Laws governing ballot measures in West Virginia
From Ballotpedia
(Redirected from Laws governing direct democracy in West Virginia)
This page provides an overview of resources addressing the laws and procedures that govern statewide and local ballot measures in West Virginia, including constitutional amendments and campaign finance regulations.
Explore the links below for more information:
- Types of ballot measures in West Virginia
- Amending the West Virginia Constitution
- Laws governing local ballot measures in West Virginia
- Laws governing recall in West Virginia
- Laws governing state constitutional conventions in West Virginia
- Campaign finance requirements for West Virginia ballot measures
- Changes to laws governing ballot measures in West Virginia
Laws governing ballot measures in West Virginia
Types of ballot measures in West Virginia
- In West Virginia, citizens do not have the power to initiate ballot measures at the state level.
- The West Virginia Legislature can refer constitutional amendments to the ballot.
- In West Virginia, a total of 28 ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1985 and 2024. Fifteen (15) ballot measures were approved, and 13 ballot measures were defeated.
Amending the West Virginia Constitution
- West Virginia became a state in 1863. The current state constitution was ratified in 1872.
- The West Virginia Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution—legislatively referred constitutional amendments and convention-referred constitutional amendments. A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the West Virginia State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. West Virginia requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments. A simple majority vote in the state legislature is required to place a constitutional convention question on the ballot.
Laws governing local ballot measures in West Virginia
- Article VI, Section 39a of the West Virginia Constitution gives cities the power to create and amend their own charters.
Laws governing recall in West Virginia
- West Virginia law does not provide for the recall of state officials.
- In West Virginia, the right of recall extends to any elected officer of a city that has a city charter that provides for recall. The right of recall in West Virginia does not extend to city officials in non-charter cities or charter cities that do not specifically authorize recall. The right of recall also does not extend to county officials, officials of special districts, members of school boards, or members of the West Virginia State Legislature.
Laws governing state constitutional conventions in West Virginia
- According to Section 1 of Article XIV of the West Virginia Constitution, the state Legislature can vote to refer a constitutional convention question to voters. A simple majority vote is required in the Legislature.
Campaign finance requirements for West Virginia ballot measures
- There are no campaign finance requirements for ballot measure campaigns in West Virginia. West Virginia is the only state in the nation that does not require campaigns involved with ballot measures to register with a state agency.
Changes to laws governing ballot measures in West Virginia
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
The West Virginia State Legislature did not pass legislation concerning ballot measures in 2025.
See also
Footnotes
