Ballotpedia completed an inventory of all Delaware ballot measures dating back to 1850. Between 1850 and 2025, Delaware voters decided on five ballot measures—the fewest of any state. Of those, three were approved, and two were defeated.
Delaware is one of 24 states with no form of citizen-initiated ballot measures. Additionally, Delaware is the only state that does not require voter approval for state constitutional amendments. Those two factors contribute to Delaware’s status as the state with the fewest number of statewide ballot measures.
Five measures have appeared on the Delaware ballot between 1850 and 2025:
- Constitutional Convention Question (1851): The question allowed the Delaware General Assembly to call a state constitutional convention. Voters approved the measure, with 73.0% voting yes. After the measure was passed, the general assembly passed legislation for a state constitutional convention on February 4, 1852. The convention convened on December 7, 1852.
- Constitution of 1853 Ratification Measure: The measure would have ratified the new state constitution proposed by the constitutional convention. Voters defeated the measure; 63.8% voted against ratifying the constitution.
- Initiative and Referendum Advisory Question (1906): The question directed the Delaware General Assembly to pass legislation that would create an advisory initiative and referendum process. The question passed; 88.9% of voters approved the measure. However, the question was non-binding, and the general assembly elected not to create an initiative and referendum process.
- Slot Machines Advisory Question (1976): The measure would have advised the general assembly to pass legislation that would permit the use of state-regulated slot machines. The measure was defeated; 56.5% of voters rejected the question.
- Charitable Gambling Advisory Question (1984): The question advised the general assembly to pass legislation to allow the state to license certain companies to conduct lotteries. The list of permitted organizations included fire, veteran, charitable, religious, and fraternal organizations. Voters approved the measure; 73.5% voted yes. The election was held in four regions in the state, and each voter was asked about the licensing of lotteries in the region where they resided.
The Delaware General Assembly has voted to refer four ballot measures to the state ballot between 1850 and 2025. The fifth measure was referred to the ballot by a constitutional convention.
Three of the four measures (75%) referred by the general assembly were approved; the measure referred by the constitutional convention was defeated.
The five ballot measures in Delaware were on the ballot in four different decades. The 1850s saw two measures on the ballot, more than any other decade.
The inventory of Delaware statewide ballot measures is part of Ballotpedia's Historical Ballot Measure Factbooks, which document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the United States. This ongoing research effort will provide an unparalleled resource for researchers, reporters, and voters on how ballot measures have evolved, the issues they've covered, and the role they have played in our civic life.
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