Delaware 152nd General Assembly (2023-2024) Status: Passed House Bipartisan · 7 D · 3 R cosponsors

HB 215 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 15 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PRIMARY ELECTIONS.

Last action — Defeated By Senate. Votes: 3 NO 18 NOT VOTING

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

This bill died with 152nd General Assembly (2023-2024). It reached “Passed House” 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This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there are no live odds of enactment. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Section 1 of this bill moves the date of primary elections for statewide office, county office, and municipal office to the fourth Tuesday in April, which is the date of the presidential primary (in presidential election years). The dates for submitting and withdrawing notification of candidacy have been adjusted accordingly. Section 2 of the bill changes the deadline for a minor political party selecting its candidate at the party’s convention. Section 3 of the bill changes the deadline for filing certificates of nomination from September 1st to April 1st. Section 4 changes the “closed” period in which a voter is not allowed to change his or her political affiliation to match the 60-day limit in 15 Del. C. § 3189 for presidential primaries. Section 5 provides that the Act is applicable to all primary elections after October 1, 2024.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Defeated By Senate. Votes: 3 NO 18 NOT VOTING

  2. Reported Out of Committee (Executive) in Senate with 5 On Its Merits

  3. Assigned to Executive Committee in Senate

  4. Passed By House. Votes: 38 YES 3 ABSENT

  5. Reported Out of Committee (Administration) in House with 5 On Its Merits

  6. Introduced and Assigned to Administration Committee in House

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

14 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 48 not signed on · 3 voted No

Sponsors (14)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (48)

48 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 48 →

"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

SM

Failed 0 Yea · 3 Nay · 18 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 00013
Republican 0303
Unaffiliated 0002
Total 03018
% of votes cast 0%14%0%86%
How each member voted (21)
Member Party Vote
Kyle Evans Gay — Not Voting
Sarah McBride — Not Voting
Bryan Townsend Democratic Not Voting
Darius J. Brown Democratic Not Voting
David P. Sokola Democratic Not Voting
John "Jack" Walsh Democratic Not Voting
Kyra L. Hoffner Democratic Not Voting
Laura V. Sturgeon Democratic Not Voting
Marie Pinkney Democratic Not Voting
Nicole Poore Democratic Not Voting
Russell Huxtable Democratic Not Voting
S. Elizabeth Lockman Democratic Not Voting
Spiros Mantzavinos Democratic Not Voting
Stephanie L. Hansen Democratic Not Voting
Trey Paradee Democratic Not Voting
Brian Pettyjohn Republican Not Voting
Bryant L. Richardson Republican Nay
Dave G. Lawson Republican Nay
David L. Wilson Republican Nay
Eric Buckson Republican Not Voting
Gerald W. Hocker Republican Not Voting

Official roll call →

SM

Passed 38 Yea · 0 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 8000
Democratic 18002
Republican 12001
Total 38003
% of votes cast 93%0%0%7%
How each member voted (41)
Member Party Vote
Michael Ramone — Yea
Paul S. Baumbach — Yea
Peter C. Schwartzkopf — Yea
Ruth Briggs King — Yea
Sean Matthews — Yea
Sherry Dorsey Walker — Yea
Stell Parker Selby — Yea
Valerie Longhurst — Yea
Cyndie Romer Democratic Yea
DeShanna U Neal Democratic Yea
Debra Heffernan Democratic Yea
Edward S. Osienski Democratic Yea
Eric Morrison Democratic Yea
Franklin D. Cooke Democratic Yea
Kendra Johnson Democratic Yea
Kerri Evelyn Harris Democratic Yea
Kimberly Williams Democratic Not Voting
Krista Griffith Democratic Yea
Larry Lambert Democratic Yea
Madinah Wilson-Anton Democratic Yea
Melissa Minor-Brown Democratic Yea
Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha Democratic Yea
Sean M. Lynn Democratic Yea
Sherae'a Moore Democratic Not Voting
Sophie Phillips Democratic Yea
Stephanie T. Bolden Democratic Yea
William Bush Democratic Yea
William J. Carson Democratic Yea
Bryan W. Shupe Republican Yea
Charles S Postles Jr. Republican Yea
Daniel B. Short Republican Yea
Jeff Hilovsky Republican Not Voting
Jeffrey N. Spiegelman Republican Yea
Jesse R. Vanderwende Republican Yea
Kevin S Hensley Republican Yea
Lyndon D. Yearick Republican Yea
Michael F. Smith Republican Yea
Richard G. Collins Republican Yea
Ronald E. Gray Republican Yea
Shannon Morris Republican Yea
Timothy D. Dukes Republican Yea

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 HB 215 do?
Section 1 of this bill moves the date of primary elections for statewide office, county office, and municipal office to the fourth Tuesday in April, which is the date of the presidential primary (in presidential election years). The dates for submitting and withdrawing notification of candidacy have been adjusted accordingly. Section 2 of the bill changes the deadline for a minor political party selecting its candidate at the party’s convention. Section 3 of the bill changes the deadline for filing certificates of nomination from September 1st to April 1st. Section 4 changes the “closed” period in which a voter is not allowed to change his or her political affiliation to match the 60-day limit in 15 Del. C. § 3189 for presidential primaries. Section 5 provides that the Act is applicable to all primary elections after October 1, 2024.
Who sponsors HB 215?
HB 215 is sponsored by Valerie Longhurst, Peter C. Schwartzkopf, Sherry Dorsey Walker, Michael Ramone, Bryan Townsend (Democratic), Lyndon D. Yearick (Republican), Daniel B. Short (Republican), Kendra Johnson (Democratic), Laura V. Sturgeon (Democratic), Nicole Poore (Democratic), David P. Sokola (Democratic), Brian Pettyjohn (Republican), Trey Paradee (Democratic), and Stephanie T. Bolden (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 215?
This bill died with 152nd General Assembly (2023-2024). It reached “Passed House” 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 HB 215?
Track HB 215 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HB 215

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 HB 215

Last checked for changes 2 months ago · updated continuously

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

Track this bill →