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The Department of Elections calendar sets the deadline at 11:59 p.m. on August 22, 2026, for citizens who are not yet registered and want a September 15 primary ballot. Uniformed service members and citizens living outside the United States who are not yet registered have until August 31, 2026.
If you are already registered, Saturday is not your problem. The party-change deadline for this primary was May 29, 2026. The Ledger’s voter guide already carries the August 22 line; this page is the civic clock, not a restyle of that guide.
Delaware Department of Elections • 2026 election calendar • Primary information page
Only Democrats can vote in the Democratic primary. Only Republicans can vote in the Republican primary. The Department of Elections says the deadline to change party affiliation before the primary was the last Friday in May — Friday, May 29, 2026.
Voters who were automatically registered through the DMV and were not given a chance to pick a party may still designate Democratic or Republican affiliation through Primary Day, September 15, 2026. The Department says the 2026 primary is the last election in which that AVR provision applies.
| Clock | As posted by the state |
|---|---|
| Sat, Aug 22, 11:59 p.m. | Last day to register if you are not already registered and want a primary ballot. |
| Sun Aug 31 | Last day for unregistered uniformed service members and overseas citizens to register for the primary. |
| Wed Sep 2 – Sat Sep 5 | Early voting, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at designated sites. |
| Sun Sep 6 – Mon Sep 7 | No early voting. Labor Day weekend gap. Labor Day is Monday, September 7. |
| Tue Sep 8 | Early voting, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Wed Sep 9 – Sun Sep 13 | Early voting, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting ends September 13. |
| Fri Sep 11 | Last day to request a primary absentee ballot to be mailed. |
| Mon Sep 14, noon | Last time county offices issue primary absentee ballots. |
| Tue Sep 15, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Primary Day. Absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. to count. |
Sussex County Elections is at 119 N Race Street, Georgetown. Phone 302-856-5367. Statewide registration and absentee tools are at ivote.de.gov.
Candidate filings, races, and the August 22 line also live on the Ledger’s 2026 Sussex voter guide. Use that page for the ballot. Use the state calendar for the clock.
Primary page: elections.delaware.gov/elections/primary/primary.html · Register / lookup: ivote.de.gov · Calendar PDF: 2026ElectionCalendar.pdf · Voter guide: sussexledger.com/voter-guide