DELAWARE - The Delaware Republican Party is raising concerns over blank ballots in the Aug. 5 special election for State House District 20, pointing to an unusually high number of absentee ballots returned with no vote recorded.
According to data from the Delaware Department of Elections, 55 absentee ballots, more than 8 percent of those returned, were submitted blank. In February 2025, a Special Election for two senate districts had only two undervotes. According to the Delaware Department of Elections website, undervotes happen when someone leaves part of their ballot blank. This can mean they skipped a race entirely or didn’t choose as many candidates as allowed. The increase has alarmed Republican leaders, who are calling for immediate answers.
“These aren’t small, insignificant details — these are core issues of transparency, accountability, and trust in our elections,” said Nick Miles, Executive Director of the Delaware Republican Party. “Delawareans deserve to know how 55 absentee ballots went unmarked in a high-turnout, high-stakes special election — and why election procedures weren’t followed or enforced at key polling locations.”
Miles emphasized that the irregularities would not affect the certified outcome of the race but insisted that the issues still demand investigation.
In addition to the absentee ballot concern, the GOP is also questioning procedural issues at the Mariner Middle School polling place. According to the GOP's release, the Republican minority election judge did not sign the voting machine tapes, having been absent during both the opening and closing of the machines. The issue was allegedly raised with a supervisor early in the day, but no corrective action was taken.
The Delaware Republican Party has formally requested a response from State Election Commissioner and is urging a full review of both the absentee ballot undervotes and Election Day procedures.
CoastTV has reached out to the Delaware Department of Elections, but have not received a response.