Delaware State Auditor
| Delaware Auditor | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $124,215 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $4,746,300 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Delaware Constitution, Article III, Section 21 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder | |
Delaware State Auditor
Lydia York | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 3, 2026 |
| Last election: | November 8, 2022 |
| Other Delaware Executive Offices | |
| Governor•Lieutenant Governor•Secretary of State•Attorney General•Treasurer•Auditor•Secretary of Education•Agriculture Secretary•Insurance Commissioner•Natural Resources Secretary•Labor Secretary•Public Service Commission | |
The Delaware State Auditor is a state executive position in the Delaware state government. The auditor is responsible for providing evaluations of the state's fiscal accountability and public program performance.
Current officeholder
The current Delaware State Auditor is Lydia York (D). York assumed office in 2023.
Authority
The office of auditor is established in Article III, Section 21 of the Delaware Constitution.
Delaware Constitution, Article III, Section 21
| The terms of the office of the Attorney General, the Insurance Commissioner, the Auditor of Accounts and the State Treasurer shall be four years. These officers shall be chosen by the qualified electors of the State at general elections, and be commissioned by the Governor. |
Qualifications
There are no particular qualifications for the office of state auditor.
Elections
Auditors are elected every four years during federal midterm election years (2014, 2018, 2022, etc.). They take office in January of the year following the election.
2022
- See also: Delaware Auditor election, 2022
General election
General election for Delaware State Auditor
Lydia York defeated Janice Lorrah in the general election for Delaware State Auditor on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Lydia York (D) | 54.2 | 171,764 |
| Janice Lorrah (R) | 45.8 | 145,161 | ||
| Total votes: 316,925 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Delaware State Auditor
Lydia York defeated incumbent Kathy McGuiness in the Democratic primary for Delaware State Auditor on September 13, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lydia York | 71.0 | 35,881 |
 | Kathy McGuiness | 29.0 | 14,640 | |
| Total votes: 50,521 | |||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Janice Lorrah advanced from the Republican primary for Delaware State Auditor.
2018
- See also: Delaware Auditor election, 2018
General election
General election for Delaware State Auditor
Kathy McGuiness defeated James Spadola in the general election for Delaware State Auditor on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kathy McGuiness (D) | 57.9 | 205,624 |
 | James Spadola (R) | 42.1 | 149,481 | |
| Total votes: 355,105 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Delaware State Auditor
Kathy McGuiness defeated Kathleen Davies and Dennis E. Williams in the Democratic primary for Delaware State Auditor on September 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kathy McGuiness | 41.9 | 33,240 |
 | Kathleen Davies | 34.9 | 27,749 | |
 | Dennis E. Williams | 23.2 | 18,431 | |
| Total votes: 79,420 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Delaware State Auditor
James Spadola advanced from the Republican primary for Delaware State Auditor on September 6, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | James Spadola |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2014
| Delaware Auditor, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  R. Thomas Wagner, Jr. Incumbent |
54.2% | 123,100 | |
| Democratic | Brenda Mayrack | 45.8% | 103,939 | |
| Total Votes | 227,039 | |||
| Election results via Delaware Office of the State Election Commissioner | ||||
Term limits
There are no term limits associated with the office of auditor.
Vacancies
If a vacancy occurs in the office of auditor, the governor appoints a replacement to serve until the next election. Details of vacancy appointments are laid out in Article III, Section 9 of the Delaware Constitution.
Duties
As of January 14, 2021, the stated goal of the auditor's office was:[1]
| “ | The Delaware State Auditor serves Delawareans by ensuring accountability in the use of taxpayer dollars to identify fraud, waste and abuse through independent assessments, including the use of various audits, special reports and investigations of financial operations, performance management and statutory compliance of state government and to evaluate economy, efficiency and effectiveness.[2] | ” |
Divisions
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Delaware State Auditor has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
State budget
- See also: Delaware state budget and finances
The budget for the Auditor's Office in the Fiscal Year 2025 was $4,746,300.[3]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
The salaries of Delaware's elected state executives are determined by state law as mandated by the Delaware Constitution. Article III of the state constitution requires that salary changes not take effect until after the current terms of affected offices.
The Delaware State Legislature created the Delaware Compensation Commission in 1984 to determine state executive salaries. This commission consists of six members including two appointees by the governor, one appointee each by the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Delaware State Senate, the current chair of the Delaware Business Roundtable and the director of the state Office of Management and Budget. Commissioners meet every four years to make salary recommendations, which are implemented unless the Delaware State Legislature rejects the entirety of the report. From 1985 to 2013, the commission's report was only rejected once by legislators, who submitted their own salary increases for executives officials in 1993.[4]
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $124,215, according to the Council of State Governments.[5]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $118,300, according to the Council of State Governments.[6]
2021
In 2021, the auditor received a salary of $112,667, according to the Council of State Governments.[7]
2020
In 2020, the auditor received a salary of $112,667 according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2019
In 2019, the auditor received a salary of $111,667 according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2018
In 2018, the auditor received a salary of $109,032 according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2017
In 2017, the auditor received a salary of $109,032 according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2016
In 2016, the auditor received a salary of $109,032 according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2015
In 2015, the auditor’s salary was increased to $109,032 according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2014
In 2014, the state auditor was paid an estimated $108,532 according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2013
In 2013, the state auditor was paid an estimated $108,532 according to the Council of State Governments.
2012
In 2012, the state auditor was paid an estimated $107,457 according to the Council of State Governments.
2010
In 2010, the state auditor was paid an estimated $139,474 according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
Historical officeholders
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Delaware State Auditor has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Delaware State Auditor McGuiness. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact info
Address:
401 Federal St.
Townsend Building, Suite 1
Dover, DE 19901
Phone: (302) 739-4241
See also
| Delaware | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Delaware State Auditor, "Auditor of Accounts Mission Statement," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Delaware General Assembly, "Senate Bill 325," accessed January 16, 2025
- ↑ Delaware Compensation Commission, "2018 Total Compensation Study," January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 14, 2014
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2010 -- Table 4.11," accessed August 10, 2011
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