1974: We helped pass the First State’s first campaign finance law, which limited campaign contributions and expenditures and required disclosure of sources of contributions.
1976: We wrote the state Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), shedding light on state governmental meetings and records; successfully worked to strengthen the law in 1985.
We also helped write the first bill regulating lobbying, which required lobbyists to register with the state.
1980: The Sunset Law, passed in 1979, created a system of periodic legislative review of Delaware’s agencies, boards, and commissions. We began our role as a Sunset Law watchdog in 1980, making sure agencies are appropriately evaluated on a regular basis.
1985: We strengthened and clarified the state FOIA law, eliminating a loophole noted by the Delaware Supreme Court in Delaware Solid Waste Authority v. News-Journal Co.
1990: We wrote the State’s ethics law, which defined conflicts of interest and created the bipartisan Delaware Public Integrity Commission to administer the law. We also helped strengthen the state campaign finance law to limit the role of Political Action Committees.
1993: We led passage of Delaware’s Motor Voter law well before the national mandate
2012: We helped shape the Delaware Elections Disclosure Act, the first major overhaul of Delaware’s campaign finance laws in more than 20 years. The updates focused on the prompt disclosure of campaign advertisements from third parties.
2013: We pushed for the creation of a task force to recommend comprehensive reforms to Delaware’s lobbying laws.
We also encouraged the Public Integrity Commission to modernize its website to include a searchable database to allow the public and the press to follow the influence of money in politics.
2016: Alongside partners, we helped to remove the financial bar to voting by advocating for the passage of HB 242, a law that eliminated the requirement that people completing sentences for felony convictions pay all financial obligations before regaining their eligibility to vote.
We led the successful effort to rescind Delaware’s 1970s call for an Article V Constitutional Convention.
We supported the passage of a bill that eliminated the requirement that people who are completing sentences for legal felony convictions pay all fees and fines before regaining eligibility to vote.
2017: We advocated for the Senate to pass SB 27, which would have established an independent redistricting commission for Delaware redistricting with a bi-partisan vote. Unfortunately, the bill was killed in the House.
2018: When Delaware was purchasing new voting equipment, we monitored the progress of the the Voting Equipment Selection Task Force and Commissioner Manlove, and educated the public about the need for a backup paper ballot voting system.
2019: Alongside partners, we helped to pass the National Popular Vote bill, making Delaware the 14th jurisdiction to enact the bill into law.
We played a key role in the passage of HB 38, a bill that established 10 days of early voting in the First State beginning in 2022.
2021: We worked with the Delaware Fair Maps Coalition to produce the most fair and open redistricting process in the history of the state, which included public input on maps, public hearings, and a centralized website on the General Assembly website.
We led a statewide coalition to support the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, even helping to persuade Sen. Tom Carper to support filibuster reform.
2022: Working with the Delaware Voting Rights Coalition, we helped persuade the General Assembly to pass automatic voter registration, same-day voter registration, and vote-by-mail. Unfortunately, same-day voter registration and vote-by-mail were later ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court.
We also deployed the first-ever Election Protection field program in Delaware. We recruited and trained volunteers to monitor the polls in all three counties on primary and midterm election day.
2023: We made national headlines with our success in stopping a worrisome bill that would have given corporations the right to vote in Seaford.