Delaware County Dems mount complicated write-in campaign

The stakes are high in Delaware County where Democrats hope to take control of the county government for the first time in nearly 40 years.

They’re trying to do so through a write-in campaign while battling very low turnout.

Not only has the Delaware County Council had no Democrats since the 1970s, this year’s primary ballot doesn’t feature any Democrats either. All three of the party’s candidates for council were removed from the ballot by a judge because they filed their financial statements with the wrong office.

In response, Democratic Party officials including Frank Noyes spent Tuesday handing out rubber stamps to voters and explaining the write-in process.

“You have to select the choice of writing in by pushing one button,” he said. “Then a red light blinks somewhere else on the machine … you have to push that button. Then the write-in window opens, it’s a tiny window. You stamp the stamp in there, and then you close the window.

“So it’s a four-step process to write a candidate in.”

Noyes says the three Democrats need just 250 votes each to qualify for a spot on November’s ballot. Democrats now officially outnumber Republicans in Delaware County, but the GOP is hoping to maintain its control.