Nearly 36% of registered voters had cast ballots by 2:53 p.m., with Election Day voting continuing until polls close at 8 p.m.

BREAKING NEWS:  From 2:53 p.m. to roughly 4:04 p.m., Delaware added 22,309 ballots, pushing the statewide total from 292,484 to 314,793 — or 38.9% of registered voters. Nearly all of the increase came from Election Day polling places, which rose by 22,216 votes to 164,818. Absentee ballots ticked up by just 93, while early voting remained unchanged at 129,584. Democrats accounted for the largest share of the new votes (+10,387), bringing their total to 158,101 and their turnout rate to 47% of registered Democrats. Republicans added 6,386 ballots (now 89,186, or 45% of registered Republicans), and unaffiliated and other voters added 5,536 (now 67,506, or 24%). The afternoon pace shows steady in-person turnout continuing with several hours left before polls close at 8 p.m.

DOVER, Del. — More than 292,000 Delawareans had cast ballots by mid-afternoon Tuesday, pushing statewide turnout to about 36% with several hours of Election Day voting remaining.

The state’s Election Voted List showed 292,484 ballots cast as of 2:53 p.m. Nov. 3, including early, absentee and Election Day voting.

The party figures reflect voters’ registration, not which candidates they supported.

Registered Democrats accounted for 147,714 ballots, or about 44.4% of registered Democrats statewide. Republicans had cast 82,800 ballots, representing about 41.5% of registered Republicans.

Another 61,970 ballots came from unaffiliated voters and those registered with other parties, representing about 22.3% of that group.

Democrats make up roughly 41% of Delaware’s registered voters but accounted for slightly more than half of ballots cast through mid-afternoon. Republicans were turning out at a rate relatively close to Democrats, while turnout among unaffiliated and minor-party voters remained substantially lower.

How Delawareans have voted

Absentee voting accounted for 20,298 ballots: 12,915 Democrats, 3,899 Republicans and 3,484 voters registered as unaffiliated or with other parties.

Early voting, which ended Sunday, produced 129,584 ballots: 66,540 Democrats, 37,456 Republicans and 25,588 other voters.

Election Day polling places had recorded 142,602 ballots by mid-afternoon, including 68,259 Democrats, 41,445 Republicans and 32,898 other voters.

That brought the statewide totals to:

• Democrats: 147,714
• Republicans: 82,800
• Unaffiliated and other parties: 61,970

Total: 292,484

Election Day voting accelerates

Polling-place voting had grown rapidly Tuesday, rising from roughly 55,000 ballots earlier in the day to more than 142,000 by 2:53 p.m.

Early in-person voting closed Sunday with 129,584 ballots cast.

Absentee ballots were also continuing to be received Tuesday.

County totals

New Castle County led the state with 145,875 ballots cast through mid-afternoon.

Sussex County had recorded 98,771 ballots, while Kent County had recorded 47,838.

Sussex County has generated particularly strong early and absentee participation relative to its population, while New Castle County was accounting for much of the Election Day voting volume.

Turnout approaching 2022 levels

Delaware’s 2022 midterm general election finished with turnout of about 42.7% of registered voters.

With turnout already near 36% by mid-afternoon Tuesday, Delaware was approaching that level with several hours of voting remaining.

The final turnout percentage will depend on the remainder of Election Day participation and the final absentee count.

The figures should not be interpreted as an indication of how Democratic, Republican or unaffiliated voters cast their ballots. Candidate preferences will only become clear as election results are reported.

To Go Box

• What: Delaware general election
• When: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
• Current turnout: 292,484 ballots as of 2:53 p.m., about 36% of registered voters
• Early voting: 129,584 ballots
• Absentee voting: 20,298 ballots
• Election Day voting: 142,602 ballots
• Source: Delaware Department of Elections Election Voted List and Oct. 1, 2026, voter registration totals

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