Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki announced today that he will not seek re-election to a third term in 2024. In a letter to “the people of Wilmington,” he gives his age as a big reason for the decision. “My difficulty in committing to another term that would begin 15 months from now is in continuing to undertake such a demanding job …
No-excuse absentee voting bill passes Senate committee
The Senate Executive Committee on Wednesday privately advanced a bill, with four members in favor, that allows for no-excuse absentee voting in Delaware, joining 35 other states and the District of Columbia. Senate Bill 3, sponsored by Sen. Darius Brown, D-Wilmington, would amend Delaware’s constitution to allow absentee voting for any reason. However, voters must sign an oath or affirmation …
2022 Rewind: History favors Ramone, numbers favor Burns in Pike Creek race
This story was originally published in October 2022 A suburban New Castle County race for state House is turning into one of most hotly-contested battles of this year’s general election. Incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Ramone, who has been in office since 2009, faces Democrat Dr. Frank Burns for the South Pike Creek seat — one of the last held by Republicans in the …
2022 Rewind: Republican Party must change to win, leaders say
This story was originally published in November 2022. Republicans did not fare well in Delaware’s Nov. 8 election. Democrats widened their majority in the state Senate, maintained the balance of power in the House, and won every election for statewide elected offices. In the wake of the Republican wallop, some party leaders are hoping the party will begin to move …
DE Supreme Court explains decision to overturn vote-by-mail
In a 69-page decision that cited versions of Delaware constitutions dating back to 1776, the state’s Supreme Court this week explained its ruling overturning mail-in voting and same-day voter registration laws passed by the General Assembly earlier this year. The state’s highest court in October unanimously ruled the statutes unconstitutional but issued an abbreviated order due to time constraints imposed …
Delaware GOP leaders: Party needs change to win
Republicans did not fare well in Delaware’s Nov. 8 election. Democrats widened their majority in the state Senate, maintained the balance of power in the House, and won every election for statewide elected offices. In the wake of the Republican wallop, some party leaders are hoping the party will begin to move in a more productive direction — one that …
Republican chair asks NCC election officials to resign
The chair of the Delaware Republican Party is calling for two election officials to resign after an election she calls “flawed in ways Delaware has never experienced, and should never experience again.” According to GOP leader Jane Brady, “ineffective and incompetent management” caused 10 or more polling locations to run out of ballots, stopping voting in some of those locations …
Elections Dept. says voting machine issues won’t happen again
The Delaware Department of Elections has taken steps to ensure polling places never run out of ballots again, officials said during a Board of Elections meeting Monday night. The announcement came after several polling places in New Castle County ran out of ballot activation cards during the Nov. 8 general election. Activation cards refer to the blank pieces of paper …
Rep. Mike Ramone prevails in election recount
A recount in a northern Delaware state representative race confirmed the earlier reported results. Rep. Mike Ramone, R-Pike Creek, defeated Democrat Frank Burns by 41 votes in the recount — up from 35 votes in the earlier count. “One of the most important parts of our elections is the integrity of the system,” Ramone said. “I am proud to be …
Kent and Sussex vote red; not enough to overcome deep-blue NCC
Democratic candidates for U.S. House, attorney general, state treasurer and state auditor swept Delaware’s general election — and they did it without the help of Kent and Sussex Counties. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Kathy Jennings, Colleen Davis and Lydia York lost in Kent and Sussex, but the Democratic vote north of the canal was too much for Republicans to overcome. U.S. …