By Andrew WestDOVER — We’re deep in the stretch run of campaign season.
And, indeed, we are looking forward to election night.
Our plan is to post developments and results at BaytoBayNews.com throughout Tuesday.
Election night can be one of the most chaotic of the year in the newsroom, so our hope is that the Department of Elections has a smooth night, too.
We’ll do our best to include as many races as possible, but we acknowledge that our deadline may not allow us to print a complete list of results in Wednesday’s edition.
We are sticking close to our usual schedule to meet printing and delivery times.
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We hope readers have found our coverage helpful in learning about the candidates.
Participation from politicians has been less than desired. We’re not calling anyone out today in this column, but you can see who snubbed the process in our list of candidates at BaytoBayNews.com and from what you have read on these pages in the past few weeks.
During a conversation with readers last week, we heard how much the candidate answers mean in their decision-making processes.
When this editor shared that candidate participation was poor this year, one reader described it as “reprehensible.”
Citizens are yearning for more than roadside signs.
This is not just a problem for the Delaware State News. It has become more frequent for candidates to ignore requests from organizations, such as the League of Women Voters and the Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce, who believe Delawareans need to know more about the candidates and their positions.
Even so, we have a great collection of election-related stories on our website. If you need to cram before the big day, visit our Voters’ Guide at BaytoBayNews.com/Vote2022.
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Today’s edition includes the initial offerings of the Local Journalism Collaborative — a partnership of local news and community organizations working to bridge divides statewide.
The subject is political polarization, which remains a hot topic in Delaware and across the nation.
As a news organization, we believe it is healthy for the community to take a closer look, as writer Andrew Sharp does with today’s story on Return Day.
The post-election gathering in Georgetown has been a Delaware tradition for two centuries. Politicians “bury the hatchet” and share rides in the parade.
Earlier in 2022, partners in the collaborative selected polarization as the issue to focus on for the next two years. They will report on and engage communities throughout Delaware on issues of racial, political, geographic and other types of polarization.
Partners will do in-depth journalism on the selected challenge and possible solutions, arming the community with nonpartisan, independent data, information and ideas. And the collaborative will bring together community leaders for conversations about the challenges.
Learn more about the journalism effort at ljidelaware.org/collaborative.
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Did you know that Delaware is one of 37 states with a political “trifecta” — one party controlling the governorship and both legislative chambers? Democrats have made it such for 14 years.
Delaware is one of 14 states with Democrats holding the majority.
And, currently, every statewide elected official is a Democrat.
Statistically, 48% of registered Delaware voters are Democrats and 28% are Republicans.
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The current balance of the state Senate is 14 Democrats and seven Republicans.
There are six Democrats and four Republicans in uncontested races Tuesday.
There are 11 contested Senate races Tuesday. Of those districts, eight are now held by Democrats.
There is a guarantee of three new state senators, following the departures of Democrat Bruce Ennis in District 14 and Republican Ernie Lopez in District 6, plus the primary loss of Republican Colin Bonini in District 16.
Former Levy Court Commissioner Eric Buckson ousted Sen. Bonini in the primary.
In the state House of Representatives, Democrats hold a 26-15 edge.
There are six Democrats and seven Republicans in 13 uncontested races there.
Andrew West is executive editor of the Delaware State News.
