Democratic Committee of Elsmere v. Mayor of Elsmere

373 A.2d 227, 1977 Del. Super. LEXIS 104
CourtSuperior Court of Delaware
DecidedApril 22, 1977
StatusPublished

This text of 373 A.2d 227 (Democratic Committee of Elsmere v. Mayor of Elsmere) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Democratic Committee of Elsmere v. Mayor of Elsmere, 373 A.2d 227, 1977 Del. Super. LEXIS 104 (Del. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

DECISION AFTER HEARING

TAYLOR, Judge.

Plaintiffs seek writ of mandamus dealing with three subjects concerning the election for the offices of Mayor, members of Town Council, Treasurer and Assessor, to be held on April 30, 1977. The issues are:

(1) The placement of the three political parties’ candidates on the ballot;
(2) The use of the name “Independent-Democrat” by one political party, there being another political party which bears the name “Democrat”;
(3) Only the candidates of the Independent-Democrat party were granted an exception which permitted the use of sound trucks in connection with that election.

With respect to item number (3), at the hearing, the attorney representing the Town stated that the permission to use sound trucks in connection with the election was granted to the candidates of all three political parties. This representation was accepted by the attorney for plaintiffs, and, therefore, issue number (3) does not require judicial attention.

The parties have conceded that if plaintiffs are entitled to judicial relief, mandamus is a proper remedy.

I

The action of the Town Council on April 6, 1977 directed that the candidates of the Independent-Democrat party be placed in the first column on the left side of the ballot and the candidates of the Democratic party be placed in the third column from the left. Plaintiffs rely on 15 Del.C. § 4502(a) in support of the proposition that the Democratic party candidates are required to be listed in the first column on the left side of the ballot. § 4502(a) by its express terms deals with ballots “[f]or each general election”.

The phrase “general election” appears in Article 5 of the Delaware Constitution and in many sections throughout Title 15 of the Delaware Code. It is not defined. Hence, its meaning must be found from its usage. In Opinion of the Justices, Del. Supr., 295 A.2d 718 (1972) the Supreme Court noted the differentiation in the Delaware Constitution between a general election and other kinds of election. It pointed out that Article 5, § 7 provides for the purity of other types of election, specifically mentioning primary elections and municipal elections. The Supreme Court concluded that “general election” is used in the Delaware Constitution in a restrictive sense. The specific holding in that Opinion was that general election does not encompass primary election to nominate candidates for a general election.

The decision of the Delaware Supreme Court in Abrahams v. Superior Court, Del. Supr., 11 Terry 394, 131 A.2d 662 (1957) focuses on the question of whether a municipal election held at the same time as the statewide general election could be considered as being a part of the general election. In rejecting the affirmative of this question, the Court stated, at page 668:

“The fallacy of this argument is manifest. It confuses the general election with the municipal election. The fact [229]*229that municipal officers are elected on the day of the general election, by the same voting mechanics, does not convert the municipal election into a general election or make the municipal election a part of “the general election” as the phrase is used in the Constitution. It remains a municipal election, . . . ”

In that Opinion, the Court reviewed the historic distinction in this State between general election and other types of election and concluded that at least in Delaware constitutional usage, the term general election does not include municipal election. See also, Brennan v. Black, Del.Supr., 34 Del.Ch. 380, 104 A.2d 777 (1954).

Turning to Title 15, Delaware Code, it is noted that the caption for the Title is “Elections”. Within that Title, some sections refer to “election” and some refer to “general election”. A few sections address themselves specifically to municipal elections, namely, § 4101 which provides that residency requirements for candidates may be as set forth in municipal charter; § 5003 which requires voting machines to be used in all municipal elections; § 5162 which provides criminal penalty for intimidating an elector at any general, special or municipal election; § 5301 which forbids bringing or sending an armed soldier at or within 5 miles of a voting place on the day of any general, special or other election; § 7501 which provides for handling of ballots in municipal elections; and §§ 7521-28 which deal specifically with municipal elections in Wilmington and provide that such election shall be conducted “in conformity with the provisions governing general elections as provided under this title” and make certain specified chapters of that title applicable to such elections.

No provision of statute has come to the Court’s attention which indicates a legislative intent to use the term “general election” in a different sense than it is used in the Delaware Constitution.

As noted above, § 4502(a) prefaces its directive with the words “[f]or each general election”. Its directive relates to ballots. Its context shows that it relates to a “State, County and District Ballot,” and includes an appropriate expansion for President and Vice President when applicable. The form of certificate which appears in the same chapter in § 4508 refers only to the offices which are traditionally elected at the “general election” of the constitutional meaning. The functions of administering the election, in general, are vested by this chapter in the department of elections, and § 4515 provides for certification of the costs of election in November and payment of those costs by the State Treasurer. The language of Chapter 45 is consistent with the constitutional usage of “general election” and nothing indicates an intention to give the term a different meaning.

Accordingly, I find that 15 Del.C. § 4502(a), standing alone, does not prevent the placing of party candidates on the ballot for the Elsmere election as directed by Council.

II

Plaintiffs’ next contention is that the action of Council in authorizing the Independent-Democrat party to be listed on the ballot violates 15 Del.C. § 3302(a).

Unlike § 4502(a) discussed above, § 3302 does not specifically refer to general election. Chapter 33 in which § 3302 appears deals with the nomination process and its relationship to the ballots. § 3301 and § 3302 deal with the content of certificates of nomination. § 3301 specifies the depositories for certifying candidates for national offices, Governor and other state offices, State Senator and State Representative and county offices. It makes no reference to any other offices, and it prohibits candidates’ names to appear on the ballot “in any general election” unless nominated in the manner prescribed. § 3302 provides requirements and limitations on the party designation to appear on the certificates of nomination and on the ballot. § 3303 provides for filing the certificates of nomination “on or before the 1st day of September of the year of any general election.” § 3304 provides for certification of candidates to [230]*230the department of elections 50 days before the general election.

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Related

Brennan v. Black
104 A.2d 777 (Supreme Court of Delaware, 1954)
Abrahams v. Superior Court
131 A.2d 662 (Supreme Court of Delaware, 1957)
Stone v. State Ex Rel. Goetz
8 So. 2d 208 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1942)
Hall Ex Rel. Hall v. Phillips Petroleum Co.
214 S.W.2d 438 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1948)
Opinion of the Justices
295 A.2d 718 (Supreme Court of Delaware, 1972)
City of Norfolk v. Norfolk Landmark Publishing Co.
28 S.E. 959 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1898)
Borough of Oakland v. Board of Conservation & Development
118 A. 787 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1922)

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Bluebook (online)
373 A.2d 227, 1977 Del. Super. LEXIS 104, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/democratic-committee-of-elsmere-v-mayor-of-elsmere-delsuperct-1977.