DELAWARE - Voters in Delaware currently must be registered Democrats or Republicans to participate in primary elections, but several proposed bills could soon change that.
Lawmakers in the Delaware General Assembly are weighing a series of measures aimed at reshaping how primaries are conducted. Among the proposals are plans to allow unaffiliated voters to cast ballots in party primaries, shift the state’s primary date and expand early voting access.
Delaware is one of the few states that still holds closed primaries, meaning independent or non-party voters are excluded. A bill introduced by Republican Rep. Michael Smith would open primaries to roughly 200,000 unaffiliated voters statewide.
Some voters say the change could lead to less political division. Patrick Roche, a registered independent, said allowing unaffiliated voters to participate might help ease conflict.
"I think that it's a good idea that non affiliates or independents can be, part of the primary process because it might be able to get, in my opinion, more moderate candidates elected or possibly put into elections," said Roche.
Others disagree. Susan Ramsay said opening primaries would raise fairness concerns.
"It's a problem because you aren't registered. You know, either party. And so, that really doesn't give you anywhere to go, except you'd have to go to both election processes to get that done," said Ramsay. "And you only get one vote."
Additional proposals include aligning Delaware’s primary date with presidential primaries to increase turnout and reduce costs, requiring primaries for special elections and establishing rules for recounts and early in-person voting.
Lawmakers have until the end of June to act on the measures as the state prepares for upcoming elections.