Election Information

Qualifications for Mayor and Council Members

Each Council member and the Mayor must be at least 18 years old and be a registered voter in the Town of Ocean View. The Mayor must have resided in the Town at least two years immediately preceding the date of the election and the Council members at least one year.  Each Council member must be a resident of the district they represent on the Council.  The Mayor and Council members are elected at large.

Election Dates

Annual Town elections for Mayor and Council members are held the second Saturday in April. Elected candidates take office seven days after their election victory.

Voting Districts

The Town is divided into four election districts. The Districts are established once every ten years following the posting of the official census for the Town of Ocean View. Districts may also be reapportioned should an annexation occur that disturbs the apportionment of one or more of the districts.

Board of Elections

The Board of Elections consists of five members and three alternates. The board members serve three year terms and are in charge of the registration of voters, nominations, and all Town elections.  The current member list for the Board of Elections can be found under Boards & Commissions at the Resources section of the Town website.

Voter Registration Requirements

All eligible voters in the Town of Ocean View must complete a voter registration form in the Town Hall or request the form to be mailed to them . The completed form may also be returned by mail. Some form of identification, preferably a valid Delaware Driver License, and address must accompany the completed form.

Voter Registration Dates

Voter registration is open all year up and until the tenth business day preceding the election.

Absentee Ballots

Purpose

To provide those qualified voters of the Town of Ocean View who are unable to appear at a municipal election with the ability to cast a ballot to be counted in the total for the municipal election.

Reasons for casting absentee ballot

Any qualified voter of the Town of Ocean View who shall be unable to appear to cast his ballot at any municipal election at the regular polling place in the Town of Ocean View for any of the following reasons shall be entitled to cast an absentee ballot and to have his vote counted because such person:

•     is in the public service of the United States or of this state.
•     will be unavoidably absent on the day of election.
•     is sick or has a physical disability.
•     is absent while on vacation.
•     is unable to vote at a certain time or on a certain day because of the tenets or teachings of his religion.

Request for ballot

A voter desiring to vote by absentee ballot in an election for which the voter is a qualified voter may request an absentee ballot from the Town of Ocean View where the voter is qualified to vote by filing a written affidavit with the Town no later than 12:00 noon on the day before the election.

Affidavits for absentee ballots

An affidavit may be filed pursuant to this section by mailing it, delivering it, or causing it to be delivered to the municipality where the elector is qualified to vote.

Delivery of absentee ballots

For an absentee ballot to be counted, the voter shall return the marked ballot to the Town before the polls close on the day of the election.