Stephanie T. Bolden is Democrat representing Wilmington in the House of Representatives.
Over the last several years, the legislature has taken a number of steps to make voting easier and more accessible for Delawareans.
And those efforts to remove unnecessary barriers have paid off. Today, registered voters in Delaware have a 10-day early-voting window before an election and the option to vote by permanent absentee ballot.
These reforms were designed with everyday life in mind. People balance work, family and countless responsibilities, and our election system should reflect that reality — and, by doing so, strengthen our democracy.
Now, lawmakers have the opportunity to build on that progress and save taxpayer dollars in the process.
Delaware currently holds its presidential primaries in April. Then, we ask voters to come back again in September for the state and local primaries. That means we need to hold separate elections, give voters two dates to remember and incur an extra round of taxpayer-funded costs.
House Bill 65 is a simple and commonsense measure that would align these primaries, saving the state $1.5 million and eliminating confusion for voters.
While Delaware didn’t hold a presidential primary in 2024, and our presidential primary in 2020 was impacted by COVID-19, we can look to 2016 for a clear illustration of the problem. In 2016, voter turnout in the presidential primary was nearly double that of the state primaries that followed a few months later.
And I know from my conversations with voters that it’s not because people don’t care about state and local government. It’s because life is busy. When you ask voters to show up once, they do. When you ask them to come back months later, many don’t.
Many states already follow this model. In 2024, 19 states held their presidential and state primaries on the same day, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and California. They’ve recognized what should be obvious: It just makes sense. Consolidating elections increases participation and reduces confusion.
Delaware, meanwhile, has one of the latest state primaries in the country — just seven weeks before Election Day. The calendar is so tight that the state must routinely seek federal waivers to meet ballot deadlines for overseas and military voters. That means Delawareans serving abroad often have very little time to receive, review and return their ballots.
A democracy in which everyone can participate is something our nation has always aspired to achieve. And, as Democrats, we have worked for decades to ensure that every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast his or her ballot. Aligning our primaries is an easy, responsible step we can take to live up to that promise and continue building on the hard-fought progress we have made.
The Delaware House of Representatives has already recognized this fact and has passed this bill seven times with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Now, it’s time for the Senate to act. For the sake of voters, fiscal responsibility and the continued modernization of our election system, the Senate should pass House Bill 65, so we can move Delaware forward.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
