Delaware 151st General Assembly (2021-2022) Status: Passed Senate Bipartisan · 6 D · 1 R cosponsors

SB 233 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 15 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.

Last action — Tabled in Committee

Track this bill free

No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 151st General Assembly (2021-2022). It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

In January 2021, of the 57 municipalities in this State, the following 12 municipalities had an agreement with the Department of Elections to use the State’s Voter Registration System to determine if a resident of the municipality is eligible to vote in a municipal election: Camden, Delaware City, Dover, Elsmere, Georgetown, Harrington, New Castle, Newark, Smyrna, Townsend, Wilmington, and Wyoming. Since January 2021, the General Assembly has adopted charter changes authorizing Laurel, Lewes, Milton, and Seaford to use the State’s Voter Registration System, and Milford adopted an ordinance to do so. The residents of the remaining municipalities are required to register with the municipality before voting in a municipal election. While some municipalities are exploring ending municipal voter registration requirements, and the General Assembly has authorized some to do so by changing their charter, this Act would do so for all municipalities as it relates to resident voters. A municipality would continue to be required to maintain municipal voter registration requirements for nonresident voters, as those voters would not be included in the State’s Voter Registration System. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

61 added · 8 removed

61 line(s) added, 8 removed.

→
Previous
Latest
Lockman DELAWARE STATE SENATE 151st GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENATE AMENDMENT NO.
Lockman & Rep.
1 TO SENATE BILL NO.
Shupe & Rep.
233 AMEND Senate Bill No.
Bentz Sens.
233 on line 38 by deleting "January 1, 2024" before the period therein and inserting in lieu thereof "July 1, 2024".
S.
SYNOPSIS This Amendment delays the implementation of the Act until July 1, 2024.
McBride, Pinkney;
Reps.
Baumbach, K.
Johnson, Minor-Brown, Morrison, Wilson-Anton DELAWARE STATE SENATE 151st GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENATE BILL NO.
233 AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 15 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE (Two-thirds of all members elected to each house thereof concurring therein):
Section 1.
Amend § 7554, Title 15 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:
§ 7554.
Voter eligibility.
(a)(1)Voter eligibility shall be as specified within the town charter;
provided however, that in no event shall a municipality impose a durational residency requirement in excess of 30 days.
Except as provided under this section, a person’s eligibility to vote in a municipality’s election is as specified in the municipality’s charter.
(2) A municipality may not impose a durational residency requirement in excess of 30 days.
(3) A resident of a municipality registered to vote for state elections is registered to vote for the municipality’s elections.
(b) A municipality that uses shall use the State’s Voter Registration System as the source of its the municipality’s list of registered voters must resident voters.
The municipality shall enter into a written agreement with the Department of Elections that specifies the responsibilities of each party relating to registering voters, maintaining voter records records, and providing Election Day support.
The deadline for voter registration shall must be no more than 30 days prior to any before a scheduled municipal election, and timeliness shall be determined in accordance with election.
The timeliness of a registration under this subsection is determined under § 2036(1) and (2) of this title.
(c) If a municipality permits voting by nonresidents, the municipality shall maintain the municipality’s own voter registration system as the source of the municipality’s list of registered nonresident voters.
A municipality that maintains its own voter registration system shall publish and post a schedule of when eligible citizens nonresident voters may register to vote.
The deadline for voter registration shall must be no more than 30 days prior to any before a scheduled municipal election, and timeliness shall be determined in accordance with election.
The timeliness of a registration under this subsection is determined under § 2036(1) and (2) of this title.
The municipality shall provide eligible citizens nonresident voters a reasonable opportunity to register to vote.
LC :
MJC :
ATB Page 1 of 2 Released:
02/28/2022 09:15 AM (d) Persons A person appearing to vote shall present proof of identity and address.
The Except as provided under subsection (e) of this section, the identification shall must be 1 or more of the following items that individually or together show the identity and address of the person:
(1) A current State of Delaware driver’s license or ID card;
card.
(2) A uniformed service ID card;
card.
(3) Another current photo ID issued by the State of Delaware;
U.S.
Government;
Show all 59 changed rows (19 more)
Previous
Latest
or the voter’s person’s employer, high school school, or higher education institution;
institution.
(4) A current utility bill, bank statement, credit card statement, a paycheck or pay advice, or another type of bill or statement;
statement.
(5) A lease or sales agreement;
and/or agreement.
(6) Any other documentation that a person can reasonably and commonly accept as proof of identity and address.
(e) Personal recognition by a majority of the Election Officers in the polling place can attest to a voter’s identity and address.
Section 2.
This Act takes effect immediately and is to be implemented for municipal elections held on or after January 1, 2024.
SYNOPSIS In January 2021, of the 57 municipalities in this State, the following 12 municipalities had an agreement with the Department of Elections to use the State’s Voter Registration System to determine if a resident of the municipality is eligible to vote in a municipal election:
Camden, Delaware City, Dover, Elsmere, Georgetown, Harrington, New Castle, Newark, Smyrna, Townsend, Wilmington, and Wyoming.
Since January 2021, the General Assembly has adopted charter changes authorizing Laurel, Lewes, Milton, and Seaford to use the State’s Voter Registration System, and Milford adopted an ordinance to do so.
The residents of the remaining municipalities are required to register with the municipality before voting in a municipal election.
While some municipalities are exploring ending municipal voter registration requirements, and the General Assembly has authorized some to do so by changing their charter, this Act would do so for all municipalities as it relates to resident voters.
A municipality would continue to be required to maintain municipal voter registration requirements for nonresident voters, as those voters would not be included in the State’s Voter Registration System.
This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
CM Page 1 of 1 Released:
ATB Page 2 of 2 Released:
03/22/2022 11:15 AM 4801510164
02/28/2022 09:15 AM 2521510025
⬇ Download PDF
View plain text versions (2)

Action History

  1. Tabled in Committee

  2. Assigned to Administration Committee in House

  3. Passed By Senate. Votes: 14 YES 7 NO

  4. Amendment SA 1 to SB 233 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 19 YES 2 ABSENT

  5. Amendment SA 1 to SB 233 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  6. Reported Out of Committee (Elections & Government Affairs) in Senate with 2 Favorable, 4 On Its Merits

  7. Introduced and Assigned to Elections & Government Affairs Committee in Senate

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

3 sponsors · 7 co-sponsors · 52 not signed on · 7 voted No

Sponsors (3)

Co-sponsors (7)

Not signed on (52)

52 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 52 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

2/3

Passed 14 Yea · 7 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 3200
Democratic 11000
Republican 0500
Total 14700
% of votes cast 67%33%0%0%
How each member voted (21)
Member Party Vote
Bruce C. Ennis — Yea
Colin Bonini — Nay
Ernesto B Lopez — Nay
Kyle Evans Gay — Yea
Sarah McBride — Yea
Bryan Townsend Democratic Yea
Darius J. Brown Democratic Yea
David P. Sokola Democratic Yea
John "Jack" Walsh Democratic Yea
Laura V. Sturgeon Democratic Yea
Marie Pinkney Democratic Yea
Nicole Poore Democratic Yea
S. Elizabeth Lockman Democratic Yea
Spiros Mantzavinos Democratic Yea
Stephanie L. Hansen Democratic Yea
Trey Paradee Democratic Yea
Brian Pettyjohn Republican Nay
Bryant L. Richardson Republican Nay
Dave G. Lawson Republican Nay
David L. Wilson Republican Nay
Gerald W. Hocker Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Subjects

elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 233 do?
In January 2021, of the 57 municipalities in this State, the following 12 municipalities had an agreement with the Department of Elections to use the State’s Voter Registration System to determine if a resident of the municipality is eligible to vote in a municipal election: Camden, Delaware City, Dover, Elsmere, Georgetown, Harrington, New Castle, Newark, Smyrna, Townsend, Wilmington, and Wyoming. Since January 2021, the General Assembly has adopted charter changes authorizing Laurel, Lewes, Milton, and Seaford to use the State’s Voter Registration System, and Milford adopted an ordinance to do so. The residents of the remaining municipalities are required to register with the municipality before voting in a municipal election. While some municipalities are exploring ending municipal voter registration requirements, and the General Assembly has authorized some to do so by changing their charter, this Act would do so for all municipalities as it relates to resident voters. A municipality would continue to be required to maintain municipal voter registration requirements for nonresident voters, as those voters would not be included in the State’s Voter Registration System. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
Who sponsors SB 233?
SB 233 is sponsored by S. Elizabeth Lockman (Democratic), Bryan W. Shupe (Republican), Marie Pinkney (Democratic), Kendra Johnson (Democratic), Paul S. Baumbach, Sarah McBride, David Bentz, Melissa Minor-Brown (Democratic), Eric Morrison (Democratic), and Madinah Wilson-Anton (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 233?
This bill died with 151st General Assembly (2021-2022). It reached “Passed Senate” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track SB 233?
Track SB 233 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on SB 233

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of SB 233

Last checked for changes 2 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →