Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
West Virginia State Auditor
| West Virginia State Auditor | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $95,000 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $40,065,527 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | West Virginia Constitution, Article VII, Section 1 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
West Virginia State Auditor
Mark Hunt | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 7, 2028 |
| Last election: | November 5, 2024 |
| Other West Virginia Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education• Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner• Natural Resources Commissioner • Secretary of Commerce • Commissioner of Labor • Public Service Commission | |
The West Virginia State Auditor is an elected, state executive position in the West Virginia state government. The auditor is the state's official bookkeeper and chief inspector, and is responsible for conducting audits of county governments, county boards of election, municipalities, boards, commissions, districts, offices, public authorities, public corporations, and county boards of education.[1]
Current officeholder
The current West Virginia State Auditor is Mark Hunt (R). Hunt assumed office in 2025.
Authority
The auditor's office is established by Article VII of the West Virginia Constitution.
Article VII, Section 1:
| The executive department shall consist of a governor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture and attorney general... |
Qualifications
Article IV, Section 4 of the West Virginia Constitution establishes the qualifications of office as such:
- a citizen entitled to vote
- a resident of West Virginia for at least the preceding five years
|
No person, except citizens entitled to vote, shall be elected or appointed to any state, county or municipal office; but the governor and judges must have attained the age of thirty, and the attorney general and senators the age of twenty-five years, at the beginning of their respective terms of service; and must have been citizens of the state for five years next preceding their election or appointment, or be citizens at the time this constitution goes into operation. |
Elections
The auditor is a publicly elected statewide position with elections held every four years. Elections are held in November and the winner assumes office the following January.
Term limits
There are no term limits for the office.
2024
- See also: West Virginia Auditor election, 2024
General election candidates
- Mary Ann Claytor (Democratic Party)
- Mark Hunt (Republican Party) ✔
Democratic primary candidates
Republican primary candidates
2020
- See also: West Virginia Auditor election, 2020
General election candidates
- John B. McCuskey (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
- Mary Ann Claytor (Democratic Party)
Democratic primary candidates
Republican primary candidates
- John B. McCuskey (Incumbent) ✔
Past elections
Vacancies
Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article VII, Section 17 of the state constitution.
If the office of auditor becomes vacant, it is the duty of the governor to fill the position by appointment. The appointee serves until a new auditor is elected.
| Text of Section 17:
Vacancies in Other Executive Departments If the office of secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture or attorney general shall become vacant by death, resignation, or otherwise, it shall be the duty of the governor to fill the same by appointment, and the appointee shall hold his office until his successor shall be elected and qualified in such manner as may be prescribed by law. The subordinate officers of the executive department and the officers of all public institutions of the state shall keep an account of all moneys received or disbursed by them, respectively, from all sources, and for every service performed, and make a semiannual report thereof to the governor under oath or affirmation; and any officer who shall wilfully make a false report shall be deemed guilty of perjury. |
Duties
The auditor is West Virginia's official bookkeeper, responsible for ensuring that state funds are withdrawn and deposited legally. As the state's chief inspector, the auditor is responsible for conducting audits of county governments, county boards of election, municipalities, boards, commissions, districts, offices, public authorities, public corporations, and county boards of education. Other duties include:[1][2]
- reviewing and approving annual budgets
- changing budgets during the fiscal year
- approving proposed levy rates
- overseeing the receipt of taxes collected by county sheriffs on behalf of the state
- collecting and distributing public utility taxes for both the state and counties
Divisions
As of February 2021, divisions within the auditor's office included:[3]
- Accounting
- Auditing
- Chief Inspector
- Land/County Collections
- E-Payments
- Central Payroll
- Local Government
- Purchasing Card
- Local Gov P-Card
- Securities
- Social Security
- Public Integrity & Fraud Unit
- Budget Analysis
State budget
- See also: West Virginia state budget and finances
The budget for the auditor's office in Fiscal Year 2025 was $40,065,527.[4]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
Article 7, Section 19 of the state constitution defines the method by which the auditor's compensation is set:
| The officers named in this article shall receive for their services a salary to be established by law, which shall not be increased or diminished during their official terms, and they shall not, after they shall not, after the expirations of the terms of those in office at the adoption of this amendment, receive to their own use any fees, costs, perquisites of office or other compensation, and all fees that may hereafter be payable by law, for any service performed by any officer provided for in this article of the Constitution, shall be paid in advance into the state treasury. |
Chapter 6, Article 7-2 of the West Virginia Code lays out the exact compensation for certain state officers. According to this section of the state code, the salary of the auditor, beginning in 2009 and for each calendar year thereafter, shall be $95,000.[5]
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $95,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[6]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $95,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[7]
2021
In 2021, the auditor received a salary of $95,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2020
In 2020, the auditor received a salary of $95,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2019
In 2019, the auditor received a salary of $95,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2018
In 2018, the auditor received a salary of $95,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2017
In 2017, the auditor received a salary of $95,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2016
In 2016, the auditor received a salary of $95,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2015
In 2015, the auditor received a salary $95,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2014
In 2014, the state auditor was paid an estimated $95,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2013
In 2013, the state auditor was paid an estimated $95,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2012
In 2012, the state auditor was paid an estimated $95,000 according to the Council of State Governments.
2010
In 2010, the state auditor was paid an estimated $95,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
Historical officeholders
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the West Virginia State Auditor has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms West Virginia State Auditor. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact information
West Virginia State Auditor
1900 Kanawha Boulevard East
Building 1, Room W-100
Charleston, WV 25305
Phone: (304) 558-2251
Toll free: (877) 982-9148
Fax: (304) 558-5200
See also
| West Virginia | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 West Virginia Code online, Chapter 6, Article, Section 9," accessed February 1, 2021
- ↑ West Virginia Encyclopedia, "Auditor," accessed February 1, 2021
- ↑ West Virginia State Auditor, "Home," accessed February 1, 2021
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 200," accessed January 23, 2025
- ↑ West State Legislature, "West Virginia Code," accessed February 1, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 21, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 28, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed February 1, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed February 1, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed February 1, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed February 1, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Table 4.11 Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 31, 2014
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "The Book of States 2010 Table 4.11," accessed April 23, 2011
| ||||||||||||||
