Delaware election officials communicated with aides in Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long’s office last year amid a scandal involving her campaign finance reports. Emails obtained by The Associated Press show that Elections Commissioner Anthony Albence wanted to keep Hall-Long’s office informed about queries from the AP regarding amendments to her campaign finance reports. Albence, a Democrat, and Attorney General Kathleen Jennings, also a Democrat, decided not to pursue criminal charges against Hall-Long or her husband for campaign finance violations.

The scandal involved apparent errors in amended filings by Hall-Long. On October 23, the AP emailed election officials with questions about these errors, and officials responded the next day while also alerting a top aide in Hall-Long’s office. Albence sent an email to Andrew Volturo, a strategic advisor in Hall-Long’s office, informing him of the updates. Later that day, Albence directed his staff to send Volturo another update, suggesting that Volturo should be informed about the developments.

The emails also reveal that Frank Broujos, the deputy attorney general from Jennings’ office, was copied on the emails. Volturo, who had previously rebuffed questions from the AP about Hall-Long’s campaign finances, did not respond to emails. The AP submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in May for all election department communications with six specific employees, including Volturo, but the department claimed it had no responsive records. Hall-Long is currently seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in the September 10 primary, facing New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and former state environmental secretary Collin O’Mara.