Delaware election officials say that preparations for November’s midterm elections are going well, even as they prepare for the possible presence of federal authorities or outside groups at the polls.
Voters and activists have expressed alarm in recent months over the possibility of visits to polling locations from federal officials and attempts from outside groups to disrupt voting. But Cathleen Hartsky-Carter, Community Relations Officer with the Delaware Department of Elections, says state elections officials have heard those worries and adjusted their training for poll workers.
“We have heard those concerns from election officers and members of the public and we're prepared and providing information that I think will help election officers feel prepared if we are to experience any issues at polling places or early voting sites,” she says.
She adds that the state’s 6,000 elections workers are being trained to bring in state elections officials if they see cause for concern.
“We've provided guidance for our election officers on how to handle any federal visitors with the goal of keeping voting running smoothly and efficiently,” Hartsky-Carter says.
Another area of concern in the run-up to the midterm elections has been absentee voting, after a controversial executive order from President Donald Trump, since struck down by the nation’s highest court. Hartsky-Carter says that absentee balloting is going smoothly, and the state’s top elections official is in regular contact with the US Postal Service.
“Our state election commissioner, Anthony Albence, works closely with the USPS election mail liaison,” she says. “Daily, they talk and they make sure that everything is processing smoothly.”
Hartsky-Carter says that, with early voting only a few weeks away and election day itself coming in less than a month, she is confident that Delaware is ready for whatever may come.
“Our sense here at the Department of Elections is that everything is going very smoothly,” she says. “”Our election officers are being trained; we're going to be in good shape there. We have solid early voting sites ready for the 10 day early voting period starting October 22nd.”
