For most of us, the primary election is over, but that’s not true for county clerks and elections staff for the Secretary of State.
State law mandates that election officers do an official “canvas” of election results five days after the voting in an election is complete – not counting Sundays.
That means starting on Monday, county commissioners in all 55 counties, who serve as the Board of Canvassers, will review election night returns, absentee ballots, and provisional ballots for each county precinct.
The canvassers will conduct a hand count in at least 3% of districts and compare them to the electronic results. If there’s a difference of 1% or more, or if the outcome of any race changes, then the entire county must be counted by hand.
Three legislative races were decided by five or fewer votes meaning those outcomes could still change.
After the canvass, candidates have the opportunity to post a bond and demand a recount. The recount period ends when a county certifies the results, which can occur no sooner than 48 hours after the completion of canvass. Once certified, the recount period closes and results become official. In multi-county districts, the recount period does not end until the last county in the district certifies the results.
Candidates wishing to contest the election for fraud, irregularities, or other lawful contest grounds have 10 days after the certification of results to file the contest and provide the proper notice to opposing candidates. All requirements for properly filing an election contest are set forth in law.
Counties where no recount is conducted have until June 11th (30 days after Election Day) to transmit their certified results to the Secretary of State.
For more information about elections in West Virginia, visit GoVoteWV.com.
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