On July 23, Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed HB 425.  It reduces the number of registrants a party needs to be ballot-qualified, for 2010 only, from 612 members, to 306 members.  This has the effect of immediately putting the Green Party back on the ballot.  It will also make it much easier for the Constitution Party to get back on the ballot.  As a result of the bill, the Constitution Party only needs to get about 25 more registrants between now and August 10 in order to be ballot-qualified.

It is not easy for parties to gain more registrants during an election year in Delaware, because the state does not permit voters to change parties in the period before primaries or general elections.  The law is ambiguous about whether independent voters may switch to join parties during these periods.

Delaware is the third state in which the Green Party has gained party status this month.  The other two are Arkansas and Texas.