A bill that would allow unaffiliated voters in Delaware to participate in primary elections is ready for consideration on the House floor.
Rep. Mike Smith (R- Newark), House Bill 188's sponsor, told the House Elections & Government Affairs Committee that unaffiliated voters out number Republican Party members in the state. And that voter block is growing.
He introduced HB 188 last summer to push the issue.
"When we talk about equity, all elections are tax payer funded," he said. "Primaries are not paid for by the Democratic Party or the Republican Party.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Delaware is one of 17 states that have closed or partially closed primaries.
But Rep. Eric Morrison, vice chair of the House Elections & Government Affairs Committee wasn't convinced. He said allowing independent voters to participate in primaries will dilute votes of people who identify and vote with a party.
“It doesn’t make sense to me to allow people who are not part of a party and do not identify with that party to make decisions for that party," he said.
Smith said Morrison's concern assumes that most people registered with a party are active, which he doesn't believe is the case. And it puts pressure on people to register.
He asked the committee to allow for "robust debate" on his bill with the 41 member House, which the committee did.
The bill cleared the committee with one favorable vote, four on its merits, and heads to the House floor. If passed as written, the legislation would go into effect in 2028.
The committee’s chair State Rep. Nicole Bolden weighed in, that she was an unaffiliated voter after college.
“Being unaffiliated, which I was, until I learned the issues, researched them, and decided to go to a party," Bolden said. "I wanted to make sure I was an educated voter, and not a voter that was going on personality, or likes or dislikes.”
Bolden has her own primary election bill waiting for consideration by the State Senate, HB 65. It’s her latest attempt to move Delaware’s primary to the fourth Tuesday in April- which is the date for the state’s presidential primary.
The state currently holds its primary election in September.
