Delaware requires that a voter be “a bona fide resident.” Delaware courts have held that residence means “domicile.” To establish a domicile, an individual must establish “physical presence” and intend to make it a “permanent home.” This includes an “actual abandonment” of the previous home by intending to live at the new home indefinitely. Students who lived in Delaware before moving to another state for school, and who wish to establish or keep their Delaware voting residency (i.e., at their parents’ Delaware address) should have no problem doing so, unless they have already registered to vote in their new state. Students who move to Delaware to attend school with the intention of making Delaware their home and with no intent of moving back to their previous place of residence should be able to establish voting residency in Delaware.
