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Delaware state executive official elections, 2016
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July 12, 2016 |
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September 13, 2016 |
September 30, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
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Three state executive offices in Delaware
were
up for election in 2016:
Context of the 2016 elections
Primary elections
A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before 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.[1][2][3]
Delaware's primary elections took place on September 13, 2016.
Party control in Delaware
Delaware has been under Democratic trifecta control since 2009. The state's electoral votes have gone to the Democratic presidential candidate every year since 1992; the state went to Republicans in 1980, 1984, and 1988.[4] A Republican has not represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate since William Roth left office in 2001.
The office of governor of Delaware has tended to alternate party control over the past eight decades. Democrats have held the seat since 1993, which is the longest period of single-party statehouse rule since the 1936 election of Richard McMullen (D), which ended a 36-year period of Republican governors. U.S. Congressman and former Lt. Gov. John C. Carney Jr. was the sole Democrat to file for the gubernatorial race, which was rated Safe Democrat; Democrats retained the seat in 2016 and therefore trifecta control of the state.
2016 elections
Races we watched
Lieutenant governor
Delaware held an election for lieutenant governor on November 8, 2016. State Sen. Bethany Hall-Long (D) won election to the office.
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Elections by office
Governor
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Lieutenant governor
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Insurance commissioner
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Voter registration
For full information about voting in Delaware, contact the state election agency.
Registration
Delaware uses a closed primary system, meaning voters must register with a party to be able to vote in their primary election.
To vote in Delaware, an elector must meet the following requirements:[8]
☐ He or she must be a United States citizen.
☐ He or she must be a resident of Delaware.
☐ He or she must be 18 years of age by Election Day.
☐ He or she must be mentally competent.
☐ He or she must not be a convicted felon.
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Delaware has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Past elections
2015
There were no state executive elections in Delaware in 2015.
2014
There were three state executive offices up for election including attorney general, treasurer and state auditor.
- Delaware down ballot state executive elections, 2014
- Delaware state executive official elections, 2014
- Delaware Attorney General election, 2014
2013
There were no elections in Delaware in 2013.
2012
There were three state executive offices up for election including governor, lieutenant governor and insurance commissioner.
- Delaware gubernatorial election, 2012
- Delaware down ballot state executive elections, 2012
- Delaware state executive official elections, 2012
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.[9] 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...
See also
| Delaware | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures Website, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ National Archives and Records Administration, "Historical Elections Results," accessed August 11, 2016
- ↑ Xerxes Wilson, Delaware Online: The News Journal, "Tom Gordon again faces trouble with closest ally," November 7, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedearlycand - ↑ Delaware Voters Guide, "Paul Gallagher: candidate for the insurance commissioner, Democratic nomination," 2012
- ↑ Office of the State Election Commissioner , "Qualifications," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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