James Elam

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James Elam
Image of James Elam
Elections and appointments
Last election

May 10, 2022

Education

High school

Capital High School

Associate

University of the People, 2022

Bachelor's

University of the People

Personal
Birthplace
Evanston, Ill.
Religion
Methodist
Profession
Private security guard
Contact

James Elam (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Charleston City Council to represent Ward 18 in West Virginia. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 10, 2022.

Elam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

James Elam was born in Evanston, Illinois, and lives in Charleston, West Virginia. He graduated from Capital High School. Elam attended Concord University in Athens, West Virginia, from 2015 to 2016. He earned an associate degree from the University of the People, based in Pasadena, California, in 2022. He attended Christian Leaders College. Elam's career experience includes working as a corrections officer with the West Virginia Division of Corrections and in private security with a hospital. He has been affiliated with the Southern States Correctional Association, WV Can't Wait, Charleston Can't Wait, and the WVDP LGBTQ Caucus.[1][2][3][4]

Elections

2022

See also: City elections in Charleston, West Virginia (2022)

General election

General election for Charleston City Council Ward 18

Pam Burka defeated incumbent Bobby Brown and Dana Skerbetz in the general election for Charleston City Council Ward 18 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Pam Burka (R)
 
43.6
 
323
Bobby Brown (D)
 
42.0
 
311
Dana Skerbetz (Independent)
 
14.2
 
105
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
1

Total votes: 740
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Charleston City Council Ward 18

Incumbent Bobby Brown defeated James Elam in the Democratic primary for Charleston City Council Ward 18 on May 10, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Bobby Brown
 
54.2
 
122
Image of James Elam
James Elam Candidate Connection
 
45.8
 
103

Total votes: 225
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Charleston City Council Ward 18

Pam Burka advanced from the Republican primary for Charleston City Council Ward 18 on May 10, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Pam Burka
 
100.0
 
90

Total votes: 90
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

See also: West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2020

General election

General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 36 (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 36 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Larry Rowe
Larry Rowe (D)
 
20.4
 
10,355
Image of Chris Pritt
Chris Pritt (R)
 
16.8
 
8,508
Image of Jim Barach
Jim Barach (D)
 
16.8
 
8,490
Stevie Thaxton (R)
 
15.8
 
8,026
Amanda Estep-Burton (D)
 
15.3
 
7,743
Image of Chris Walters
Chris Walters (R)
 
14.9
 
7,548
Jaime Policarpio (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
0

Total votes: 50,670
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 36 (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 36 on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Larry Rowe
Larry Rowe
 
31.6
 
5,157
Amanda Estep-Burton
 
18.9
 
3,083
Image of Jim Barach
Jim Barach
 
15.2
 
2,484
Amber Ferrell
 
13.7
 
2,241
Edgar Poe
 
7.7
 
1,250
Clint Casto
 
6.9
 
1,125
Image of James Elam
James Elam
 
6.0
 
975

Total votes: 16,315
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 36 (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 36 on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Chris Pritt
Chris Pritt
 
24.7
 
2,514
Stevie Thaxton
 
15.6
 
1,584
Image of Chris Walters
Chris Walters
 
15.3
 
1,558
Amanda Davis
 
12.4
 
1,268
John Luoni
 
12.2
 
1,244
Eric Young
 
11.8
 
1,202
Bill Johnson
 
8.0
 
816

Total votes: 10,186
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2018

See also: West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2018

General election

General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 36 (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 36 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Larry Rowe
Larry Rowe (D)
 
22.1
 
9,651
Image of Andrew Robinson
Andrew Robinson (D)
 
19.9
 
8,694
Amanda Estep-Burton (D)
 
16.4
 
7,165
Image of Chris Pritt
Chris Pritt (R)
 
16.3
 
7,103
Ethan Morris (R)
 
12.8
 
5,563
Matthew Jarrett (R)
 
12.5
 
5,434

Total votes: 43,610
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 36 (3 seats)

Incumbent Larry Rowe, incumbent Andrew Robinson, and Amanda Estep-Burton defeated Clint Casto and James Elam in the Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 36 on May 8, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Larry Rowe
Larry Rowe
 
32.5
 
4,185
Image of Andrew Robinson
Andrew Robinson
 
29.9
 
3,854
Amanda Estep-Burton
 
21.1
 
2,710
Clint Casto
 
9.3
 
1,197
Image of James Elam
James Elam
 
7.2
 
924

Total votes: 12,870
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 36 (3 seats)

Chris Pritt, Matthew Jarrett, and Ethan Morris advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 36 on May 8, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Chris Pritt
Chris Pritt
 
36.2
 
1,885
Matthew Jarrett
 
33.0
 
1,719
Ethan Morris
 
30.8
 
1,604

Total votes: 5,208
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

James Elam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Elam's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

James Elam was born in Evanston, Illinois, and has lived in Charleston, West Virginia for nearly 10 years now. Elam is a graduate of Capital High School in Charleston. Elam attended Concord University in Athens, West Virginia, from 2015 to 2016, before beginning a job in law enforcement (Division of Corrections). While attending Concord University, Elam was an Associate Brother in the Phi Sigma Phi fraternity.

From 2016 to 2017, Elam served as a Correctional Officer with what was then West Virginia Division of Corrections (WVDOC) now known as the Division of Corrections & Rehabilitation. Elam was assigned as a housing unit Officer at Salem Correctional Center, a medium-security men's prison, where he was trained in basic law enforcement duties. After leaving the Division of Corrections in late 2017, Elam went into the private protection and security industry. Elam left state employment to seek elected office. Elam ran for a seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates in both the 2018 and 2020 elections and sought to represent Kanawha County's 36th District. In 2020, Elam was endorsed by The Charleston-Gazette Mail for the democratic primary for Delegate.

Elam lives in the Kanawha City neighborhood of Charleston, West Virginia and is running in the 2022 municipal election for a seat on Charleston City Council (Ward 18).
  • Addressing Public Safety & Gun Violence
  • Housing & Addressing Homelessness
  • ​ Public Health in Charleston
*Public Safety & Gun Violence
  • Public Housing
  • Public Health & Recovery Efforts
  • Fighting COVID-19
  • Economic Diversity
  • Protecting Minorities & Fighting Injustice
  • Cannabis Legalization & Decriminalization
I look up to the people who live in my Ward and work hard every day to provide a better life for themselves and their families. I look up to the many men and women in the healthcare industry, who I have the opportunity to work with at a local Charleston hospital. I look up to our first responders, as a former Correctional Officer, I recognize the sacrifices these individuals make on a daily basis. I want to be a watchdog for the people in my Ward, and a true citizen representative of the people. If elected to Charleston City Council, I promise I will always be accessible.
Someone who has integrity and is honest. Someone who will be accessible to their constituents and make themselves available to listen to the concerns of the residents of this city. I think having a background in government or previous public service is also very important. because it shows an individual's willingness to give of themselves to the greater good -- and the community at large.
I come from a proud U.S. Navy family that has been involved with public service for as long as I can remember. I want to work for you and will make myself accessible to each constituent in my Ward. I value the importance of creating more living wage jobs in Charleston, improving our schools, and making public safety - especially stopping senseless killings and gun violence -- a top priority. With my years of public safety and private protection experience, as well as previously running for the House of Delegates, I know what it takes to find solutions to the problems we face, and actually get things done.
"Maurice" by E.M. Forster -- it represents a similar internal conflict that I wrestled with in my early adolescence.
Many people aren't aware that our City Council is the legislative, law-making body of the Charleston, West Virginia city government. It is incumbent upon the City Council, to vote on -- and approve, the City's annual budget. The role of City Councilmember is an extremely important role in our municipal government.
While I think that this is helpful, I don't view it as a requirement for this office. I think a good Councilmember is someone who will make themselves accessible to their constituents and listen to their concerns. I think my background in law enforcement and public safety speak for itself, and according to many people who live in my Ward, they don't even know who their current Councilmember is. I find this concerning, because it shows a lack of engagement on the part of the incumbent. People need to know who it is we are, and what we stand for. I have a published platform that the public can view, and as of late January 2022, no other candidate in this race can say the same.
I think to be an effective Councilmember in our City at this point in time, requires someone with a public safety and public health background. Charleston is dealing with two very serious public health crises at one time. First, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and secondly addiction and substance use disorder (SUD). Many councilmembers simply don't have the first-hand experience dealing with these issues, to truly know how serious the impacts are on our city. I see these issues daily working in an emergency room of many local area hospitals. As well as my background in law enforcement (Corrections), I specialize in private security and protection and work in local hospitals protecting hospital staff, visitors, and the public.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

James Elam did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Candidate Connection

James Elam participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on April 6, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and James Elam's responses follow below.[5]

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1) Cannabis Legalization

2) Fighting the Opioid Epidemic
3) Fighting for civil and equal rights for all[6][7]

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

I am passionate about criminal justice reform since I am a former Corrections Officer. I am also passionate about fighting the opioid epidemic in West Virginia, as we lead the nation in opioid related overdose. We know the benefits of legalized cannabis, and the effectiveness in reducing the rates of opioid abuse in states with legal cannabis. WV needs to get on board. I am also extremely passionate about LGBT rights, as I am the youngest openly gay candidate to ever run for the West Virginia Legislature.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[7]


See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. James Elam - House Delegates 36th District - Charleston, WV, "About," accessed March 17, 2018
  2. Ballotpedia staff, "Email communication with James Elam," August 3, 2020
  3. Ballotpedia's Elections Team, “Email communication with James Elam," February 17, 2021
  4. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on January 28, 2022
  5. Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
  6. Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "James Elam's responses," April 6, 2018
  7. 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.