Chapter 17. Removal Procedures For Registration Records
TITLE 15
Elections
Registration of Voters
CHAPTER 17. REMOVAL PROCEDURES FOR REGISTRATION RECORDS
§ 1701. Qualifications for registration as qualified voter.
Every applicant for registration shall be a qualified voter if such applicant is a citizen of this State of the age of 18 years and upwards, or who will be 18 years old on or before the day of the general election next succeeding the applicant's registration, and is a bona fide resident of this State. No person in the military, naval or marine service of the United States shall become a resident of this State by being stationed in any garrison, barrack or military or naval place or station within this State; and no person adjudged mentally incompetent, person convicted of a crime deemed by law a felony, or person who shall have been rendered incapable of voting by reason of violating § 7 of Article V of the Constitution of this State for 10 years next following that person's conviction and sentence thereunder, shall be a qualified voter. For purposes of this chapter, the term "adjudged mentally incompetent" refers to a specific finding in a judicial guardianship or equivalent proceeding, based on clear and convincing evidence that the individual has a severe cognitive impairment which precludes exercise of basic voting judgment.
19 Del. Laws, c. 38, § 8; 21 Del. Laws, c. 36, § 4; 22 Del. Laws, c. 64, §§ 1, 2; 24 Del. Laws, c. 66; Code 1915, § 1627; 37 Del. Laws, c. 117, § 6; 40 Del. Laws, c. 140, § 5; Code 1935, § 1714; 44 Del. Laws, c. 105, § 1; 15 Del. C. 1953, § 1701; 52 Del. Laws, c. 197, § 1; 58 Del. Laws, c. 502, § 1; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 73 Del. Laws, c. 34, §§ 2, 5.;
§ 1702. Removal of names by board of elections.
(a) At any duly called meeting of the board of elections for each county, the board may sit to consider the removal of names from the County Master Record in cases where there is a valid reason to believe a person is no longer a duly qualified elector in the election district in which that person is registered.
(b) The board shall afford the affected voter the full right to be heard at such meeting with the right of appeal in all cases, first giving notice as required by § 1711 of this title [repealed].
Code 1935, § 1744; 45 Del. Laws, c. 145, § 15; 15 Del. C. 1953, § 1702; 49 Del. Laws, c. 4, § 5; 49 Del. Laws, c. 17, § 10; 50 Del. Laws, c. 169, § 7; 58 Del. Laws, c. 148, § 25; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1.;
§ 1703. Duty of officers to notify departments of facts suggesting voter disqualification.
The clerk or Prothonotary of any court in this State having jurisdiction of felonies shall, when a person is convicted of a crime deemed by law a felony, notify immediately the department of the county in which the person is a resident and the State Election Commissioner. Such notification shall include a full, complete and accurate copy of the record of the name, present residence and last previous residence, date of birth, and Social Security number if available of each individual of voting age who has been convicted of a felony.
Code 1935, § 1744; 45 Del. Laws, c. 145, § 15; 15 Del. C. 1953, § 1703; 49 Del. Laws, c. 4, § 5; 49 Del. Laws, c. 17, § 11; 50 Del. Laws, c. 169, § 8; 57 Del. Laws, c. 181, § 25; 67 Del. Laws, c. 354, § 5; 73 Del. Laws, c. 34, § 1.;
§ 1704. Identification of persons who are no longer eligible to vote, establishment of an "inactive status," cancellation of registration and provision for reregistration.
(a) The State Election Commissioner on or before April 1 of each year shall compile a list of registered voters who no longer reside at the address at which they are registered to vote. The Commissioner shall accomplish this by:
(1) Contracting with a U.S. Postal Service licensed vendor to compare the list of registered voters against the list of persons who have filed a permanent change of address with the U.S. Postal Service and obtain from the vendor a list of registered voters who have changed their address both within and without this State.
(2) Obtaining from the Division of Motor Vehicles a list of all persons who have surrendered their Delaware driver's license while obtaining a driver's license from another state. The Commissioner shall compare this list against the list of registered voters and compile a list of registered voters who have surrendered their Delaware driver's license.
(b) The State Election Commissioner or the Commissioner's designated representative shall merge the 2 lists compiled in accordance with subsection (a) of this section and remove duplicate names.
(c) The State Election Commissioner or the Commissioner's designated agent shall then send an address verification request via forwardable first class mail to each person on the list. The State Election Commissioner shall mail the request to the address at which the person is registered to vote unless the U.S. Postal Service vendor provides an updated address. The request shall ask the person to sign the return card and:
(1) Authorize cancellation of their Delaware voter registration because they are no longer permanent residents of the State;
(2) Provide the address of their permanent place of residence if they still reside within Delaware; or
(3) Certify that the address at which they are currently registered to vote is their correct address and place of permanent residence.
(d) The address verification request shall include a postage-paid return card or envelope preaddressed to the department of elections in the county in which the person is registered to vote.
(e) The respective department of elections, upon receipt of the return card in accordance with the response, shall:
(1) Upon authorization by the board of elections at a meeting of the board of elections of the county, remove the voter from the records of the State Election Commissioner and the county department of elections;
(2) Update the person's voter registration record with the new address if it is within the department's jurisdiction;
(3) Send the returned card and the person's voter registration record to the department of elections that has jurisdiction over the new address; or
(4) Update the person's voter registration record showing that the person has certified that the address on the permanent voter registration record is their permanent place of residence.
(f) On June 1 of each year following an address verification mailing in accordance with this section, the State Election Commissioner shall place all persons who did not reply to the address verification request mailed in accordance with this section into "inactive status."
(g) A person shall be returned to active status if the person subsequently returns the return card with a new Delaware address or certification that the person has not changed their address, by completing any other voter registration transaction permitted by this title or by voting in any election conducted in accordance with this title.
(h) On or before June 1 of each year following a general election, the State Election Commissioner shall remove from the voting rolls any person who has been in "inactive status" for 2 consecutive general elections.
(i) Persons classified as "inactive" shall remain eligible to vote in any election conducted in accordance with this title. Upon presenting themselves at their polling place they shall affirm in writing under penalty of perjury on the form promulgated by the State Election Commissioner the address of their permanent place of residence. If the person's permanent place of residence is different than the permanent place of residence shown on the person's permanent voter registration record, the person shall be permitted to vote in accordance with § 2047 of this title.
(j) A person properly removed from the voting rolls in accordance with this chapter must reregister in order to vote in any election conducted in accordance with this title. A person removed in error through the process described in this chapter, however, may be restored to the voting rolls upon the concurrence of the respective Department of Elections director and deputy director.
70 Del. Laws, c. 188, § 9; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 75 Del. Laws, c. 232, § 13; 77 Del. Laws, c. 227, §§ 1, 2.;
§ 1705. Cancellation of registration of persons reported as deceased.
(a) The State's Office of Vital Statistics shall send each month to the departments of elections and to the State Election Commissioner a complete and accurate file or list of each person 16 years of age or older who has been reported to have died within the State since the previous report. The file or list shall contain, as a minimum: the decedent's name, social security number, residence at time of death, date of birth, date of death, and death certificate number.
(b) The State's Office of Vital Statistics shall in January and July of each year send a file or list to the departments of elections and the State Election Commissioner containing the name, social security number, residence at time of death, state where died, date of birth, date of death, and death certificate number for each Delaware citizen 16 years or age or older reported to that office as having died in another state or country. Where complete data about a decedent is not available, the Office of Vital Statistics shall provide as much information as is available in the file or on the list.
(c) Upon receipt of a file or list from the Office of Vital Statistics, each department of elections shall cancel the registration of each registered voter from their county whose name is on the list.
(d) The departments of elections may cancel the registration of a person upon receipt of a copy of a death certificate or a written notice from the decedent's spouse, adult child, sibling or parent.
(e) The departments of elections may use an obituary from a Delaware newspaper as authority to cancel the registration of a registered voter who died in another state or country.
45 Del. Laws, c. 144, § 31; 45 Del. Laws, c. 148, § 34; 45 Del. Laws, c. 149, § 34; 15 Del. C. 1953, § 1705; 49 Del. Laws, c. 4, § 5; 50 Del. Laws, c. 169, § 10; 52 Del. Laws, c. 221, § 3; 57 Del. Laws, c. 181, § 26; 58 Del. Laws, c. 148, § 26; 67 Del. Laws, c. 354, § 6; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 75 Del. Laws, c. 232, § 14; 77 Del. Laws, c. 227, §§ 2, 21.;
§ 1706. Motion to remove a name from registration records; procedure; entries in records as to such motion.
Repealed by 75 Del Laws, c. 232, § 15, effective Feb. 1, 2006.
§ 1707. Cancellation of registration due to a registrant having moved to another state.
(a) The departments of elections shall consider notification from another state, election jurisdiction or election official that a person registered to vote in Delaware has applied to register to vote or who has registered to vote in another state as permission from that person to cancel that person's Delaware voter registration.
(b) The departments of elections shall consider a written notice from a spouse, adult child, sibling or parent that a registered voter has moved out of state as permission from that person to cancel that person's voter registration. The notice shall be signed and the relationship to the previously mentioned voter stated.
(c) The board of elections for a county may cancel the voter registrations for any person who has moved out of state and given permission in writing or as otherwise provided in this section.
(d) Upon registration of a person in Delaware who is registered to vote in another state, the respective department of elections or State Election Commissioner shall notify the other state that the person has registered to vote in the State of Delaware.
15 Del. C. 1953, § 1707; 57 Del. Laws, c. 181, § 29; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 75 Del. Laws, c. 232, § 16; 77 Del. Laws, c. 227, §§ 2, 22.;
§ 1708. Correction of errors.
(a) Departments of elections personnel, upon approval of the appropriate supervisor, may correct errors on a person's voter registration record as necessary to maintain a complete and accurate voter registration list.
(b) The boards of elections shall approve any change in the year of birth of a registrant where there is a difference between the year submitted on a previous registration application and the year submitted on the most current registration application. A board of elections may, if deemed appropriate, refer such discrepancies to the Attorney General for investigation.
15 Del. C. 1953, § 1708; 51 Del. Laws, c. 139, § 1; 57 Del. Laws, c. 181, § 28; 75 Del. Laws, c. 232, § 17.;
§ 1709. Reregistration unnecessary upon change in election district boundary.
Any elector whose name appears as a registered voter in an election district affected by a change of boundary shall not be required to reregister because of the change in election districts arising from the change of boundaries.
45 Del. Laws, c. 144, § 10; 45 Del. Laws, c. 148, § 10; 45 Del. Laws, c. 149, § 10; 15 Del. C. 1953, § 1709; 57 Del. Laws, c. 181, § 30.;
§ 1710. Notice of change of election district boundary.
When the boundaries of any election district have been changed, the department of the county in which the district is located shall notify each of the affected voters by mail.
15 Del. C. 1953, § 1710; 57 Del. Laws, c. 181, § 31; 58 Del. Laws, c. 215, § 13.;
§ 1711. Notice by registered or certified mail.
Repealed by 75 Del Laws, c. 232, § 18, effective Feb. 1, 2006.