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Delaware elections office urges upgrade to campaign‑finance system, seeks more early‑voting sites
Summary
The Department of Elections told the Joint Finance Committee its Campaign Finance Reporting System is near end of life and requested $1.179M over five years to replace it; the office also asked for funding to expand early‑voting from 19 to 25 sites but much of that request was not recommended.
The Department of Elections told the Joint Finance Committee on Feb. 13 that its campaign‑finance reporting software is “close to the end of its functional life” and urged funding to replace the system.
Commissioner Anthony Aldens said the vendor’s platform is several generations ahead of Delaware’s current implementation and that retrofitting the old system would be “9 or 10 times the cost” of building needed features into a modern system. The department requested a $1,179,300 package spread over five years; the committee was told the first‑year cost would be about $209,200.
Why it matters: a modern system would add usability, permit dashboards and self‑service functions for filers, and reduce per‑change retrofit costs that Aldens described as “exorbitant.” Supporters say an upgraded system would improve transparency and enforcement of campaign‑finance rules.
The elections office also sought funding to expand early‑voting locations. Aldens reported Delaware had 19 early‑voting sites in 2024 and requested an increase to 25 (three additional sites in New Castle County, two in Kent County and one in Sussex County). The governor’s recommended budget included $6,538,800 in recommended one‑time funds for the 2026 primary and general elections but left portions of the early‑voting expansion unfunded: roughly $1,874,100 was recommended and about $3,959,400 of the early‑voting request was not recommended.
Committee members pressed officials on why parts of the elections office’s requests were denied. Department staff said some cybersecurity gaps could be covered by federal HAVA (Help America Vote Act) grants but that overall federal election security funding recently fell to roughly $250,000 from prior formula allocations near $1 million, tightening available resources.
Operational details and constraints: the department described challenges finding and securing facilities for multi‑week early‑voting leases, higher costs for commercial spaces (notably in Wilmington and beach areas), and logistical limits in counties that deliver and store equipment. Officials noted fleet upkeep needs (the department operates seven box trucks) and singled out an estimated $10,000 needed to repair a liftgate on an older vehicle.
Public comment: a virtual speaker from Community Legal Aid urged continued investment in accessibility, poll‑worker training on assistive technology and broader expansion of automatic voter registration to additional institutions.
What’s next: the committee will weigh these requests during markup and the department said it will provide more detailed cost breakdowns on CFRS and early‑voting site proposals when county offices present operational specifics.
