An amendment to the Delaware Constitution requires the same bill to pass two consecutive General Assemblies by a two-thirds majority.
On April 11, 2019, House Bill 73 passed in the House with 38 yes votes and three no votes. With passage in the Senate on Jan. 16, 2020, Delaware had finally taken the first step to join the 35 other states that allow individuals to vote absentee without having to provide a reason from a list of approved excuses.
House Bill 75 was introduced Jan. 14, 2021. Since it is the same bill that 93% of representatives voted for in the previous General Assembly, you would think it would sail through the House again. Wrong. On June 10, every Republican voted no, including 12 who voted yes in 2019 for the same bill.
As the bill’s sponsor, Rep. David Bentz, D-Christiana, said, “Nothing has changed with regards to the security or efficacy of absentee voting since 2019. The only thing that has changed is the political rhetoric around it, which is built on a concerted disinformation campaign.”
HB 75 needs 28 votes for passage. All 26 Democrats voted yes. There is still time for two Republicans to change their votes from no to yes and bring no-excuse absentee voting to Delaware.
A Republican yes vote would also be a repudiation of the big lie of voter fraud in the 2020 election. It’s up to you, Reps. Ruth Briggs King, Tim Dukes, Ron Gray, Kevin Hensley, Shannon Morris, Charles Postles, Mike Ramone, Danny Short, Bryan Shupe, Mike Smith, Steve Smyk and Jesse Vanderwende.
Joanne Cabry
Chair, Progressive Democrats of Sussex County
