Delaware Rep. Say Residents Need To 'Vote Like Your Life Depends On It,' Request Mail-In Ballot
DOVER, Del. (CBS) -- Tuesday is the last day to register to vote in New Jersey. In Pennsylvania, next week's deadline is fast approaching but in Delaware, the registration deadline has passed but there is still time to get a mail-in ballot for those who did register.
Eyewitness News reporter Howard Monroe spoke with both sides in the First State about the importance of voting and the challenge presented by mail-in voting.
"Our whole region needs to get involved and we need to vote. Vote like your life depends on it. Because it does," said Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester.
A plea from Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester to get out to vote.
Blunt Rochester is Delaware's at-large representative. She is running against Republican Lee Murphy for a third term.
"This election has consequences that will last for decades, generations. It's always important to vote, but the fact that we are in the middle of a pandemic, people need to feel safe when they vote," Blunt Rochester said.
In Delaware, the deadline to register to vote has passed.
According to data released by the state, over the course of this year, voter rolls have increased by over 20,000 voters.
But due to the pandemic, officials are preparing for a high number of mail-in ballots. The last day to request a mail-in ballot in Delaware is Oct. 30.
Gov. John Carney says he believes the system will work.
"I'm very confident. I'm not concerned as you hear some about voter fraud. I'm concerned more about people forgetting and not getting their ballots in," Carney said.
Mail-in ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.
Meanwhile, the Delaware Republican party sued over the state's mail-in ballot system. GOP Chair Jane Brady says there are glitches in the system that could disenfranchise some voters.
"I want every vote to count 100% whether it's for my candidate I support or not. I think we have to have faith in the integrity of the election and I think that is compromised when things don't go well," she said.
