Delaware Regulations § 200-2.0 General

2.1 This regulation applies to members of the Board of Elections for New Castle County, employees of the Department of Elections for New Castle County whether merit, casual/seasonal, or temporary (hired through a third party), Election Officers, absentee judges, and all persons observing the tabulating of Absentee Ballots.

2.2 This regulation applies to general, special and primary elections.

2.3 The Department shall designate a room that locks, or an area where the Department can secure voted and un-voted Absentee Ballots and control access as the Absentee Ballot Room.

2.4 In the absence of the Administrative Director and/or Deputy Administrative Director, the Department's most senior employees of the same political party as the absent Administrative Director and/or Deputy Administrative shall perform the duties of that person or persons as specified in this regulation.

2.5 The Department shall create the various logs required by this regulation.

2.6 The Department shall create an Absentee Ballot Reconciliation Sheet for use in accounting for the disposition of voted Absentee Ballots for an Election District and for security of the Carrier Envelope.

2.7 The Department shall establish teams for handling the return of Absentee Ballots, the mailing of Absentee Ballots, and in-person absentee voting. Individuals may serve on more than one team.

2.8 The Department shall train all persons involved in the Absentee Voting process on all relevant tasks. The Department shall document that the training took place, the date of the training, persons who attended the training and the name of the Instructor.

2.9 For the purposes of this regulation, the term tabulation means equipment that counts the votes on a ballot (a tabulator or scanner) or hand counting of ballots.

2.10 The tabulation of Absentee Ballots for an election shall begin at 7 a.m. on the day of the election and shall continue until the polls have closed or tabulation is complete whichever is later.

2.11 No one shall release absentee results to any challenger or observer until after the polls have closed.

2.12 The term "Chapter 55" as used in this regulation refers to Delaware Code, Title 15, Chapter 55.