Live Blog Coverage of 2024 Election in Delaware
Follow Delaware Public Media's coverage of what's happening throughout the day on Election Day - Nov. 5, including results as they come on once the polls close.
AP calls Delaware for VP Kamala Harris
Once the polls closed at 8pm, AP quickly called the state for Kamala Harris, giving Harris the state's 3 electoral votes.
It is the ninth straight Presidential election that Delaware has gone to the Democrat running. The last time Delaware backed a Republican presidential candidates was George H.W. Bush in 1988.
AP makes Delaware race calls
AP has called the following races in Delaware at 9:30 p.m.:
U.S. Senate - Lisa Blunt Rochester (D)
U.S. House - Sarah McBride (D)
Governor - Matt Meyer (D)
DNC HQ setup at the Chase Center
Wilmington's Chase Center on the Riverfront is serving as Delaware's Democratic headquarters for Election Night.
Delaware Public Media reporters are already set up at the Center and will be stationed there throughout the night. Continue to follow along with DPM's 2024 Election Blog for live updates.
Turnout remains strong in Delaware
The latest update on turnout from the Delaware Dept. of Elections was just before 4 p.m. It shows 179,005 people have voted in person today.
Combined with in person early voting and absentee voting, the total turnout so far is 426.1177 or 54% turnout as of 4 p.m.
Polls are open until 8 p.m.
Sen. Carper out campaigning for others as he preps for retirement
Sen. Tom Carper, who is rounding out his term as a U.S. senator, stopped by Nellie H. Stokes Elementary around noon.
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Eric Hansen and Michael Katz are vying for Carper’s seat today.
“I would say the emotion I feel is gratitude. I feel grateful… The greatest source of joy in our lives is not what we do for ourselves, but what we do for others,” Carper said.
While federal seats and the governor’s position have been reliably blue for years, there are several districts in Delaware that reliably elect Republican state representatives, including Lyndon Yearick in House District 34.
Tracey Miller is the Democratic candidate running against Yearick, who is hoping to keep his seat for a fifth term.
Miller encouraged voters to take down-ballot races into consideration on election day.
“We have a community job to do every year or every election,” Miller said. “Whether it's school board to the president, it doesn't matter. All politics are local, and you don't have a say unless you vote.”
Carper concurred and said he started out as Delaware’s state treasurer and ran unopposed.
“Sometimes, there's down-ballot people that actually become governors and senators and other things as well.”
Voting in Middletown
Middletown High School has seen slow but steady activity at the polls with the expectation that it will pick up after 5.
Those doing last minute stumping for candidates were saying that during early voting there were times when it was a three hour wait to vote.
None of that today.
Sharon from Middletown is originally from Zambia, and she recently became an American citizen here.
"I voted for people that I just thought had good morals, that had a good head on their shoulders. I wasn't voting political lines."
Another voter in Middletown said he was doing his part, and to be a good role model to his children. He was also excited at the possibility of the first female president.
Sussex County Council contender Steve McCarron campaigns for Republican candidates in Milford
Republican Steve McCarron recently beat Sussex County Council District 2 incumbent Cynthia Green, also a Republican, in the September Primary Election.
He now runs unopposed in the 2024 General Election and is visiting polling locations in hopes of inspiring more voters to vote for conservatives.
“I’m out here today supporting Bryan Shupe — I spent the morning supporting Nikki Miller because I certainly believe in what they stand for, and I like good working partners at the state level,” McCarron told Delaware Public Media’s Sarah Petrowich outside the First Baptist Church of Milford polling location.
Incumbent Republican State Rep. Bryan Shupe is facing Democratic challenger Rony Baltazar-Lopez for the House District 36 seat and Republican Nikki Miller is attempting to flip the blue House District 20 seat red, which is currently held by State Rep. Stell Parker Selby.
“I think both parties need to concentrate really on discussing what the needs of the local districts are,” McCarron said. “Bryan Shupe is a small business owner… and I think having that mindset is important. Affordable housing and jobs are big priorities in the state of Delaware, and we need people with experience in that, and that’s why I’m out here supporting Bryan Shupe, and I believe he has a lot better vision than his opponent.”
McCarron has served for over 30 years as a volunteer firefighter and served on the Woodbridge School Board for 10 years.
Checking in on New Castle County voting
Many residents in Newark near White Clay Creek State Park spent at least part of their lunch hour at Etta Wilson Elementary School voting on this election day.
There were voters on both sides - Democrats and Republicans - voting for various reasons.
Most said they were out because it's their civic duty to vote while others voted for various reasons, whether it was their reaction to January 6, 2021 or they're a Christian Conservative voting to affirm their beliefs.
Denise from Newark says she's voting for the future.
"I have children, I have young sons, I have grandsons that's my reason for voting."
She also made it known that she doesn't align with former President Donald Trump, and that his views are not best for her family.
Others did say they liked the direction the state is headed moving forward.
One voter, was voting for the first time ever. She's originally from China, and she has been in the country for 10 years.
Democrats and Republicans alike turn out to cast their ballots in Milford
Delaware’s 36th House District is one of the state’s most “purple” voting areas.
As of Nov. 1, registered Republicans only outnumber registered Democrats by 184 voters, leaving the remaining roughly 30% to either be unaffiliated or Independent.
Outside Mispillion Elementary School — where several voters were redirected to from Lulu M. Ross Elementary School following a recent redistricting — Janice Mitchell of Milford said she’s very nervous about the election.
“I’m a Democrat, and of course, I want Harris to win. I think it would be horrible for the country to have Trump — I think we’d lose a lot of rights, and we’d be very, very sorry in the next four years,” she said.
Mitchell explained she’s not too worried about the governor’s race or other down-ballot races because Delaware largely ends up voting Democratic. She said she voted for House District 36 Democratic challenger Rony Baltazar-Lopez, who is trying to unseat incumbent Republican State Rep. Bryan Shupe, but that race is not top of mind for her.
“Shupe, even though he’s Republican, has done pretty well for the area. Rony seems to be interesting -- I voted for him, so I’m not too worried about that race.”
Janice Good of Milford said she voted straight-ticket Republican in hopes to break the norm in a blue state and said she doesn’t believe Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris is “presidential material.”
“Delaware is considered a Democratic state and maybe I thought I was gonna change it. The street that I moved in on is a new street and all of my neighbors are all Republicans and maybe we can change the state,” she said, citing undocumented immigration as her top issue and noting she has voted for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump now in all three presidential elections.
State Rep. Bryan Shupe chats with voters outside Lulu M. Ross Elementary School in Milford
Voter turnout is slow but steady in the 36th District where an important State House election is underway.
Incumbent Republican State Rep. Bryan Shupe faces Democratic challenger Rony Baltazar-Lopez — the seat is one of four key House races that could determine if Democrats gain a supermajority in both chambers of the Delaware General Assembly.
“I’ve talked about it before, but the supermajority in Delaware is real, and this is one of the seats that we’re fighting back against it,” Shupe told Delaware Public Media’s Sarah Petrowich.
“Regardless of what party you are, I think the supermajority is something that could have dangerous effects in Delaware, where a majority party — regardless of what party they are — does not kind of have to check in when they either change the constitution or create laws.”
Shupe says voter turnout at Lulu Ross M. Elementary School has been slower than traditionally seen on a presidential election, but he thinks that’s thank to the high turnout for early voting in the past 10 days.
If election turnout stays consistent with prior presidential elections, it’s estimated that around 40% of Delawareans already cast their ballot ahead of Election Day.
“We have seen a lot of people come up here, whether Democrat or Republican, give us a handshake, say, ‘We’re hoping that you continue on. We love what you’ve done as representative,’ so a lot of just sharing of confidence and sharing of support, and it’s been a really fun day to be out here,” Shupe said.
Shupe plans to head to Slaughter Beach, Lincoln and Ellendale throughout the day. You can find more information about the House District 36 race here.
More from the 34th House District
DPM's Abigail Lee remains on the ground in the 34th House District, visiting the polling place at Stokes Elementary to tall to voters there. Here's what she found:
Peter Biggins came out to the polls with one issue top of mind — abortion rights.
“That doesn’t belong in the hands of the government. It belongs in the hands of the woman and families… I’m fed up. I’m done. It’s Democrats up and down the ballot."
Barry Donze came to Nellie H. Stokes Elementary to cast his vote for Republicans down the ballot.
“All Republicans,” Donze said. “Because if I can get all Republicans in there with a Republican president, we’ll get more done.”
Berlinda Hemsley pulled into the same parking lot with her two children to vote for Democratic candidates including Sarah McBride.
“I know it’s a blue state, and I know we’re in a red district, and I know I’m an outlier here,” Hemsley said. “But I believe in changes [McBride] wants to do and the things she wants to stand for for us.”
Power issues at two polling places
The state's Joint Information Center for election day confirms that there were power outages at two polling places in Smyrna, (Smyrna Middle School and Sunnyside Elementary School).
They report power was quickly restored at both sites.
Generators were deployed and will be staged in Smyrna, remaining there until the close of polls.
Early turnout numbers in Delaware
As of 11:50 a.m - here's what the Dept. of Elections was reporting on turnout today in Delaware:
122,764 total in person votes cast today
- 80,099 in New Castle County
- 20,884 in Kent County
- 21,781 in Sussex County
When combined with in person early voting and absentee votes, a total of 369,884 people have voted so far in this election.
For context, if turnout falls between the usual 65 to 69% - we would expect about 514 to 545,000 people to vote.
On the ground in the 34th House District
One legislative district we are watching is the 34th House District race where Democrat Tracy Miller seeks to unseat GOP incumbent Lyndon Yearick. DPM's Abigail Lee stopped at the polling place to talk to voters there:
Catherine Walter was a registered independent until Barack Obama ran for president. Since then, she has been a registered Democrat.
Walter said she came out to Polytech High School to vote on all levels, from local to presidential.
“I voted for Kamala Harris,” Walter said. “I feel very good. I would like to see a woman president. I think she’s very capable and smart.”
District 34 has elected Republican state representatives for more than 30 years. Walter voted for Tracey Miller, the Democratic candidate running in the district.
“It makes me feel good that we can come out and are privileged to vote and make a decision because I do feel we need to make a change. I’m not that disgruntled with how things are right now, but I think definitely people who are working nowadays — I’m retired — have a harder time than we did when we were younger and working. So I’d like to support all of those working people.”
William Allmond is a 47-year-old voter from Magnolia who said he came out largely for the presidential election and doesn’t want to see democracy die.
"There’s too much at stake for too many vulnerable individuals,” Allmond said.
Alison Warren is a voter in the 34th District and said the primary reasons she came out to vote are for reproductive rights and the economy.
“I have three daughters and six granddaughters and two grandsons, and I feel it’s really important they have all the rights I had,” Warren said.
Warren mainly came out for the presidential vote but keeps up with local races. She is a registered Independent but voted Democratic straight down the ballot.
Former Reboboth Beach Commissioner arrested for stealing signs
The Cape Gazette reports that former Rehoboth Beach Commissioner Richard Byrne was arrest yesterday for stealing signs. The signs stolen were for Republican Mike Simpler who is running against Democrat Claire Snyder-Hall in the race to fill the 14th House District seat left open by the retirement of former House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf.
What's at stake in Delaware
Certainly, all eyes are on the Presidential race between VP Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Voters in Delaware will decide which of them get the First State's 3 Electoral College votes.
Statewide, Delawareans are also voting in race for US Senate, US House, Governor, Lt. Gov. and Insurance Commissioner.
But the biggest story may be at the legislative level where Democrats - who already have a super majority in the State Senate - could gain on in the House as well.
Democrats need only net gain of one add seat in the House to get a three-fifths majority to enact tax increases and override vetoes by the governor without GOP support. A net gain of two seats gives the party a supermajority. which would allow Democrats to pass constitutional amendments with only Democratic votes.
Keeping Democrats from a supermajority has been a cornerstone of the GOP's campaign this cycle as they warn of the dangers of "one-party" control.
The races that could determine what happens include:
- 9th House District – Terrell Williams (D) v. Kevin Hensley (R- inc) – .
- 14th Representative District (open seat - previously Dem) – Claire Snyder-Hall (D) v. Mike Simpler (R)
- 20th House District – Stell Parker Selby (D-Inc) v. Nikki Miller (R) –
- 21st House District (Open seat - previously GOP) – Frank Burns (D) v. Brenda Mennella (R)
- 22nd House District – Monica Beard (D) v. Michael Smith (R-inc) –
- 34th House District – Tracey Miller (D) v. Lyndon Yearick (R-inc)
- 36th House District – Rony Baltazar-Lopez (D) v. Bryan Shupe (R-inc)
We looked at some of these races in our Races to Watch features
Morning turnout - a snapshot
A quick example of what voting looked like in the first couple of hours after the polls opened at 7 a.m.
In North Wilmington, when the polls opened at Concord High School - a long line had already formed through the school corridors, prompting a few people to leave saying they'd try later. It took about an hour to get through that line and vote.
About 90 minutes later it appeared the pre-work rush was starting to subside. At Brandywine High School, the line was only about 15-20 people deep and only took about 15 minutes to vote.
Expect similar surges around lunchtime and at the end of the workday
Turnout out today in the First State
How many people will head to the polls today? Well, turnout in Presidential election years is always higher, including in the First State.
Here's how Presidential turnout has looked over the past 20 years in Delaware:
- 2020: 69% -509,241 of 739,570 registered voters
- 2016: 65% - 441,600 votes (approx.)
- 2012: 65% - 413,800 votes (approx.)
- 2008: 61% - 412,400 votes (approx.)
- 2004: 68% - 374,800 votes
If turnout this year is similar fo the last two elections, the state could see between 514 and 545,000 people vote.
Of course, many have already cast their ballots. As DPM's Sarah Petrowich reported this morning, Delaware saw robust early voting, with the possibility of about 40% of voters casting their ballots before Election Day.
Polls are open in Delaware
The polls opened in Delaware at 7 a.m. across the state. They will remain open until 8 p.m. tonight.
If you need help finding your polling place, head to the Dept.of Elections website where there is a tool to help you.
A reminder that Delaware Public Media reporters will be visiting polling places throughout the day to survey what Delawareans have to say as they vote.
And we'll be live on the air at 8 p.m. when the polls close to provide results, reaction and analysis.