Rep. Bryan Shupe

Of the 57 municipalities in this State, the following 12 municipalities currently have 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. The residents of the 45 other municipalities are required to register with the municipality before voting in a municipal election. While some municipalities are exploring ending municipal voter registration requirements, 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.

This concurrent resolution proposes the formation of the Registered Voter List Improvement Task Force. This 10-member group will review current laws and practices associated with compiling and maintaining Delaware’s registered voter list. The main objective of the task force will be to suggest methods for improving the accuracy of the list. The task force shall deliver a report containing its findings and recommendations to every member of the General Assembly no later than March 15, 2022. In instances where improvement recommendations will require legislation to implement, the task force shall draft bills that will be included as part of its report.

Currently the Delaware Code does not permit alcoholic beverage license holders to brew hard seltzers or other non-malt based products that they are otherwise allowed to brew as a result of obtaining a Federal Brewer’s Notice. This Act permits Delaware brewery-pub and microbrewery license holders to brew, bottle and sell hard seltzers and other fermented beverages made from malt substitutes and includes specific tax on fermented beverages. The language of the Act also mirrors the federal definition of a malt-substitute product.

This Act proposes to limit the Governor’s abilities during a State of Emergency in regard to the Delaware Freedom of Information Act, exempting it from Title 20, Chapter 31. This Act also ensures that the reasons outlined in Title 29, §10003 for the public body requesting an extension to a FOIA request is an exhaustive list. This Act also adds Title 29, Chapter §10008, which states that the Governor may not suspend FOIA during a state of emergency without a showing that FOIA prevents, hinders, or delays the State’s necessary actions in coping with the crisis at hand.

This Act specifies the duty of election officers to establish the identity of a voter by requesting explicit forms of identification. Any citizen presenting themselves as a voter at a polling place, but who is unable to provide an acceptable form of identification, or whose eligibility to vote cannot be determined, may cast a provisional ballot. The number of provisional ballots initially available at each polling place is tripled under this Act. Provisional ballots will be processed under existing state law, as modified by this Act, allowing state election officials to determine the validity of the ballot by matching the data provided by the voter against the state’s voter records. This measure will maintain a citizen’s right to vote, while establishing clear procedures for ensuring the integrity of the voting process and facilitating greater public trust in election results.

This Act codifies what valid forms of identification are to be included with the statement an elector must prepare to request an absentee ballot. It also allows for an elector submitting the statement by mail to include a clear photocopy of one of the valid identification forms with the statement. This Act also calls for the Department of Elections to make an additional attempt to verify the elector’s identity if such identification is not included with the statement. If the elector does not provide the verifying information, the Department of Elections will not provide an absentee ballot to the elector.

This Act makes fraudulent voting a class G felony level crime, with a fine of not less than $1,000 for a first offense or not less than $2,000 for a subsequent offense. Upon conviction, the person shall forfeit their right of suffrage for 5 years. Fraudulent voting includes voting, or attempting to vote, more than once; falsely impersonating another and voting or attempting to vote in the name of such person; or voting or attempting to vote in the name of another person, whether living or dead.

This Resolution requires the Department of Elections to review practices in Delaware and other states and make recommendations relating to verifying signatures on absentee ballots.

This Act makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to discriminate against any individual because of their political affiliation or political belief.

This Act increases by one the number of licenses for the sale of alcoholic liquor an individual or entity may have an interest in, from two to three.