Please join the 38th District Republican Club PAC on Monday September 26th at 6:30 pm at the South Coastal Library on Kent Avenue in Bethany Beach. There is plenty of parking at the Library. Come at 6:00pm to socialize and check in, the meeting will start PROMPTLY at 6:30 pm.
This meeting our Guest Speaker will be the Delaware GOP Chair Jane Brady, who will discuss the recent Primary Election results, the upcoming General Election and the current lawsuit against the Department of Elections and Early Voting in the General Election.
The chairwoman of the Republican Party of Delaware has filed suit against the state’s Department of Elections over two new laws legalizing mail-in voting and same-day voter registration. See below for a recap on the lawsuit.
Also in attendance will be:
Senate Minority Leader, Senator Gerald Hocker
38th District Representative, Rep. Ron Gray
Sussex County Councilman Doug Hudson
Ocean View Town Councilman Collen Twardzik
Millville Town Councilman Bob Wisgirda
Sussex County Republican Chairwoman Marilyn Booker
38th Republican District Chair Bob Lawless.
We will present a recap of the 2022 legislative season of bills passed and defeated, current issues in Sussex County and Delaware and upcoming Republican Calls to Action. The Agenda will be distributed via our Club membership email system. Please bring your ideas, suggestions and your VOICE and speak up at this meeting.
Please purchase your Fighting 38th T-shirts here: https://www.38thdrcp.com/involved A portion of the proceeds goes to our Club. Select "Pick Up My Order" to save in shipping costs and your shirt will be delivered at the next Club meeting.
GOP Chair Sues Department of Elections over New Voting Laws
The chairwoman of the Republican Party of Delaware has filed suit against the state’s Department of Elections over TWO new laws legalizing
1. mail-in voting and
2. same-day voter registration.
GOP chair Jane Brady, who was Delaware’s attorney general from 1995 until 2005, said the new laws violate the state Constitution. “The Constitution provides you must vote in person on election day unless you qualify under very limited conditions to vote absentee,” Brady said during a press conference Friday. “Mail-in voting clearly violates that requirement, as it allows remote voting without declaring or meeting any of those limited conditions.”:
BREAKING NEWS THIS JUST IN: Mail-in voting for the general election has been struck down by the Chancery Court of Delaware as unconstitutional. Same day registration was upheld. Listen to Julianne Murray Thursday 9/15/2022 805am on WGMD with Mike Bradley!
Delaware Constitution Article V. Elections https://delcode.delaware.gov/constitution/constitution-06.html
§ 4A. General laws for absentee voting.
Section 4A. The General Assembly shall enact general laws providing that any qualified elector of this State, duly registered, who shall be unable to appear to cast his or her ballot at any general election at the regular polling place of the election district in which he or she is registered,
-either because of being in the public service of the United States or of this State, or his or her spouse or dependents when residing with or accompanying him
-or her because of the nature of his or her business or occupation,
-because of his or her sickness or physical disability,
-because of his or her absence from the district while on vacation,
-or because of the tenets or teachings of his or her religion,
may cast a ballot at such general election to be counted in such election district.
§ 4B. Uniform laws for absentee registration.
Section 4B. The General Assembly shall enact uniform laws for the registration of voters of this State entitled to vote under this Article who are temporarily absent therefrom and in the Armed Forces or Merchant Marine of the United States, or retainers or his or her spouse or dependents when residing with or accompanying him or her, or who are absent from the State because of illness or injury received while serving in any such capacity, upon application in person or in writing.
There are two plaintiffs listed in the suit. The first is Michael Mennella, a poll worker who claims that the laws force him to violate the Constitution in his capacity as an election official.
The second is Michael Higgin, a Republican candidate for the Delaware House of Representatives. Higgin claims the new laws will result in fraud, which will “dilute the votes of his supporters and himself,” Brady said. “The second reason is,” Brady added, “by allowing people to register up until election day, he’s deprived of his opportunity to argue his positions on policy…because he doesn’t even know who’s registered to vote.”
The lawsuit, filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery, asks a judge to:
Hold an expedited hearing;
Declare both laws unconstitutional;
Issue an injunction stopping the laws from taking effect;
Affirm that plaintiff Mennella is not required to enforce the new laws; and,
Award plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees, expenses, and costs, as well as any other relief the court feels appropriate.
Lawsuit One: Mail In Voting
Senate Bill 320 creates an opt-in vote-by-mail system wherein voters will have to request a ballot before one is sent. Ballots and ballot applications will never be automatically mailed to voters under the bill.
In June 2021, Republicans in the General Assembly effectively stopped the passage of a different bill that would have made no-excuse absentee voting a permanent fixture in Delaware’s elections.
House Bill 75, sponsored by Rep. David Bentz, D-Christiana, would have allowed Delaware voters to request mail-in ballots without providing an explanation.
But the bill, which sought to amend the Delaware Constitution, failed to receive the required two-thirds majority needed in the House of Representatives.
Constitutional amendments are also required to be passed separately during two consecutive legislative sessions.
Twelve Republicans voted in favor of the bill in 2019 during the 150th General Assembly. But in 2021, not one Republican voted in favor of the proposal.
The Constitution requires voters to provide justification before receiving an absentee ballot.
Excuses include being away from the state for work, college or public service, sickness or physical disability, military service or religious tenets in conflict with in-person voting.
Supporters of Senate Bill 320 say vote-by-mail is not the same as absentee voting, and the Constitution grants the General Assembly the authority to “prescribe the means, methods and instruments of voting so as best to secure secrecy and the independence of the voter, preserve the freedom and purity of elections and prevent fraud, corruption and intimidation…” What do YOU think? Is Vote-by-mail the same as absentee voting or is it different??
Opponents say that’s a distinction without a difference and when lawmakers failed to amend the Constitution, they developed a workaround to circumvent the law: Senate Bill 320.
During the bill’s Senate hearing, Sen. Colin Bonini, R-Dover, successfully attached an amendment to the bill that requires absentee voters to provide a form of identification — either the last four digits of their driver’s license or last four digits of their social security number.
Supporters included Common Cause Delaware, the ACLU of Delaware and the Attorney General’s Office.
Thirty-four states provide voters the option to cast ballots by mail. In 2020, 43.1% of the country’s electorate voted by mail.
Lawsuit Two: Same Day Voter Registration
Under previous law, Delawareans had until four Saturdays before an election to register to vote. House Bill 25 eliminated that deadline. Eligible voters may now register to vote in primary, special and general elections on the same day they cast their ballots.
“Currently, we have an arbitrary deadline several weeks before an election to register to vote, which disenfranchises potential voters,” said Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker, D-Wilmington, when the bill was up for a vote. “Upon missing this deadline, they are unable to cast ballots, even if they meet all other eligibility requirements. This is an outdated and unfair practice.”
Dorsey Walker said same-day registration has worked in several other states and is proven to safely and effectively increase voter turnout.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, same-day registration has existed in Maine, Minnesota and Wisconsin since the mid-1970s. Since then, more than 20 states and the District of Columbia have adopted same-day registration. Several other states are contemplating similar laws.
In order to register on election day, the bill requires applicants to submit an application and establish their identity by providing a copy of a current and valid government-issued photo identification or a current document displaying the name and address of the person registering to vote, such as a utility bill, bank statement, government check or paycheck. Voters can also register online!!!!
While debating the bill, Republicans expressed concern that applicants could fraudulently register to vote using a piece of mail with somebody else’s name and address.
“The hope with that would be that people wouldn’t try to be fraudulent with this process,” Dorsey Walker responded. “Some of this will fall on the constituent, too, in addition to the Department of Elections.”
What to YOU think?? Come to our next meeting, Monday September 26th, 6:30pm, South Coastal Library, Bethany Beach and let's discuss!
Do you live in the 38th District in Sussex County Delaware and are a Republican or thinking about becoming a Republican? Come to our next meeting! Our next meeting will be held on Monday, October 24th 630pm at the Bethany South Coastal Library, 43 Kent Avenue, Bethany Beach. Our club is open to new members who support Republican ideals.
Join 38th District Republican Club, Political Action Club
We meet monthly for meetings or events, please email for location
Email: info@38thdrcp.com
We welcome your support as we support conservative values and responsible government
To Donate Make check payable to:
38th DRCP
PO Box 1371
Bethany Beach, DE 19970
Comments