Delaware General Assembly


CHAPTER 234

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 15, DELAWARE CODE, RELATING TO ELECTIONS TO PROVIDE FOR SPECIAL REGISTRATION OF VOTERS IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN EACH COUNTY AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Delaware:

Section 1. Title 15, Delaware Code, is amended by adding thereto a new Chapter to read:

CHAPTER 20. SPECIAL REGISTRATION DAYS

§ 2001. Special Registration Days

(a) In addition to the regular registration days required to be held in the several election districts, the Department of Elections for each county may designate one or more special days whereby persons who are residents of the county and are qualified to enjoy the right of an election may register or apply for a transfer of registration, change of address, or change of party affiliation. Party affiliation changes at such special registration days may be made up to and including the fourth Saturday in July in the year of a general election.

(b) The designated special days and the place and time for such special registration shall be set by the Department of Elections for each county, and shall be after January 1st and before October 1st in the year of a general election.

§ 2002. Registration of Qualified Voters on Special Registration Days

In each year in which a general election is held, the Department of Elections for each county may designate one or more locations in each county on the days designated pursuant to this chapter, at which locations the Auxiliary Registration Officers for each county shall have all the powers and authority of local registration officers in their respective election districts, to register qualified electors who appear personally, for the purpose of registering, and whose names do not appear as qualified voters on the original permanent registration records for the proper election district, with the right of appeal and challenge in all cases, as in the case of local registration officers sitting in their respective local election districts during a Supplementary Registration as described in this title, and using the same registration records and supplies as are used by the local registration officers in their respective election districts in performing the like duties.

§ 2003. Auxiliary Registration Officers, Appointment; Political representation

For the purpose of effectuating this Chapter, the Department of Elections for each county shall appoint Auxiliary Registration Officers for each county. Such officers shall be equally divided between the two political parties which received the highest vote in the State at the last gubernatorial election. The County Executive Committee of each of the two such political parties, within 30 days after written request of the Department of Elections, shall furnish the Department of Elections a list of five names of properly qualified persons for each position to be filled, from which list the Department shall make its appointments prior to the first special registration. If the lists are not furnished, the Department shall appoint some suitable person or persons of such political affiliation, as indicated by the voters preference as shown on his permanent registration card, having all the qualifications provided in this section.

§ 2004. Powers and Duties; Term of Office; Compensation; Oath

The Auxiliary Registration Officers shall have and possess all the powers that are vested in and shall be required to perform all the duties, so far as consistent with the provisions of this chapter, that are imposed upon registration officers generally by this title; they shall before entering upon their duties, take and subscribe the oath required of other registration officers; their compensation shall be fixed by, and they shall serve at the pleasure of the Department making the appointment.

§ 2005. Notice of Special Registration

The Department of Elections of each county, at least ten days prior to a special registration day, shall give public notice by advertisement posted in ten or more of the public places in the election district in which the special registration is to be held of the time, place and hour of such special registration, and shall also cause one such notice to be advertised in a newspaper of general circulation in the county at least seven days prior to such special registration.

Section 2. The sum of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) is hereby appropriated to the Department of Elections of New Castle County, and the sum of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) each to the Department of Elections of Kent and Sussex Counties for use in carrying out the purposes of this Act.

Section 3. This shall be known as a Supplementary Appropriation Act and the monies hereby appropriated shall be paid out of the General Fund of the State of Delaware from sums not otherwise appropriated.

Section 4. Any unexpended funds hereby appropriated shall not revert to the General Fund until June 30, 1965.

Approved February 18, 1964.