniers are on statewide Ballots in races we're tracking.

Delaware has a race in 2024 for at least one of the statewide offices that oversee elections. Here are the candidates.

Read more about The Roles of Our Elected Officials in Elections

All parties
Election Deniers
All Entrants

No candidates match the selected filters.

0 Election Deniers are sitting members of congress right now.

Election Deniers make up 0 percent of Delaware’s 3-member Congressional delegation. Members of Congress have a public platform to build up or tear down trust in our elections. And they have concrete responsibilities, too, such as determining federal funding for elections.

Read more about The Roles of Our Elected Officials in Elections

All parties
Election Deniers

No candidates match the selected filters.

0 Election Deniers are on the ballot for Congress in November in races we're tracking.

Here are the Election Deniers running in 2024 to represent Delaware in the House or Senate who are advancing to November. Remember: For members of Congress elected this year, one of their first responsibilities will be voting on whether to certify the 2024 Presidential election.

Note: We are only tracking Election Deniers who have won their primaries and are advancing to the November general election. We are not tracking all Election Denier candidates ahead of state primaries. Click here to view Election Deniers who already hold seats in Congress right now.

Read more about The Roles of Our Elected Officials in Elections

All parties
Election Deniers

No candidates match the selected filters.

How Delaware compares

Every state runs its own elections, with its own laws and processes. Check out how Delaware compares with other states in its region when it comes to Election Deniers holding state election administration jobs.

Election Denial in Mideast States

State Commissioner of Elections

Moreinformation about Delaware

State Elections Board

Moreinformation about District of Columbia

State Elections Board

Moreinformation about Maryland
Moreinformation about New Jersey

State Elections Board

Moreinformation about New York
Moreinformation about Pennsylvania

Sitting official is an Election Denier

  1. In Delaware, the Governor appoints the State Commissioner of Elections.
  2. In Washington, D.C., the Executive Director is appointed by the District of Columbia Board of Elections.
  3. In Maryland, the Administrator of Elections is appointed by the Maryland State Board of Elections.
  4. In New Jersey, the Governor appoints the Secretary of State.
  5. In New York, the Co-Executive Directors are appointed by the New York State Board of Elections.
  6. In Pennsylvania, the Governor appoints the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

0 Election Deniers have held, or have run for, statewide Office since 2020.

Even one Election Denier with election oversight power is a threat to the will of the people. Here are the Election Deniers who have sought control over Delaware elections in recent years.

All parties
All

No candidates match the selected filters.

Voter turnout over time

Voters are always the backstop against election denial, whether Election Deniers are already in office or vying for power. It’s important to turn out for every election in your state—and to vote in every race on your ballot. Downballot races, like contests for Attorney General and Secretary of State, have historically drawn fewer voters, even though the positions are critical to keeping elections free, fair, and secure. Here’s a look at voter participation in Delaware elections over time. Notice that in years with several important positions up for election, some voters choose not to vote in every race.

Voter Participation in Delaware Since 2016

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President
#2455A0
Senator
#4387F1
Governor
#A7C5F3
Attorney General
#EDF3FD
Secretary of State
  1. 2016 Presidential

    • President had a 64% voter turnout rate

    • Governor had a 62% voter turnout rate

  2. 2018 Midterm

    • Senator had a 52% voter turnout rate

    • Attorney General had a 51% voter turnout rate

  3. 2020 Presidential

    • President had a 70% voter turnout rate

    • Senator had a 68% voter turnout rate

    • Governor had a 68% voter turnout rate

  4. 2022 Midterm

    • Attorney General had a 43% voter turnout rate

Voter turnout

Data on the number of votes cast in each race are from state elections depositories, supplemented with data from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), House Election Statistics, and The Book of States. Rates are calculated using the Census’s Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP) estimates.

Beyond the ballot box

Each year, state legislators introduce thousands of bills related to elections. And in the past few years, we’ve identified a concerning trend. Across the country, state legislatures are considering bills that would make it easier for partisan actors to manipulate an election, and maybe even overturn the will of the people. We’re tracking these bills along with our partners in an ongoing series of reports called “A Democracy Crisis in the Making.” All told, in the 2023 legislative cycle, we identified 196 bills that were introduced in 39 states that would interfere with election administration. Ultimately, 21 of those bills became law across 15 states, while 7 bills were vetoed across 2 states.

The anti-democracy playbook is simple: change the rules and change the referees, in order to change the results. These bills go hand-in-hand with the Election Denier movement: They’re about taking power away from voters and making it harder for trusted election officials to do their jobs.

Read the full report

Legislative Interference in Delaware by Category

As of November 15, 2023, no bills had been introduced or were under consideration in Delaware. None have been enacted or adopted and none have been vetoed after passing.

  • Usurping control over election results.
    These bills would give legislators or other state officials direct control over election outcomes.
  • Requiring partisan or unprofessional election “audits” or reviews.
    These bills would establish vague post-election review schemes without the professional standards of traditional audits.
  • Seizing power over election responsibilities.
    These bills would shift election administration responsibilities away from professional, nonpartisan officials and toward partisan actors in the legislature.
  • Creating unworkable burdens in election administration.
    These bills would interfere with the basic procedures of election administration, increasing the risk of chaos and delay and enabling misleading claims of irregularity.
  • Imposing disproportionate criminal or other penalties.
    These bills would create or expand penalties for election officials in the ordinary execution of their jobs, including criminalizing inadvertent mistakes.