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    • Polls show long lines of early voters on the first day of voting; There are no new surveys
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    Polls show long lines of early voters on the first day of voting; There are no new surveys

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    Early voter turnout in Delaware was staggering. Lines more than two and a half hours long snaked around designated polling stations for early voting on Friday, and similar scenes are expected on Saturday.

    According to the Delaware Department of Elections, more than 27,000 people cast ballots on the first day of early voting on Friday. This number represents about half of all early ballots cast during the entire early voting period in 2022.

    MORE ABOUT PARTICIPATION ON FRIDAY: Delaware voters hit potential record numbers on the first day of early voting

    Granted, this election includes a presidential race. Cathleen Hartsky-Carter, community relations officer at the Department of Elections, said they did not expect such a turnout.

    “I don’t know if we thought we would have this many people on the first day of early voting, but we’re excited about it,” she said.

    At Newark's early voting site, the Hudson State Service Center, voters had a front-row seat to demand more polling places be opened. However, there are no plans to open additional early voting sites. Hartsky-Carter said opening early voting sites is challenging because it involves finding a public place to vote 10 days before the election.

    ELECTION 2024: Check out our voter guide

    Under federal law, the state Department of Elections is required to open an early voting polling place in every county and in Wilmington.

    “We saw the popularity in 2022 and wanted to be absolutely sure that we had enough early voting sites, so we did a lot more than what the law required,” Hartsky-Carter said.

    She said there are a limited number of machines programmed for early voting and more voting machines are being certified for use on Election Day, when the number of polling places open increases from 19 to 532.

    Hartsky-Carter said voters should be patient while waiting in line Saturday at any of the six locations in New Castle County, four locations in Kent County and nine locations in Sussex County.

    “Everyone in line was very respectful and deferential to our election officers, and our election officers are doing a great job serving the number of voters,” she said.

    Where can I vote early in Delaware?

    From Saturday, October 26th to Tuesday, October 29th, polling stations will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Wednesday, October 30th through Sunday, November 3rd, polling stations will open at 7 a.m. and close at the same time as the previous day.

    According to the Delaware Department of Elections website, six locations are open for early voting in New Castle County:

    • Appoquinimink State Service Center, 122 Silver Lake Road, Middletown
    • Christina Crossing, 501 S. Walnut St., Suite 13, Wilmington
    • Claymont Community Center, 3301 Green St., Claymont
    • Department of Elections Warehouse, 220 Lisa Drive, New Castle
    • Hudson State Service Center, 501 Ogletown Road, Newark
    • Police Athletic League, 3707 N. Market St., Wilmington

    Four polling locations are open in Kent County:

    • BPOE #1903 Elks Lodge, 200 S. Saulsbury Road, Dover
    • Crossroad Christian Church, 4867 N. Dupont Highway, Dover
    • Frederica Senior Center, 216 Market St., Frederica
    • Harrington Parks & Recreation, 114 E Liberty St., Harrington

    There are nine polling locations open in Sussex County:

    • American Legion Post 28 Millsboro, 31768 Legion Road, Millsboro
    • Department of Elections Warehouse, 542 S. Bedford St., Georgetown
    • Department of Elections Warehouse, 200 Allen St., Seaford
    • Ellendale Fire Hall, 302 Main St., Ellendale
    • Laurel Fire Hall, 205 W. 10th St., Laurel
    • Margaret H. Rollins Community Center, 101 Adams Ave., Lewes
    • Midway Early Voting Site, 18585 Coastal Highway, Suite 13, Rehoboth Beach
    • Millville Community Center, 32517 Dukes Drive, Millville
    • Roxana Fire Hall, 35943 Zion Church Road, Frankford
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    Kathleen William
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