Voting in West Virginia
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Contents
- 1 Voter registration
- 2 Voting in elections
- 3 Absentee voting
- 4 Early voting
- 5 Convicted felons' voting rights
- 6 Election administration costs
- 7 Election agencies
- 8 Noteworthy events
- 9 Election policy ballot measures
- 10 Election policy legislation
- 11 Recent news
- 12 See also
- 13 External links
- 14 Footnotes
Voting policies are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which American citizens cast their ballots in their individual states.
This page includes the following:
- Voter registration details, including methods of registering and requirements
- Details on voting in elections, including identification requirements, poll times, and primary election type
- Absentee/mail-in voting rules[1]
- Early voting rules
- Convicted felons' voting rights
- Election administration costs report
- Election agencies list
- Election policy ballot measures list
- Election policy legislation list
Voter registration
To vote in West Virginia, one must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of West Virginia, and at least 18 years of age.[2]
The registration deadline is 21 days prior to an election. One may register to vote by submitting a form by mail to his or her county clerk's office or the Secretary of State's Office. Registration can be completed in person at the county clerk's office, the Secretary of State's office, the Department of Motor Vehicles, any public assistance office, any agency that serves people with disabilities, any marriage license office, or any military recruiting agency.[2]
Automatic registration
West Virginia automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
West Virginia has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
West Virginia does not allow same-day voter registration.
Residency requirements
West Virginia law requires 30 days of residency in a town before a person may vote.
Verification of citizenship
West Virginia does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
Verifying your registration
The West Virginia Secretary of State's office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Voting in elections
Voter identification
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
West Virginia requires voters to present identification while voting. The identification provided must be issued either by the State of West Virginia, or one of its subsidiaries, or by the United States government. It must also contain the name of the voter.[3]
The following list of accepted ID was current as of November 2019. Click here for the West Virginia Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.
- Valid West Virginia driver’s license or valid West Virginia identification card issued by the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles
- Valid driver’s license issued by a state other than the State of West Virginia
- Valid United States passport or passport card
- Valid employee identification card with a photograph of the eligible voter issued by any branch, department, agency, or entity of the United States government or the State of West Virginia, or by any county, municipality, board, authority, or other political subdivision of West Virginia
- Valid student identification card with a photograph issued by an institution of higher education in West Virginia
- Valid high school identification card issued by a West Virginia high school
- Valid military identification card issued by the United States with a photograph of the person desiring to vote
- Valid concealed carry (pistol/revolver) permit issued by the sheriff of the county with a photograph of the person desiring to vote
- Valid Medicare card or Social Security card
- Valid birth certificate
- Valid voter registration card issued by a county clerk in the State of West Virginia
- Valid hunting or fishing license issued by the State of West Virginia
- Valid identification card issued to the voter by the West Virginia Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) program
- Valid identification card issued to the voter by the West Virginia Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program
- Valid identification card issued to the voter by West Virginia Medicaid
- Valid bank card or valid debit card
- Valid utility bill issued within six months of the date of the election
- Valid bank statement issued within six months of the date of the election
- Valid health insurance card issued to the voter
Additionally, a registered voter can bring an adult whom he or she has known for at least six months with them to the polling place. The adult can sign an affidavit stating that he or she knows the voter. The voter will then be allowed to vote. A voter can also be identified by a poll worker as long as he or she has known the voter for at least six months.[3]
Voters can obtain a free voter ID card at their county clerk’s office.[4]
Background
As of April 2021, 35 states enforced (or were scheduled to begin enforcing) voter identification requirements. A total of 21 states required voters to present photo identification at the polls; the remainder accepted other forms of identification. Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.[5][6]
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing times
In West Virginia, all polling places are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. A voter who is in line at the time polls close must still be permitted to vote.[7]
Primary election type
- See also: Primary elections in West Virginia
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. West Virginia utilizes a semi-closed primary system. Parties decide who may vote. Both the Democratic and Republican parties allow unaffiliated voters to vote in their primaries.[8][9][10][11]
Absentee voting
- See also: Absentee voting
Voters in West Virginia are eligible to vote absentee in an election for any of the following reasons:[12]
- “Injury or illness”
- “Disability or advanced age”
- “Incarceration or home detention (does not include individuals convicted of any felony, treason, or election bribery)”
- “Work hours and distance from county seat”
- “Inaccessible early voting site and polling place”
- “Personal or business travel”
- “Attendance at college or other place of education or training”
- “Temporary residence outside of the county”
- “Service as an elected or appointed state or federal official”
To vote absentee, a request must be received by the county clerk no later than the sixth day prior to the election. The completed ballot must then be postmarked no later than Election Day and received by the Friday after a primary election and the Monday after a general election.[13]
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
West Virginia permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
As of April 2021, 38 states and the District of Columbia permitted early voting. Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on election day. States that do not permit early voting still permit some or all citizens to vote early by mail—often known as absentee voting. Some states allow no-excuse absentee voting, while others require an excuse. States that allow in-person absentee voting without an excuse are counted among early voting states. Click here for early voting laws by state.[14]
Convicted felons' voting rights
- See also: Voting rights for convicted felons
In West Virginia, individuals convicted of a felony, treason, or bribery in an election lose their franchise, regained only once they have completed their entire sentence, including incarceration and parole or probation.
Voting rights for convicted felons vary from state to state. In the majority of states, convicted felons cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[15][16][17]
Election administration costs
National Conference of State Legislatures report, 2018
On February 14, 2018, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) released a report on the costs of election administration in the states: "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections." The report's authors noted that "no one knows how much [states] spend on elections ... [because] good research on election costs is slim." Generally, local units of government (most often counties, but sometimes cities and towns) are primarily responsible for election administration costs, though states and the federal government may also contribute. The report identified the states listed in the table below as assuming financial responsibility for at least some aspects of election administration.[18]
To access the complete NCSL report, click here.
| Election administration costs assumed by state | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State pays all expenses for federal or state elections | State bears a portion of election costs | State pays for statewide special elections or statewide elections that don’t coincide with regularly scheduled elections | State pays for primary elections (statewide, presidential, or both) |
| Alaska Delaware |
Alabama Colorado Hawaii Kentucky Louisiana Rhode Island |
Arkansas Florida Iowa Michigan Missouri New Jersey North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Tennessee Washington West Virginia |
Arizona Arkansas Idaho Kansas Michigan Minnesota Missouri South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington |
| Note: If a state is not listed above, it was not included in the report. Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections," February 14, 2018 | |||
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in West Virginia can contact the following state and federal agencies.
West Virginia Secretary of State, Elections Division
- 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East
- Charleston, West Virginia 25305-0770
- Telephone: 304-558-6000
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 1335 East West Highway, Suite 4300
- Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
- Telephone: 866-747-1471
Noteworthy events
2018
In 2018, West Virginia became the first state to authorize voting by mobile devices in federal and state elections. The program, restricted to overseas military service members, launched on March 23, 2018. The mobile application used in the process, Voatz, requires a user to register by taking a photo of a form of government-issued identification and a video of his or her face and uploading these to the application. Using facial recognition software, the application ensures that the identification and face of the voter match. Upon verification, the voter is authorized to cast his or her anonymous ballot. Secretary of State Mac Warner (R) said, "Whether a Soldier is without mail service in the mountains of Afghanistan, or a Sailor is in a submarine under the polar icecap, they deserve the opportunity to participate easily in our democracy. They should have a voice in choosing who sends them into harm’s way." Joseph Lorenzo Hall, of the Center for Democracy and Technology, criticized the move: "Mobile voting is a horrific idea. It's internet voting on people's horribly secured devices, over our horrible networks, to servers that are very difficult to secure without a physical paper record of the vote."[19][20]
The mobile voting process was first used in the state's May 8, 2018, primary election and November 6, 2018, general election.[19]
Election policy ballot measures
Ballotpedia has tracked no ballot measures relating to election and campaign policy in West Virginia
Election policy legislation
The following is a list of recent election bills that have been introduced in or passed by the West Virginia state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms West Virginia voting. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
Elections in West Virginia
- West Virginia elections, 2022
- West Virginia elections, 2021
- West Virginia elections, 2020
- West Virginia elections, 2019
- West Virginia elections, 2018
- West Virginia elections, 2017
- West Virginia elections, 2016
- West Virginia elections, 2015
- West Virginia elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ We use the term "absentee/mail-in voting" to describe systems in which requests or applications are required. We use the term "all-mail voting" to denote systems where the ballots themselves are sent automatically to all voters. We use the hyphenate term for absentee voting because some states use “mail voting” (or a similar alternative) to describe what has traditionally been called "absentee voting."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "Voter FAQs," accessed October 8, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 West Virginia State Legislature, "West Virginia Code, §3-1-34. Voting procedures generally; identification; assistance to voters; voting records; penalties." accessed October 6, 2019
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Be Registered and Be Ready to Vote!" accessed October 6, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Voter Identification Requirements|Voter ID Laws," June 5, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Do I need an ID to vote? A look at the laws in all 50 states," October 27, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Election Day Procedures," accessed October 17, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ FairVote, "Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ West Virginia State Legislature, "West Virginia Code, CHAPTER 3. ELECTIONS.," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, “Eligibility for Absentee Voting In West Virginia,” accessed October 11, 2019
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, “Absentee Voting Information,” accessed October 11, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Laws Governing Early Voting," August 2, 2019
- ↑ Secretary of State Mac Warner, "YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE IN WEST VIRGINIA ONCE YOU COMPLETE YOUR SENTENCE," accessed October 21, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ American Civil Liberties Union, "State Criminal Re-enfranchisement Laws," accessed September 13, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Price of Democracy: Splitting the Bill for Elections," February 14, 2018
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "West Virginia Secretary of State's Office Announces Secure Military Mobile Voting Solution for the Primary Election," March 28, 2018
- ↑ CNN, "West Virginia to introduce mobile phone voting for midterm elections," August 6, 2018
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