Delaware County Board of Elections certifies May 20 primary after return-board review

The Delaware County Board of Elections voted unanimously to certify the results of the May 20, 2025 municipal primary, including multiple boroughs and school-district contests, after members of the county return board reported reconciled ballot counts and a hand recount that verified scanner results.

The certification motion, which listed affected municipalities and a slate of accumulation-petition candidates, passed by voice vote with no member recorded as opposed. The board also approved minutes from its Oct. 22 and Nov. 25, 2024 meetings, with one member noted as abstaining.

Why this matters: certification completes the county's formal canvass of the primary and clears the way for any legal challenges or court hearings that may follow. Board members used return-board findings and operational observations to begin planning consolidation of low-turnout precincts and further process improvements ahead of the November election.

During public comment, Carys Coker of Concord Township raised procedural concerns about missing legal notices tied to return-board schedules, saying, "there were several legal notices that are required by the schedule, put out by the Department of State that were not published pertaining to the times of the return board meeting and other events in this election." Board members and staff responded that they would note the concern and that the law's requirements and signatures on state-provided certification forms were being followed.

Two longtime return-board members who reviewed returned materials and participated in a random hand recount presented their findings to the board. James Zigglehofer said the precinct paperwork and tapes "are accurate" and called the May 2025 process "beyond a doubt the easiest to get through" compared with recent cycles. Regina Shearer, who has served as both a return-board member and judge of elections, told the board the return-board process "has absolutely gotten better every single time." Both recommended certification.

Jim Allen, the county elections director, told the board the office had made multiple operational improvements since 2021 and credited training, warehouse operations and new poll-pad procedures for faster processing and reporting. Allen said election-night reporting improved to a new benchmark, with results for all precincts reported by 11:30 p.m., and described an experimental change in Chester City that reduced poll-pad burden for precinct workers and allowed voter history to be uploaded by the Friday after Election Day.

The board discussed plans to pursue precinct consolidations this summer, citing randomly selected precincts in the return-board sample that recorded as few as 10 and 14 ballots cast. Allen said the county has prepared legal templates and verbal descriptions and has coordinated with the Department of State; the consolidation process will include court hearings and public hearings before final action. He characterized some consolidations as "low-hanging fruit" the county plans to address first and said splitting some supersized precincts may also be considered.

Actions at a glance: the board certified the May 20, 2025 municipal primary (voice vote; motion passed unanimously) and approved two sets of minutes from 2024 (motion passed; one abstention noted). Board members also directed staff to proceed with public notice and preparatory work on precinct consolidation and November election logistics.

Looking ahead: staff will begin mailing notices to successful accumulation-petition candidates and continue preparations for the November election, including broader rollout of the poll-pad return procedure that was tested this spring. The consolidation proposals will move forward through administrative filings and scheduled hearings before any final changes are adopted.