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House panel releases constitutional amendment to allow same‑day voter registration
Summary
The House Administration Committee voted to release House Bill 88, a proposed amendment to Article IV of the Delaware Constitution that would require the General Assembly to permit voter registration up to and including election day; the measure drew questions about process, fraud safeguards and potential staffing costs.
Representative Dennis Bush introduced House Bill 88 on behalf of the sponsor, saying the measure would change Article IV of the Delaware Constitution to allow registration up to election day. "What this bill will do is currently right now, registration, it has to occur within 10 days of the actual election," Bush told the House Administration Committee, and said a prior statutory effort (House Bill 25) was struck down in court (Albence v. Hayden), creating the need for a constitutional amendment.
The bill's nut graf: supporters say the change would expand ballot access and bring Delaware in line with many states that allow later registration; opponents and some committee members said the change raises operational and integrity questions that need more work before the measure is finalized.
Committee discussion focused on legal drafting, election integrity safeguards and operational impacts. Karen Lance, House attorney, confirmed the committee can amend the measure on its first legislative passage. Committee members raised a structural drafting question about how lines in the…
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