Early Voting Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Candidate Sends Thousands Of Voters Wrong Election Dates

A West Virginia resident alerted the office of Secretary of State Mac Warner Thursday that a candidate’s campaign messages misrepresented the dates of this year’s primary election.

A candidate running for statewide office sent thousands of West Virginia voters incorrect dates for this year’s primary election, according to Secretary of State Mac Warner.

Warner confirmed Thursday that his office received a verbal complaint regarding campaign text messages sent to many West Virginia voters containing inaccurate dates for the state’s primary election and early, in-person voting period.

Mike Queen, Warner’s deputy chief of staff, said that the incident seemed to be accidental, and resulted from campaign staff members copying the incorrect dates onto the candidate’s campaign messages.

Queen declined to disclose the candidate in question, and said his office notified the candidate of these concerns shortly after receiving the complaint. He added that the campaign team sent a follow-up text message clarifying the correct dates.

Still, “there is no way to correct it 100 percent,” Queen said.

Whether distributed intentionally or not, “inaccurate information disenfranchises voters,” he said. “It concerns voters, and a lot of times it leads to reduced confidence in the election process.”

Candidates accidentally distributing incorrect election information is uncommon, Queen said. However, this week’s incident was distinct due to its scale, with voters receiving the message across West Virginia.

“This isn’t the first time that it’s happened. There are folks who make a typo on a Facebook post,” he said. “We paid particular attention to this, and the only reason was this was such a large push out … so we wanted to make sure that we worked with the candidate to correct the error as soon as possible.”

Queen said Warner’s office took the incident as an opportunity to remind West Virginia voters to verify where they receive election information from, and rely only on the state’s election authorities — namely the secretary of state and county clerks.

“We work so hard to promote that there are only two trusted sources when it comes to election information, particularly dates,” he said.

Warner echoed Queen’s sentiments in a statement released Thursday.

“Even well-intended organizations and candidate committees encouraging voters to participate in the election process get the information wrong sometimes,” he said. “Those organizations, candidates, political parties and political action committees should always refer voters to their county clerk or secretary of state’s website.”

This year, West Virginia’s primary election will be held May 14. Early, in-person voting will be held from May 1-11.

For more information on West Virginia’s upcoming primary election, visit GoVoteWV.com — a website administered by the West Virginia secretary of state’s office.

Early Voting Locations Announced For All 55 Counties

Early, in-person voting for West Virginia’s 2024 Primary Election begins May 1. According to West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner, early voting will be conducted in all 55 counties through Saturday, May 11.

Early, in-person voting for West Virginia’s 2024 Primary Election begins May 1.

According to West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner, early voting will be conducted in all 55 counties through Saturday, May 11.

All counties will offer early voting at the county courthouse or courthouse annex, and several counties will have additional community voting locations that are easily accessible to voters.

Warner said that early voting is open at county courthouses and courthouse annexes during their regular business hours on weekdays, and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Days and hours for community early voting locations will vary by county.

A link to early voting locations in all 55 counties can be found here.

Find Your Sample Ballot With New Virtual Tool

A new online tool shows residents the candidates and measures they can vote on in this year’s primary election in advance, so that they can take more time to consider their decisions.

Based on address and district information, a new online tool provides West Virginia residents with a sample ballot for this year’s primary election so they can prepare to make voting decisions in advance.

The Sample Ballot Lookup Tool was launched Tuesday by West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner. In a press release, Warner said he hopes the tool will allow residents to make more informed decisions.

“We are asking voters to take a little time to educate themselves before they go to vote to learn more about the candidates and the initiatives that will be on their ballot,” he said. “The online search tool for Sample Ballots is safe and accurate to use.”

This year, West Virginia’s primary election will be held May 14, with in-person early voting beginning May 1.

The deadline to register to vote in the primary election is April 23.

To view your sample ballot, visit the Secretary of State’s Sample Ballot Lookup Tool online.

For more information on registering to vote in West Virginia, visit the Secretary of State’s website.

W.Va. Voting Primer — Two Weeks Before Election Day

Early in-person voting runs from Oct. 26 until Nov. 5. Check with your local county clerk’s office for locations.

Editor’s Note: There was a slight correction changing a word from clients to lines in a quote by Secretary Warner.

Early in-person voting runs from Oct. 26 until Nov. 5. Check with your local county clerk’s office for locations.

Registered voters who are ill, disabled, traveling or studying outside their home counties can vote absentee. Voters can request an absentee ballot by getting an application from their local clerk’s office or online at GoVoteWV.com. That application needs to be mailed or hand-delivered by Nov. 2.

Completed absentee ballots must be mailed and postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 8. Hand-delivered absentee ballots must be taken to your county clerk’s office 24 hours before Election Day. No one person may deliver more than two voters’ absentee ballots.

Secretary of State Mac Warner said it’s vital to understand there are four different amendment issues on the ballot. He asked all voters to read and research each amendment before they vote.

“I don’t want confusion. At that point, it’s too late to start asking questions about what this means, or about the nuances of it,” Warner said. “That also can cause delays in polling places, and we want lines to move smoothly.”

Identification is required to vote. Forms of acceptable ID include a driver’s license, U.S. passport, birth certificate or voter registration cards. The ID must be current – not expired.

Earlier this year, West Virginia redrew its voting districts based on the 2020 Census. Nov. 8 is the first major election since the changes. Warner said going from 67, multi member districts to 100 single member districts in the West Virginia House of Delegates caused the county clerk’s to get those district and precinct lines drawn very precisely.

He said any voter precinct confusion during the May primary has been straightened out.

“Clerks are much happier right now,” Warner said. “They’re still quite busy. But there aren’t those concerns over redistricting and getting that information out to the voters. Things are going much more smoothly here with the general election.”

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

With at least ten primary races decided by 10 votes or less, some by one vote, Warner said every cast ballot counts. He said America’s political, social, economic concerns have caused some division, and voting is the rational remedy.

“The place to settle this is not in the streets. We don’t need any buildings being burned down, or January 6, or any of that sort of thing,” Warner said. “We need people to get out and vote the American way, at the ballot box.”

Voters can find all the information needed to cast an educated ballot at GoVoteWV.com.

You can find the stories about all four amendments on the West Virginia Public Broadcasting website.

Most W.Va. Voters Chose Election Day To Cast Ballots

Results from the May 10 Primary Election have been officially certified in all 55 counties and Secretary of State Mac Warner formally published those official results.

There were 1,680 precincts open for in-person voting on Election Day with more than 8,500 trained poll workers. A total of 260,274 voters cast a ballot, which accounts for just 23 percent of the 1,135,601 registered voters.

Tucker County had the highest turnout with 44 percent while Pendleton County was at the other end of the spectrum with just 11 percent of registered voters taking part.

Voter participation:

192,276 in-person on Election Day
62,283 in-person Early Voting
5,651 absentee ballots by mail
40 absentee ballots by mobile device – military and overseas citizens
24 absentee ballots by mobile device – disability qualified

West Virginia’s Republican, Democratic, and in some races, Mountain Parties nominated their candidates for the Nov. 8 General Election in the state primary. The Mountain and Libertarian parties will nominate candidates by convention, and have until August 1 to notify the Secretary of State of their nominees for the General Election.
The General Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.

Results by state, county, and precinct can be found at GoVoteWV.com or by clicking here.

W.Va. Candidate Won't Withdraw Despite Registration Glitch

A West Virginia political candidate who was not a registered Republican when he filed papers to run for a House of Delegates seat in the upcoming GOP primary said Tuesday that it was a simple oversight and he plans to continue with his campaign.

Bob Fehrenbacher is running against incumbent Republican Delegate Roger Conley in the May 10 primary for the District 11 seat representing portions of Wood County.

Forms that candidates fill out to run for office must be signed and notarized. They specifically require candidates to attest to their party affiliation.

Fehrenbacher said in a telephone interview that when he signed his candidacy papers in January, “I thought in good faith that I was registered as a Republican. Much to my surprise, I was not. And as soon as that came to my attention, I immediately went into the West Virginia secretary of state’s system and changed it. I should have checked and I did not do that.”

The state Republican Party said in a statement that Fehrenbacher instead was an unaffiliated voter when he filed his papers and did not register as a GOP voter until late March.

“Simply put, lying on a sworn statement is not acceptable behavior for those who wish to be elected officials,” GOP chairman Mark Harris said in the statement.

Harris said he called on Fehrenbacher to withdraw from the race “for the good of the West Virginia Republican Party and our voters.”

Fehrenbacher said his campaign will go on.

“I am a strong Republican supporter and am aligned with Republican candidates, donated to Republican candidates and supported the election of Republicans” he said.

Fehrenbacher said it’s his understanding that if someone had brought up his voter registration within 10 days after his filing, he could have been disqualified from running.

“That did not occur, and as a result of that, it’s my understanding that I am a valid candidate,” he said.

An after-hours message left with the secretary of state’s office was not immediately returned Tuesday.

The winner of the May primary will move on to the general election to face Democrat Harry Deitzler. Deitzler is an attorney and a former county prosecutor who is unchallenged in the primary.