Delaware Voters
Voting should be secure, accessible, and understandable. Know your rights and responsibilities before you enter the polling place — and learn what Delaware churches and pastors may do to help their communities engage during election season.
Always confirm with an official source. Delaware elections are administered by the Delaware Department of Elections and its county offices. If you have a question about your registration, polling place, eligibility, ballot, or a problem while voting, contact the Department directly. View Delaware election office contacts →
For Individuals
Knowing what to expect before you arrive can make voting easier. These are some of the most important rights and responsibilities Delaware voters should understand.
On Election Day, Delaware voters generally vote at the polling place assigned to their residential address. During Early Voting, registered voters may vote at any designated Early Voting Site within their county of residence.
Check your registration and polling place before heading out to vote.
Check your record in the Delaware Voter Portal →Eligible Delaware citizens have the right to register and vote when they satisfy Delaware's voter-registration requirements and register by the applicable deadline.
Delaware does not generally offer Election Day registration for state Primary and General Elections, so confirm your registration ahead of time.
Delaware voter registration information →Delaware poll workers ask voters to show proof of identity, but Delaware does not require photo identification to vote in state and federal elections.
If you do not show ID, are at the correct polling place or Early Voting Site, and appear on the poll list, you may complete an Affirmation of Voter Identity and then vote.
Read Delaware's official voter ID guidance →A voter who needs help because of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may receive assistance from a person of the voter's choice, except the voter's employer, an agent of the employer, or an officer or agent of the voter's union.
You may also ask election officers how to operate the voting machine. When assistance inside the booth is provided by election officers, two officers of opposite political parties provide the instruction together.
Accessible voting information →Delaware is required to provide accessible polling places and voting equipment. Delaware's ExpressVote XL voting machines include accessibility features designed to allow voters with disabilities to vote independently.
If you encounter an accessibility problem at your voting location, notify an election officer and contact the Department of Elections.
Voters with disabilities →Delaware law permits authorized challengers and election officers to challenge a voter's eligibility in certain circumstances. A challenge is considered by the election officials responsible for the polling place.
If your regular vote is refused, Delaware law provides for an offer of a provisional ballot. Be aware that Delaware provisional ballots are limited to eligible federal offices.
Learn about provisional ballots →Delaware election procedures are designed so that other people cannot see how you cast your ballot, except when assistance is lawfully required. Election officials are also directed to guard against cameras or mirrors being positioned in a way that could reveal a voter's selections.
If you believe the secrecy of your ballot is being compromised, notify an election officer immediately.
Delaware voters may bring children age 17 or younger with them while voting. This can also be an opportunity to show children firsthand how the voting process works.
Delaware voting FAQ →Delaware prohibits electioneering inside the polling place and within 50 feet of the entrance to the building containing the voting room.
The law's definition of electioneering includes political discussion, candidate or issue buttons, banners, literature, writings, and other materials referring to candidates, issues, or partisan topics.
Delaware's Department of Elections also instructs voters not to talk on cell phones in the polling place. Review your voter guide and make your voting plan before entering the restricted area.
Read Delaware's electioneering law →If something appears wrong with your registration, voting equipment, polling-place access, provisional ballot, or another part of the voting process, ask an election officer for assistance before leaving whenever possible.
You may also contact your county Department of Elections office or the Office of the State Election Commissioner. Delaware maintains a formal complaint process for certain violations covered by the Help America Vote Act.
Delaware election complaint information →Check registration, party affiliation, polling place, and voter information.
Open iVote →Official Department of Elections voting guidance and frequently asked questions.
Voting FAQ →Find Early Voting Sites and Election Day polling-place information.
Find voting locations →Review registration qualifications, deadlines, and procedures.
Registration information →Review eligibility and instructions for Delaware absentee ballots.
Absentee information →Contact the State Election Commissioner or your New Castle, Kent, or Sussex County office.
Office contacts →For Churches & Pastors
Churches do not have to be silent during election season. The key is understanding the distinction between discussing issues and engaging in prohibited candidate campaign activity on behalf of a 501(c)(3) organization.
Pastors and churches may speak about biblical truth, moral issues, public policy, religious liberty, life, parental rights, family, education, and other matters affecting their communities. Churches may also conduct genuinely nonpartisan voter education, registration, and get-out-the-vote efforts.
Churches and pastors may address moral, biblical, social, and public-policy issues, including issues that are debated during political campaigns.
Churches may encourage civic participation and conduct nonpartisan voter-registration and get-out-the-vote efforts that are not designed to benefit or oppose a candidate or political party.
Churches may conduct qualifying nonpartisan voter education and may distribute voter-information materials when the activity is structured and presented in a genuinely nonpartisan manner.
The federal 501(c)(3) campaign restriction does not prevent pastors or organizational leaders from expressing political views in their personal capacities. They should make clear that they are speaking personally rather than on behalf of the church.
Under current federal tax rules, a church organized under section 501(c)(3) may not officially participate or intervene in a campaign on behalf of or in opposition to a candidate for elective public office.
Churches should not use organizational money, publications, staff time, facilities, or other resources in a manner that constitutes prohibited intervention in a candidate campaign.
Churches may be able to host candidate appearances or forums when structured appropriately, but the details matter. Equal opportunity, neutrality, fundraising, and the context of an appearance can affect the legal analysis.
501(c)(3) churches may engage in some lobbying on legislation, but federal tax law limits the amount of lobbying activity. State reporting or campaign finance rules may also apply depending on the activity.
A practical legal overview of political issues, voter education, candidate activity, church facilities, lobbying, and campaign participation.
View ADF Election GuideOfficial federal guidance explaining the restriction on political campaign intervention by churches and other 501(c)(3) organizations.
Read IRS GuidanceIRS resources addressing federal tax rules applicable specifically to churches, religious organizations, and other tax-exempt ministries.
View IRS Church ResourcesA religious-liberty overview discussing the rights of pastors and houses of worship during election season.
Read the GuideReview Title 15 of the Delaware Code for state election laws governing voting, electioneering, campaign activity, election administration, and related requirements.
View Delaware Election LawDelaware's official resource for election procedures, voter information, campaign rules, calendars, and election administration.
Visit Department of ElectionsConfirm your registration, know where you are voting, review the candidates and issues, and enter the voting booth prepared to make an informed decision.