Demand Action: Clean Slate Can't Wait.

On August 1, 2024, Delaware’s Clean Slate law went into effect, promising access to a true second chance for more than 290,000 Delawareans eligible for automated expungement of their criminal records

It’s been over four months since implementation and more than three years since Clean Slate’s initial passage. What should have been a transformative step for Delaware’s criminal legal system has fallen disappointingly short of expectations.

As of October 2024, only 624 records have been cleared — less than 1% of those eligible for mandatory expungement — and little progress has been made to create an accessible pathway for Delawareans to learn if their record has been cleared.

As we look ahead to the inauguration of a new Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and state legislature this January, it's past time for tangible results and accountability from those who have promised to take action to support Clean Slate.

By signing this petition, you are calling on Governor-elect Meyer and Lt. Governor-elect Gay to fulfill their campaign promises and take these concrete steps within their first 90 days in office:

• Use the resources and support available to Clean Slate states to remove unnecessary manual processes currently delaying the clearance of hundreds of thousands of eligible records and automate Clean Slate record clearance; and
• Create a pathway for people to learn if their record has been cleared and access their own expunged records for immigration, federal employment, military enlistment, and other purposes.

As our executive leadership works to move Delaware’s existing Clean Slate law forward, our state legislators must continue the work to expand Clean Slate policies — beginning with removing fines and fees as a barrier to record expungement.

This petition also urges Delaware state legislators to pass legislation to allow individuals to clear their records regardless of the fines and fees they owe, a common-sense solution to increase financial stability for Delawareans and help ensure people have the resources to pay their fines and fees.

Clean Slate can't wait. Delaware’s reputation as the “First State” should motivate us to set a forward-thinking example. Bringing Delaware in line with known best Clean Slate practices is a win for all of us: it is life-changing for individuals, benefits families for generations to come, and has transformative power for our entire state.