Voting Story Archives - Page 13 of 13 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

House Considers Bill Requiring Photo IDs to Vote

Members of the House of Delegates are considering a bill to change voting requirements in West Virginia. The House Judiciary Committee discussed the bill at length Wednesday that would require voters to show a photo ID before casting a ballot.

For two hours Wednesday morning, the House Judiciary Committee discussed House Bill 4013, which would require a person in West Virginia who desires to vote to present a valid photo ID at the polls.

Those in support of this bill say it will help keep the voting system honest and avoid voter fraud. But those who oppose it say it impedes the constitutional right to vote; citing concerns that the more steps a person has to take, they’re less likely to make the effort to vote.

Delegate Patrick Lane of Kanawha County is the Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Committee and the lead sponsor of the bill. He says he doesn’t think the requirement of a photo ID will pose any issues.

“There haven’t been any widespread problems with it,” Lane explained, “There’s not been people turned away. If there have been problems, they’ve been dealt with on Election Day, and I would just suggest that the fact that we have in the language an opportunity to, for a person who shows up the poll without an ID to continue the process and cast their ballot on a provisional ballot ensures that everyone will be able to vote if they are a registered voter.”

The House Judiciary Committee continued the debate over House Bill 4013 for almost three more hours Wednesday afternoon, adopting or rejecting a number of amendments.

Those adopted included provisions to require the Secretary of State’s office to submit an annual report on any voting issues related to the IDs, another allowed for the use of an expired drivers license or passport, and another allowed for people to use valid Medicare or Medicaid cards or their social security card.

After opposition from Democratic committee members, the bill passed and was reported to the full House for consideration.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Contends for 10Best Historic Southern Attraction in USA Today

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is a contender for Best Historic Southern Attraction in the USA Today, 10Best Readers’ Choice contest.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is located at the convergence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. It was established in 1963, and includes the town of Harpers Ferry, the scene of John Brown’s raid, which is viewed by many historians as the spark that ignited the Civil War.

Nearly 500,000 people visit the park every year to experience its cultural and recreational attractions.

The park is currently among the top 20 attractions compiled by a panel of travel journalists for USA Today and the final ten will be chosen by public vote.

Voting ends on May 25^th at and is open to everyone. The public can vote once per day, per category.

The New River Gorge National River’s Endless Wall Trail was chosen as the nation’s best national park hike in a USA Today’s Readers’ Choice contest earlier this year.

Early Vote Totals in W.Va. Down By Nearly 11,000

The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office is reporting early voting numbers this year are down compared to the last mid-term election cycle in 2010.

In a release, the Secretary of State’s Office said with all 55 counties now reporting, 97,323 West Virginians cast ballots during the state’s early voting period. That’s down by 10,889 participants when compared to the 2010 early voting period where 108,212 people voted.

The office also reports receiving 4,828 absentee ballots this year, down from the 5,475 cast four years ago.

There are more than 1.2 million West Virginians eligible to vote in Tuesday’s General Election, but voter turnout tends to be lower when there’s no presidential candidate on the ballot.

Where Do I Vote? Pew Can Point You in the Right Direction

Over the past few months, you’ve no doubt been battered by an onslaught of campaign advertisements from the candidates themselves and from outside organizations trying to sway your opinion.

Now that early voting has started in West Virginia, campaigns are ramping up their outreach to voters, but even after you make your decisions, do you know where to go to voice those opinions? Sometimes finding your polling place can be harder than you think.

The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Voting Information Project is looking to make voting as easy as possible for voters across the country.

Combining resources from Google, Facebook, Twitter and many, many others, the organization has created a new website where you, the voter, can simply type in your mailing address and your early voting location, polling place for Election Day and a sample ballot are all provided in seconds or less. The site also offers the hours of operation for polling places and a link to directions.

“We joined forces to make official election information available where people look for it most—online and on mobile devices,” said Zach Markovits, who manages Pew’s Voting Information Project.

“Get to the Polls” provides information for voters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia quickly and for free.

West Virginia’s Secretary of State’s Office provides a similar service for free on their website as well. Voters can search for their polling place by simply typing in their name.