ACLU of Delaware’s Every Vote Counts Campaign Lobbies at State Capitol for Crucial Voting Rights Legislation

DOVER, DE — Yesterday, the ACLU of Delaware’s Every Vote Counts (EVC) campaign and the Delaware Voting Rights Coalition (DVRC) gathered community members from across the state at Legislative Hall to advocate for voting rights legislation, including:

• Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 2 (SS 1 for SB 2): legislation that guarantees that early in-person voting is safeguarded for Delaware voters;
• Senate Substitute 2 for Senate Bill 3 with House Amendment 1 (SS 1 for SB 3 w/ HA 1): legislation that allows all eligible voters to vote absentee without needing an excuse;
• House Bill 88 (HB 88): legislation that removes constitutional barriers that currently prevent same-day voter registration;
• House Bill 180 (HB 180): legislation that restores voting rights for people who have served their sentences for a felony;
• A State Voting Rights Act (VRA): legislation that would establish state-law protections against voting discrimination.

Over the course of the day, 42 community members from organizations including Women’s March Sussex, Indivisible, League of Women Voters, and others, met with over 17 legislators to seek their support and commitment to take action on the outlined legislation. These volunteers were joined by representatives from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), which recently partnered with ACLU-DE to launch a campaign to enact a state-level Voting Rights Act in Delaware. This would provide much-needed protections against discrimination at the ballot box as Black voters and other voters of color face the greatest assault on voting rights since the Jim Crow era.

“With federal attacks on the right to vote increasing every single day, it’s imperative that states uphold their responsibility to protect voters’ sacred right to free and fair access to the ballot box,” said Legal Defense Fund Policy Counsel Christina Das. “That’s why we’re urging Delaware legislators to introduce and support a State VRA immediately. Black voters in Delaware deserve equal access to the ballot box, and a Delaware VRA will be a crucial step to expand safeguards that have been weakened at the federal level.”

The lobby day was well-received by legislators across the aisle, with several such as Rep. Snyder-Hall and Rep. Osienski affirming their commitment to strengthening voting rights and sharing photos on social media of their meetings with EVC volunteers. Rep. Lambert, current champion for the state-level VRA, met with campaign members and informed the group that he hopes to introduce the bill before the end of session.

"This Lobby Day is only one piece of our larger campaign efforts to advance these critical voting rights bills” said Branden Fletcher, ACLU-DE Voting Rights Organizer, “Since we launched the campaign in 2024, EVC volunteers have knocked on doors up and down the state, made hundreds of phone calls, and turned up time and time again to ensure legislators are listening to the needs of Delaware voters.”

During meetings, many advocates shared personal experiences about obstacles they’ve faced and witnessed while trying to cast their ballot. Wilmington resident Sally Barclay shared her story of being a poll greeter in 2020 and having to turn someone away due to Delaware’s lack of same-day voter registration:

A man came up and told me that he had just moved to Delaware from California a week prior. I had to inform him that Delaware's voter registration deadline is 24 days before the election, and he wouldn't be able to vote. He had studied up on the candidates, knew who he was going to vote for, found the polling place, got himself there, and was very discouraged and upset that he wouldn't be able to vote. That's why I'm hoping that HB 88 will pass.

HB 88 and HB 180 made it through House committees last year with the support of the EVC campaign and now await a floor vote in the House. If they pass the House, they will need to make it through the Senate this year, and the entire General Assembly in the next legislative session to become law. Both SS 1 for SB 2 and SB 3 w/ HA 1 secured full passage of their first leg with bipartisan support last month. These bills now await passage of their second leg during the next legislative session, after which they would officially codify early in-person and no-excuse absentee voting in the Delaware Constitution.

To learn more about the Every Vote Counts Campaign, visit:
https://www.aclu-de.org/campaigns-initiatives/evc/

To learn more about the Delaware Voting Rights Act Campaign, visit:
https://www.aclu-de.org/campaigns-initiatives/vra/

Those who wish to get involved with campaign efforts can sign up to become a volunteer: https://secure.ngpvan.com/9iOEOKCEak-ghJhegDffDQ2