SB2 • 2025

AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE V OF THE DELAWARE CONSTITUTION RELATING TO VOTING.

Elections

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Brown
Last action: 2026-03-26
Official status: Lieu/Substituted 4/9/25
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE V OF THE DELAWARE CONSTITUTION RELATING TO VOTING.

What This Bill Does

AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE V OF THE DELAWARE CONSTITUTION RELATING TO VOTING.
This Act is the first leg of a constitutional amendment to specifically authorize early, in-person voting for the general election, a primary election, and a special election filling a vacancy in the General Assembly.
This Act provides that early, in-person voting is to occur on 10 calendar days before the date of the general election, primary election, and special election, including the Saturday and Sunday immediately before the election.
Amending the Delaware Constitution requires not only the passing of the changes in this Act, but also passage of the same changes after the next general election by the next General Assembly.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-03-26 Delaware General Assembly
SS 1 for SB 2 - Passed By House. Votes: 39 YES 1 NO 1 ABSENT
2025-05-21 Delaware General Assembly
SS 1 for SB 2 - Reported Out of Committee (Administration) in House with 4 On Its Merits, 1 Unfavorable
2025-04-15 Delaware General Assembly
SS 1 for SB 2 - Assigned to Administration Committee in House
2025-04-10 Delaware General Assembly
SS 1 for SB 2 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES
2025-04-09 Delaware General Assembly
Substituted in Senate by SS 1 for SB 2
2025-03-26 Delaware General Assembly
Reported Out of Committee (Elections & Government Affairs) in Senate with 3 Favorable, 2 On Its Merits
2025-01-03 Delaware General Assembly
Introduced and Assigned to Elections & Government Affairs Committee in Senate

Official Summary Text

AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE V OF THE DELAWARE CONSTITUTION RELATING TO VOTING.
This Act is the first leg of a constitutional amendment to specifically authorize early, in-person voting for the general election, a primary election, and a special election filling a vacancy in the General Assembly.

This Act provides that early, in-person voting is to occur on 10 calendar days before the date of the general election, primary election, and special election, including the Saturday and Sunday immediately before the election.

Amending the Delaware Constitution requires not only the passing of the changes in this Act, but also passage of the same changes after the next general election by the next General Assembly.

This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend the Delaware Constitution.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Sen. Brown & Sen. Pinkney & Sen. Sturgeon & Rep. Bush & Rep. Heffernan & Rep. Snyder-Hall

Sens. Buckson, Hocker, Hoffner, Huxtable, Sokola, Townsend; Reps. Bolden, Burns, Cooke, Gorman, Morrison, Ross Levin, K. Williams, Wilson-Anton

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE BILL NO. 2

AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE V OF THE DELAWARE CONSTITUTION RELATING TO VOTING.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE (Two-thirds of all members elected to each house thereof concurring therein):

Section 1. Amend § 1, Article V of the Delaware Constitution by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 1. Time and manner of holding general

election

election; early, in-person voting

Section 1.

(a)

The general election shall be held biennially on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of

November,

November

and shall be by ballot; but the General Assembly may by law prescribe the means,

methods

methods,

and instruments of voting so as best to secure secrecy and the independence of the voter, preserve the freedom and purity of

elections

elections,

and prevent fraud,

corruption

corruption,

and intimidation thereat.

(b) Early, in-person voting must occur on 10 calendar days before the date established for each of the following elections, including on the Saturday and Sunday immediately before the following elections:

(1) The general election under subsection (a) of this Section.

(2) A primary election for an office to be decided at the general election under subsection (a) of this Section.

(3) A special election which fills a vacancy in the General Assembly.

SYNOPSIS

This Act is the first leg of a constitutional amendment to specifically authorize early, in-person voting for the general election, a primary election, and a special election filling a vacancy in the General Assembly.

This Act provides that early, in-person voting is to occur on 10 calendar days before the date of the general election, primary election, and special election, including the Saturday and Sunday immediately before the election.

Amending the Delaware Constitution requires not only the passing of the changes in this Act, but also passage of the same changes after the next general election by the next General Assembly.

This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 1 of Article XVI of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend the Delaware Constitution.

Author: Senator Brown