The Green Papers: State and Local Government
 
Copyright www.flags.net/UNST.htm Delaware
Governor:1(Term Limit: No one can serve more than 2 4-year terms in a lifetime)
Senators:2(Electoral Classes 1 and 2)
2000 Representatives:1(0.23% of 435)
2002 Representatives:1(0.23% of 435)
2004 Electors:3(0.56% of 538)
1990 Census:666,168 (0.27% of 248,765,170)
2000 Census:785,068 (0.28% of 281,998,273)
Registered Voters (2000):505,360
Estimated Voting age population (2000):582,000
Capital:Dover
 

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States Alphabetically    Current Delaware Statewide Office Holders

Official Name/Status   All States
 The STATE of Delaware
 Full Official Name: the Delaware State (1776-1792) [name changed to current one by 2nd Constitution]
 Ratified Articles of Confederation: 1 February 1779. this State formally adhered to the Articles on 5 May 1779 when the document was signed by its delegates to the Seventh Continental Congress
 Ratified Constitution of the United States: 7 December 1787
  The 1st state.
Traditional Sections and Regions   All States
 Section: NORTHEAST
 Region: Mid-Atlantic
 Survey: Metes & Bounds
Constitutions   All States     Links to State Constitutions
 Enabling Act (of the Congress of the United States): [None. One of the 13 original States which declared their independence from the nascent British Empire on 4 July 1776]
 
• 1st (1776-1792) [Adopted: 10 September 1776 Convention convened, 27 August 1776, Ratified: 21 September 1776 not submitted to the People: date is that on which this Constitution was proclaimed]
• 2nd (1792-1831) [Adopted: 12 June 1792 Convention convened earlier in June 1792, Ratified: 12 June 1792 not submitted to the People]
• 3rd (1831-1897) [Adopted: 2 December 1831 Convention convened, 8 November 1831, Ratified: 2 December 1831 not submitted to the People]
• 4th (1897--) [Adopted: 4 June 1897 Convention convened, 1 December 1896, Ratified: 4 June 1897 not submitted to the People; effective, 10 June 1897]
Executive Branch   All States
 
Chief Executive
 • PRESIDENT (1776-1792) [under the State's 1st Constitution]
 • GOVERNOR (1792--) [under the State's 2nd, 3rd and 4th Constitutions]
Successor to a Vacancy
 • Speaker of the Legislative Council (1776-1792) [under State's 1st Constitution: would merely become "acting President"; next in line of succession: Speaker of the House of Assembly]
 • Speaker of the State Senate (1792-1897) [under the State's 2nd and 3rd Constitutions: would merely become "acting Governor"; next in line of succession: Speaker of the State House of Representatives]
 • Lieutenant Governor (1897--) [under State's 4th Constitution; next in the line of succession: Secretary of State, then Attorney General, President pro Tempore of the State Senate, Speaker of the State House of Representatives]
 
 
Major Executive Officers Elected Statewide   All States   2009 Office holders
 • Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2008, 2012. Term Limit: No one can serve more than 2 4-year terms in a lifetime
 • Lieutenant Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2008, 2012. Elected separately from Governor
 • Attorney General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2006, 2010
 • Treasurer: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2006, 2010
 • Auditor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2006, 2010
 • Commissioner of Insurance: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2008, 2012
Legislative Branch   All States
 
Legislature
 • GENERAL ASSEMBLY
 
Upper House
 • [Legislative] Council (1776-1792)
 • Senate (1792--) [Name changed with the adoption of the State's 2nd Constitution]
Lower House
 • [House of] Assembly (1776-1792)
 • House of Representatives (1792--) [Name changed with the adoption of the State's 2nd Constitution]
Judicial Branch   All States
 
Court of Last Resort
 • Court of Appeals (1776-1792) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: State]
 • High Court of Errors and Appeals (1792-1831) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: State]
 • Court of Errors and Appeals (1831-1897) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: State]
 • Supreme Court (1897--) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: State]
 
General Trial Jurisdiction
 • Supreme Court (1776-1831) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: State]
 • Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace and Gaol Delivery (1792-1831) Constitutional Court [IN: State FOR: county]
 • Court of General Sessions of the Peace and General Jail-Delivery (1831-1897) Constitutional Court [IN: State FOR: county]
 • Superior Court (1831--) Constitutional Court [IN: State FOR: county]
 • Court of General Sessions (1897-1951) Constitutional Court [IN: State FOR: county. Functions of Court of General Sessions (principally a criminal court) transferred to Superior Court (heretofore principally a civil court)]
 
Limited Jurisdiction
 • Justices of the Peace Constitutional Court [IN: county FOR: hundred, later: district]
 • Alderman's Court Statutory Court [IN and FOR: municipality]
 • Court of Common Pleas (1776-1792) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county]
 • Court of Common Pleas (1792-1831) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: State]
 • Court of Common Pleas (1831--) Statutory Court [IN: State FOR: county]
Special Jurisdiction
 • Wilmington Municipal Court Statutory Court [IN and FOR: City of Wilmington]
 • Orphans' Court (1776-1975) Constitutional Court [IN: State FOR: county]
 • Court of Oyer and Terminer and General Gaol-Delivery (1792-1831) Constitutional Court [IN: State FOR: county]
 • Chancery Court (1792--) Constitutional Court [IN: State FOR: county]
 • Register's Court (1792-1975) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county]
 • Court of Oyer and Terminer (1831-1951) Constitutional Court [IN: State FOR: county. Functions of Court of Oyer and Terminer (which heard cases involving the most serious crimes) transferred to Superior Court along with functions of Court of General Sessions]
 • Family Court (1977--) Statutory Court [IN and FOR: county]
Local Government
 
   
PRIMARY CIVIL DIVISION  All States
 • County [Type: Strong, Executive and Legislative: LEVY COURT]
 MINOR CIVIL DIVISION  All States
  • hundred [Type: Vestigial, Executive and Legislative: no associated governmental structure. The hundred was once the unit re: Delaware's Justices of the Peace (it was also used for a time as the basis of representation in the General Assembly); although, for the most part, defunct (it still functions relative to locating property re: legal title to land), the hundred remains Delaware's traditional subdivision of the county.]
 
Incorporated Municipalities  All States
 • City [Separated from MCD: ---, Population requirement(s): none, Form(s) of government: chartered by special act of General Assembly]
 • Town [Separated from MCD: ---, Population requirement(s): none, Form(s) of government: chartered by special act of General Assembly]
 • Village [Separated from MCD: ---, Population requirement(s): none, Form(s) of government: chartered by special act of General Assembly]
 • Borough (1999-2001) [Separated from MCD: Yes, Population requirement(s): population, Form(s) of government: forms. footnote for tony's test record]
 
Localities
 •   Delaware Civil Divisions and Municipalities
   
Key Statewide / Federal Officials  All States
  Delaware Officials
Statutory Election Information   All States
 
General Election   All States
 • The general election shall be held biennially on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November [State Constitution, Article V. Elections, § 1.]
Presidential Primary   All States
 • ... a presidential primary election for major political parties shall be conducted on the first Tuesday in February in the calendar year of a presidential election. [Delaware Code, Title 15, Chapter 31, § 3181 (1)]
State Primary   All States
 • Primary elections for all political parties shall be conducted on the second Tuesday in September. [Delaware Code, Title 15, Chapter 13, § 3101 (3)]
Polling times   All States
 • The general election shall be opened in every election district at 7:00 in the morning... [Delaware Code, Title 15, Chapter 49, § 4931]. The election shall be continued open until 8:00 p.m. when it shall be closed... [Delaware Code, Title 15, Chapter 49, § 4947].
The time for opening the polls for the purpose of conducting a primary election shall be 7:00 in the morning, and the time for closing the polls at such primary election shall be 8:00 in the evening. [Delaware Code, Title 15, Chapter 31, Subchapter I. § 3104]
Links  Links to other web sites
 
Constitution
 • http://www.state.de.us/facts/constit/welcome.htm
Election Authority
 • Commissioner of Elections for the State of Delaware
Legislature
 • Delaware General Assembly
Democratic
 • Delaware Democratic Party
Republican
 • The Republican State Committee of Delaware
Third Party
 • Communist Party of Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware
 • Constitution Party of Delaware
 • Independent Party of Delaware
 • Libertarian Party of Delaware
 • The Blue Enigma Party
 • The Green Party of Delaware
 • The Unity Party of Delaware
Media & others
 • Cape Gazette - Lewes
 • DC's Political Report - Delaware
 • Delaware Coast Press - Salisbury
 • Delaware Grapevine
 • Delaware Wave - Bethany Beach
 • delawareonline.com - Wilmington - New Castle - Georgetown
 • Dover Post
 • Politics1.com - Delaware
 • Smyrna/Clayton Sun-Times - Smyrna
 • The Daily Times - Salisbury
 • The Middletown Transcript
 • The Sussex Countian - Georgetown
 • WBOC TV - CBS, UPN - Salisbury
 • WDEL AM - Wilmington
 • WDOV AM - FOX - Dover
 • WGMD FM - Lewes - Rehoboth
 • WILM AM - Wilmington
 • WMDT TV - ABC - Salisbury
 
 

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