Delaware state executive official elections, 2018

Elections in Delaware, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 13
• Early voting: N/A
• Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6

• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: No
• Voter ID: Non-photo ID requested
• Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

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On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Attorney General • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Democratic primaries • Republican primaries

2020 → ← 2016
Delaware state executive official elections
Election details
Filing deadline: July 10, 2018
Primary: September 6, 2018 General: November 6, 2018
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Delaware
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2018 Impact of term limits in 2018 State government trifectas and triplexes
Other state executive elections
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The following state executive offices were up for election in Delaware in 2018. Click on the following links to learn more about each race:

Attorney general
Treasurer
Auditor

Candidates and election results

Attorney general

General election

General election for Attorney General of Delaware

Kathy Jennings defeated Bernard Pepukayi in the general election for Attorney General of Delaware on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kathy Jennings (D)	61.3	218,351
	Submit photo	Bernard Pepukayi (R)	38.7	137,730

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 356,081
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Delaware

Kathy Jennings defeated LaKresha Roberts, Chris Johnson, and Tim Mullaney in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Delaware on September 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kathy Jennings	56.6	46,038
	Submit photo	LaKresha Roberts	21.6	17,584
	Submit photo	Chris Johnson	15.0	12,195
	Submit photo	Tim Mullaney	6.8	5,513

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 81,330
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Delaware

Bernard Pepukayi advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Delaware on September 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Bernard Pepukayi

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tom Neuberger (R)
• Peggy Marshall Thomas (R)

Treasurer

General election

General election for Delaware Treasurer

Colleen Davis defeated incumbent Ken Simpler and David Chandler in the general election for Delaware Treasurer on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Colleen Davis (D)	52.4	187,240
		Ken Simpler (R)	45.9	164,001
		David Chandler (G)	1.8	6,301

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 357,542
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Delaware Treasurer

Colleen Davis advanced from the Democratic primary for Delaware Treasurer on September 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Colleen Davis

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Delaware Treasurer

Incumbent Ken Simpler advanced from the Republican primary for Delaware Treasurer on September 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Ken Simpler

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Auditor

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

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 355,105
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

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

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 79,420
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

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

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Context of the 2018 elections

Party control in Delaware

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Democrats in Delaware gained a state government trifecta as a result of the 2008 elections, when they took control of the state House.

Delaware Party Control: 1992-2025
Seventeen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
House	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Delaware utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Delaware, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Delaware, an individual must meet the following requirements:

• The individual must be a United States citizen.
• The individual must be a resident of Delaware.
• The individual must be 18 years of age by Election Day.
• The individual must be mentally competent.
• The individual must not be under a felony sentence or convicted of a disqualifying felony.

According to the Delaware Department of Elections, "The voter registration deadline is the 4th Saturday before a Primary and General Election. Voter registration applications submitted via the voter portal, ivote.de.gov, by the deadline, or received by mail by the Department and postmarked by the deadline, will be considered to be submitted by the deadline."

Automatic registration

Delaware practices automatic voter registration through Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) locations and website. Individuals that complete an in-person or online application for a drivers license, learners permit, or identification card, or completes an in-person or online application to change their name or address on these documents, are atumatically registerd to vote. An individual whose eligibility and citizenship status have been confirmed by the DMV is also automatically registered.

According to the Department of Election's website, voters that are automatically registered are mailed a "“Notice of Automatic Voter Registration”, which includes a “Response to Automatic Voter Registration” form. AVR voters may use the form to update their voter registration, choose a party affiliation, or cancel their voter registration."

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Delaware has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Delaware does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Delaware, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Delaware does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, "if you register to vote even though you know you are not eligible, you can be fined between $50.00 - $200.00 or imprisoned for 30 days to two years, or both."

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Nine states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The state's voter portal allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Delaware requires voters to present non-photo identification while voting.

As of July 2024, the state website said:

“

When arriving at a polling place, a poll worker will ask you for proof of identity. A photo ID is not required. Examples of acceptable IDs: Delaware Driver’s License Delaware Identification Card U.S. Passport Signed Polling Place card Signed Social Security card Signed vehicle registration Signed credit card with photo ... When arriving at an Early Voting Site, a poll worker will ask you for proof of identity. A photo ID is not required. Permitted forms of identification include current: Valid Photo ID Copy of utility bill Bank statement Government check, paycheck, or other government document that displays your address

”

Voters who do not present proof of identity can "sign an affidavit of affirmation that the voter is the person listed on the election district record," according to Delaware Code.

Early voting

Delaware permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

On June 28, 2024, the Delaware Supreme Court struck down a ruling from the Delaware Superior Court and reinstated early voting in the state. In a 5-0 decision, the court ruled that plaintiffs failed to prove that they would be harmed by laws permitting early voting, and therefore had no standing to sue. The decision, therefore, did not rule on the lower court's determination that early voting was prohibited by the Delaware Constitution. The court agreed to hear the case on an expedited basis to provide clarity to voters and election administrators before the November election. To read more about this case, see here.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

The deadline for eligible voters to request an absentee/mail-in ballot is no later than four days before an election.

According to the state's absentee/mail-in ballot application, an individual is eligible for any of the following reasons:

“

I am in public service of the United States (U.S.) or the State of Delaware, or I am a citizen of the U.S. temporarily residing outside the territorial limits of the U.S. and the District of Columbia, or such person’s spouse or dependent when residing with or accompanying such person, or absent from this State because of illness or injury while serving the armed forces of the U.S. I am in the armed forces of the U.S. or the merchant marine of the US., or attached to and serving with the armed forces of the U.S. in the American Red Cross or United Service Organizations. Due to the nature of my business or occupation. This reason includes: the business or occupaton of providing care to my parent, spouse, or child who is living at home and requires constant care due to illness, disability, or injury; students; and otherwise eligible persons who are incarcerated. I am sick or physically disabled (temporarily or permanently). I am absent from the district while on vacation. I am unable to vote at a certain Ɵme or on a certain day due to the tenets or teachings of my religion. I am otherwise authorized pursuant to the Federal Uniformed and Overseas Citzens Absentee Voting Act to vote by absentee ballot. I am otherwise authorized by federal law to vote by absentee ballot.

”

Certain of these voters are eligible for a permanent absentee/mail-in voting status and may request to be added to the permanent list on their ballot application.

On October 7, 2022, the Delaware Supreme Court struck down a state law allowing any registered voter to vote by absentee/mail-in ballot.

On eligibility, Article V, Section 4A, of the Delaware Constitution reads:

“

The General Assembly shall enact general laws providing that any qualified elector of this State, duly registered, who shall be unable to appear to cast his or her ballot at any general election at the regular polling place of the election district in which he or she is registered, either because of being in the public service of the United States or of this State, or his or her spouse or dependents when residing with or accompanying him or her because of the nature of his or her business or occupation, because of his or her sickness or physical disability, because of his or her absence from the district while on vacation, or because of the tenets or teachings of his or her religion, may cast a ballot at such general election to be counted in such election district.

”

Impact of term limits

See also: Impact of term limits on state executive elections in 2018

Three state executive seats in Delaware were up for election in 2018. In the 2018 elections, no officials were ineligible to run because of term limits.

Of the 283 state executives offices on the ballot in 2018, 131 of them were represented by incumbents who were subject to term limits. Of the 36 gubernatorial seats up for election in 2018, 13 governors—two Democrats and 11 Republicans—were term-limited and therefore unable to run for re-election. Of the 31 states with term limits that held state executives elections in 2018, some incumbents in 18 of the states were term-limited.

A total of 49 state executive officials were ineligible to run in the 2018 elections because of term limits. This represented 17 percent of the 283 total seats up for election in 2018. Republicans had more than six times as many state executive officials term-limited in 2018 than Democrats. A total of seven Democrats were term-limited, while 40 Republicans were term-limited. The other two term-limited officials were nonpartisan.

Past elections

2016

The following elections took place in 2016.

• Delaware gubernatorial election, 2016
• Delaware Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2016
• Delaware Insurance Commissioner election, 2016

2014

The following elections took place in 2014.

• Delaware down ballot state executive elections, 2014
• Delaware state executive official elections, 2014
• Delaware Attorney General election, 2014

2012

The following elections took place in 2012.

• Delaware gubernatorial election, 2012
• Delaware down ballot state executive elections, 2012
• Delaware state executive official elections, 2012

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Delaware state executive election 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Delaware state executive official elections, 2018 - Google News

State profile

Demographic data for Delaware
	Delaware	U.S.
Total population:	944,076	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	1,949	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	69.4%	73.6%
Black/African American:	21.6%	12.6%
Asian:	3.6%	5.1%
Native American:	0.3%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.7%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	8.7%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	88.4%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	30%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$60,509	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	13.9%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Delaware. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Delaware

Delaware voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Delaware, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties. As of May 2017, eight state House districts and five state Senate districts intersected with a Pivot County in Delaware. The state has one at-large congressional district.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Delaware had one Boomerang Pivot County, 4.00% of all Boomerang Pivot Counties.

More Delaware coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Delaware
• United States congressional delegations from Delaware
• Public policy in Delaware
• Endorsers in Delaware
• Delaware fact checks
• More...

External links

Suggest a link

• State of Delaware official website