Delaware Regulations § 1601-3.0 Records Request, Response Procedures and Access

3.1.1 All FOIA Requests shall be made in writing to the Department in person, by mail, email or online in accordance with Section 3.2 . FOIA Requests may be submitted using the FOIA Request Form promulgated by the Office of the Attorney General; provided, however, that any FOIA Request that otherwise conforms with the policy hereunder shall not be denied solely because the request is not on the proper form. Copies of the FOIA Request Form may be obtained from the Department, the Department's website, or from the office or website of any state Agency.

3.1.2 All requests shall describe the records sought in sufficient detail to enable the Department to locate such records with reasonable effort. The Requesting Party shall be as specific as possible when requesting records. To assist the Department in locating the requested records, the Department may request that the Requesting Party provide additional information known to the Requesting Party, such the types of records, dates, parties to correspondence, and subject matter of the requested records.

3.2.1 FOIA Requests may be made by mail or in person to the FOIA Coordinator at the Department's office, by email to votencc@state.de.us, or via online request form, which can be found at: http://smu.portal.delaware.gov/cgi-bin/mail.php?foia-request. The Department's address is as follows:

3.3.1 The Director and Deputy Director shall designate a FOIA Coordinator, who shall serve as the point of contact for FOIA Requests and shall coordinate the Department's responses thereto. The FOIA Coordinator shall be identified on the Department's website. The FOIA Coordinator may designate other Department employees to perform specific duties and functions hereunder.

3.3.2 The FOIA Coordinator and/or his or her designee shall make every reasonable effort to assist the Requesting Party in identifying the records being sought, and to assist the Department in locating and providing the requested records. The FOIA Coordinator and/or his or her designee will also work to foster cooperation between the Department and the Requesting Party. Without limitation, if a Requesting Party initiates a FOIA Request that would more appropriately be directed to another Agency, the FOIA Coordinator shall promptly forward such request to that Agency and promptly notify the Requesting Party that the request has been forwarded. The Department may close the initial request upon receipt of a written confirmation from the FOIA coordinator of the relevant Agency has received the request. The Department shall provide the Requesting Party with the name and phone number of the FOIA coordinator of the relevant Agency and confirmed that it had received the request.

3.3.3 The FOIA Coordinator shall maintain a document tracking all FOIA Requests for the current calendar year. For each FOIA Request, the document shall include, at a minimum: the Requesting Party's contact information; the date the Department received the Request; the Department's response deadline pursuant to Section 3.4 ; the date of the Department's response pursuant to Section 3.4 (including the reasons for any extension pursuant to Section 3.4.1 ); the names, contact information and dates of correspondence with individuals contacted in connection with requests pursuant to Sections 3.3.2 , 3.5 and 3.6 ; the dates of review by the Department pursuant to Section 3.7 and the names of individuals who conducted such reviews; whether documents were made available; the amount of copying and/or administrative fees assessed; and the date of final disposition.

3.4.1 The Department shall respond to a FOIA Request as soon as possible, but in any event within fifteen (15) business days after the receipt thereof, either by providing access to the requested records; denying access to the records or parts of them; or by advising that additional time is needed because the request is for voluminous records, requires legal advice, or a record is in storage or archived. If access cannot be provided within fifteen (15) business days, the Department shall cite one of the reasons hereunder why more time is needed and provide a good-faith estimate of how much additional time is required to fulfill the request.

3.4.2 If the Department denies a request in whole or in part, the Department's response shall indicate the reasons for the denial. The Department shall not be required to provide an index, or any other compilation, as to each record or part of a record denied.

3.5.1 Requests for email records may be fulfilled by the Department from its own records, if doing so can be accomplished by the Department with reasonable effort. If the Department determines that it cannot with reasonable effort fulfill all or any portion of such request, the Department shall promptly request that the Department of Technology and Information ("DTI") provide the email records to the Department. Upon receipt from DTI, the Department may review the email records in accordance with 3.7 hereunder.

3.5.2 Before requesting DTI to provide email records, the Department shall forward a written cost estimate from DTI to the Requesting Party, listing all charges expected to be incurred by DTI in retrieving the records. Upon receipt of the estimate, the Requesting Party may decide whether to proceed with, cancel or modify the request.

3.6.1 If all or any portion of a FOIA Request seeks records controlled by the Department but that are either not within its possession or cannot otherwise be fulfilled by the Department with reasonable effort from records it possesses (collectively, the "Non-Custodial Records"), then the Department shall promptly request that the relevant public body provide the Non-Custodial Records to the Department. Prior to disclosure, records may be reviewed in accordance with Section 3.7 hereunder by the Department, the public body fulfilling the request, or both. Without limitation, Non-Custodial Records shall include budget data relating to the Department.

3.6.2 Before requesting any Non-Custodial Records, the Department shall provide a written cost estimate to the Requesting Party, listing all charges expected to be incurred in retrieving such records. Upon receipt of the estimate, the Requesting Party may decide whether to proceed with, cancel or modify the request.