Three Courts Rule In Delaware’s Favor On Voting Rights

Three courts have sided with Delaware in cases involving the state’s elections and campaign finance rules.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on August 31st denied an appeal from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, which is challenging Delaware’s disclosure rules for third-party campaign advertisers. The ruling returns the case to the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.

Delaware’s Court of Chancery on September 4th denied State Senator Gerald Hocker’s challenge to the state’s permanent absentee voting law, issuing summary judgment in favor of the state. The Attorney General’s Office says Hocker lost a nearly identical lawsuit in 2024 in a unanimous ruling by the Delaware Supreme Court.

Also on September 4th, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction blocking a new USPS rule that would have imposed requirements on vote-by-mail systems ahead of the November 3rd midterm elections.

The order blocks USPS from requiring states to obtain federal approval for new ballot and return-envelope designs, register for a new voter-information tracking portal, and enter information on state mail voters into the portal, among other provisions.