The Clock Is Ticking…
Governor Meyer has publicly committed to clearing Delaware’s backlog of Clean Slate eligible expungements by August 31, 2026. Every day of progress is another day thousands of Delawareans get the second chance they were promised. Let the countdown to August 31st 11:59 p.m. begin!
“The Governor’s Office will also continue working with SBI, DELJIS, and the courts to identify, validate, and process additional automated batches. The administration’s goal is to clear the bulk of the current Clean Slate backlog by August.”
A Promise Years in the Making
Delaware’s Clean Slate law was designed to automatically clear eligible criminal records without requiring people to navigate a complicated petition process. The law was intended to remove barriers to employment, housing, education, and opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Delawareans.
Automatic expungement was expected to begin in August 2024. Nearly two years later, many eligible records remain uncleared.
Governor Matt Meyer has publicly stated that the backlog will be eliminated by August 31, 2026. This page tracks that commitment.
Why This Matters
A criminal record can follow someone long after they have paid their debt to society.
Every delayed expungement can mean:
-Lost job opportunities
-Housing denials
-Barriers to education and professional licensing
-Financial hardship
-Families waiting longer for a fresh start
The law already exists. Eligible individuals should not have to wait years to receive the relief they were promised.
The Timeline
2021 — The Clean Slate Act Becomes Law
Under Governor John Carney, Delaware enacted the Clean Slate Act, creating an automated expungement process to remove eligible criminal records and expand access to employment, housing, and opportunity.
August 1, 2024 — Implementation Begins
Still under Governor John Carney, automated expungements were scheduled to begin. While implementation started, the process quickly fell behind, leaving a substantial backlog of eligible records.
January 2025 — A New Administration Takes Office
Governor Matt Meyer inherited the ongoing implementation of the Clean Slate Act and the remaining backlog of eligible records awaiting automated expungement.
June 2026 — A Public Commitment
Governor Meyer’s administration expunges 64,000 (out of upwards to a million) eligible records and publicly committed to clearing the backlog of eligible Clean Slate records by August 2026.
August 31, 2026 — The Deadline
This countdown tracks the Governor’s commitment. Delawareans have waited years for the full promise of Clean Slate to become a reality. We will continue monitoring progress and providing updates until the backlog is cleared.