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Lawsuit Challenges Two Rehoboth Beach Referenda

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A lawsuit in Rehoboth Beach gives new meaning to the phrase, “Vote early and vote often.”

Resident Jackie Nichols has filed a federal lawsuit that says the ability of corporation owners to cast multiple votes in a referendum violates the Delaware and U.S. constitutions.

The multiple voting provision only applies to referenda not general municipal elections.

Wilmington News Journal reports that city staff also said that residents who own Rehoboth based businesses can also cast multiple votes.

Nichol’s lawsuit this practice violates the one-person one-vote ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court.

At stake are two referenda that would allow the city to issue bonds for $18 million for a new municipal complex and $52 million for an upgrade in the sewer system.

 

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.