DELAWARE -A new bill introduced in the General Assembly would change how primary elections are conducted in the state by allowing unaffiliated voters to participate.
House Bill 188 proposes an amendment to Title 15 of the Delaware Code that would let the approximately 170,000 registered voters who are not affiliated with any political party cast ballots in the primary election of their choice.
Currently, Delaware operates under a closed primary system, where only registered members of a political party can vote in that party’s primary. Under the proposed legislation, this restriction would be lifted only for unaffiliated voters—meaning voters who have not registered with any party. However, the bill would not allow party-affiliated voters to cross over and vote in the primary of another party.
House Bill 188 is assigned to the Election and Government Affairs Committee. A hearing is expected before the session concludes at the end of June.