Senator Darius Brown, sponsor of Senate Bill 2, told the Senate Elections and Government Affairs Committee that the measure would amend the Delaware Constitution to guarantee early in‑person voting for general, primary and special elections to fill General Assembly vacancies.

The bill, Brown said, would enshrine a practice that has been in state law since February 2019 (effective for elections beginning Jan. 1, 2022) and protect early voting from future legal challenges to statutory provisions. "We've seen historically the engagement and benefit of being able to vote early," Brown said, citing 2024 turnout figures he provided: "over 124,000 Democrats that voted early, [and] over 75,000 Republicans that both voted early." State Election Commissioner Anthony Alban and Mark Petroma, director of the Division of Legislative Services, were listed as expert witnesses.

Supporters who testified in person and virtually said early voting increases access for working people, older voters and people with disabilities. Tim Travers, a Greenville resident, told the committee he supports SB 2 and cited a party leadership statement and turnout figures. Andrew Bernstein of the ACLU of Delaware said early in‑person voting accounted for about 40% of votes cast in the 2024 presidential election and argued a constitutional amendment would protect the practice from future litigation. Becca Cotto of YWCA Delaware, Ted Spickler for AARP, Cynthia Carter Wedgwood (a longtime election worker), and multiple other residents and advocacy organizations also urged committee support.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about why a constitutional amendment is needed rather than statutory change. Commissioner Alban explained the amendment would respond to recent court litigation and make the practice harder to overturn, noting that the state’s Supreme Court had dismissed one early‑voting challenge for lack of standing but that future suits could raise the issue again. Several senators signaled support or asked to be cosine with the bill; no committee vote on SB 2 was recorded at the hearing.

The committee opened a formal public record for written comments to be submitted up to 24 hours after adjournment. The committee then moved on to the next agenda item, SB 3, after completing the SB 2 public‑comment period.

No committee motion or roll‑call vote on SB 2 was made during the hearing.