The following letter was sent to Mayor Becker and City Council of Lewes with a copy submitted to the Cape Gazette for publication.
After living full time in Lewes for four years, I learned through casual conversation that there is special and separate voter registration procedure for Lewes city elections. I called the city. I was told I must appear in person to complete a voter registration form. My wife and I went to city hall to register. From the clerk, I learned that we were the first voters to register in about six months. Indeed, the clerk and two staff members searched for several minutes to find the forms.
Lewes has not had an election in six years, so it is not surprising that many people are not aware of this process. With people moving into Lewes, there is a danger that on election day a substantial portion of the voters could be denied the right to vote.
I ask Mayor Becker and City Council to change this procedure to make the May 2020 and future elections more inclusive. In my view:
Registered Delaware voters with a Lewes address should be automatically registered to vote in Lewes elections without any additional action by the resident. It should become possible to register at the polls on election day with a valid proof of identity and address.
There are many reasons to make this change.
• Candidates and elections are only announced a few weeks in advance of election day. City code requires 20 days.
• Voter registration rolls are closed 15 days before election day, leaving only five days to register after an election is announced.
• Lewes people travel at different times of the year and may miss a notification or the opportunity to file an absentee ballot.
• The trip to city hall should be unnecessary.
• The current procedure is not well understood in the community nor is it publicized by the city.
• Voters who have not voted recently are automatically removed from the voter registration rolls.
Lewes election procedures require this update.
Bob Heffernan
Lewes
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