The House has passed HB38, which would allow 10 days of early voting in Delaware, in the week prior to the election. It passed with 34 yes votes, with 6 Republicans voting against. Given the antipathy of Republicans towards making it easier to vote, I was surprised the bill received any Republican votes. Luckily it did, since for the bill to pass the House, it needed a two thirds majority to pass, or 28 votes. With only 26 Democrats in the House, we needed at least 2 Republicans. And on the day of the vote, we actually needed 3 GOP votes, since Sean Matthews was absent. We got 9. So credit goes to those Republicans who have rejected, on this vote anyway, the anti-democratic principles their party have adopted when it comes to voting rights.
Why does this bill require a two thirds majority? Because it would change Wilmington’s charter.
Now the bill goes to the Senate, where it will need 14 votes, so we will 2 Republican Senators in the Senate to vote yes in addition to all 12 Democrats. I suppose it is possible that we will garner the support of Anthony Delcollo and Cathy Cloutier, given their recent positive votes.
WHERE IS THE BILL NOW? Senate Elections, Govt. & Community Affairs 3/19/19
DEMOCRATIC SPONSORS: Bentz, Poore, Hansen, Townsend, Schwartzkopf, Lockman, Sokola, Sturgeon, Walsh, Baumbach, Bush, Chukwuocha, Cooke, Heffernan, Jaques, Q.Johnson, Kowalko, Matthews, Mitchell, Osienski, Seigfried, Viola, K.Williams
REPUBLICAN SPONSORS: Briggs King
YES VOTES – Baumbach, Bennett, Bentz, Bolden, Brady, Briggs King, Bush, Carson, Chukwuocha, Cooke, D. Short, Dorsey Walker, Dukes, Griffith, Heffernan, Hensley, Jaques, K. Johnson, K. Williams, Kowalko, Longhurst, Lynn, M.Smith, Minor-Brown, Mitchell, Osienski, Q.Johnson, Ramone, Schwartzkopf, Seigfried, Shupe, Smyk, Spiegelman, Viola
NO VOTES – Collins, Gray, Morris, Postles, Vanderwende, Yearick
ABSENT – Matthews
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