Delaware Elections Update 2020

Delaware Election Commissioner Anthony Albence spoke with the League of Women Voters on May 16, 2020 about election changes due to the COVID-19 crisis, via web conference hosted by LWV of New Castle County. The format was a slideshow presentation followed by a question and answer session.

The full 85-minute video can be viewed here:

Key Points for Delaware Voters

1. The presidential primary election is delayed until July 7.
2. The school board election is delayed until July 21.
3. The Christina school district referendum was not delayed; it will proceed as planned on June 9.
4. All Delaware voters can vote by absentee ballot in the July elections. Voters are to select the “sick” or “physically disabled” reason codes when requesting absentee ballots for quarantine or social distancing reasons.
5. Absentee ballot request forms will be mailed to all Delaware voters who are eligible to vote in the July 7 presidential primary election. The forms were mailed out the week of May 18th and should arrive soon if they haven’t arrived already.
6. Alternatively, voters can use the ivote.de.gov voter portal to request absentee ballots online, or can fill out forms electronically at elections.delaware.gov
7. School election absentee ballot request forms will not be mailed out; voters should request those online.
8. Ballots for the presidential primary can be delivered by postal mail or email, and can be voted electronically if desired. For school elections, paper ballots will be by postal mail and must be returned in physical form.
9. There will still be physically polling places open, but there may be fewer of them than usual due to expanded absentee voting. Look for a list of remaining polling places in the absentee request mailing from the Department of Elections. For the July 7 presidential primary, in-person voters can use any open polling place in the county. For the July 21 school board elections, in-person voters can use any open polling place within their school district.
10. If you requested an absentee ballot but didn’t cast it, you can still vote in person.
11. When using Delaware’s new voting machines individual voters should always verify that the printed ballot reflects their intended choice(s) before finalizing their vote. This is an important security measure when any automated ballot-marking device is used.
12. For candidate profiles and the latest election information, check the vote411.org online voter guide by the League of Women Voters.

Our Speaker, Anthony Albence

Anthony Albence is the current elections commissioner for the state of Delaware. He took over that role from Elaine Manlove in June 2019. It has been quite a "trial by fire" for Anthony in his first year with COVID-19 and the implementation of the new voting machines. Prior to this position, he served 12 years as New Castle county’s director of elections.

Previously, Mr. Albence served as director of Public Allies Delaware, and as a training specialist at Catholic Youth Ministry in Wilmington. He received a bachelor’s degree from Catholic University, and a masters in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware.