CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State elections officials believe West Virginia is heading for a record number of early voters.
By 9 a.m. today, 140,768 West Virginians had voted early, said Layna Valentine-Brown, state elections director and an employee of the Secretary of State’s office.
Early voting already has surpassed the totals of the 2016 primary and the elections in 2014 and 2010, Valentine-Brown said.
Early voting lasts through Saturday, so if the current pace keeps up it would be the highest number of early voters ever in West Virginia.
There were 108,212 early voters in 2010 and 97,323 in 2014.
In the presidential election year of 2012, there were 150,666 early votes in West Virginia, and in 2008, there were 153,096. The office noted that in 2008 and 2012, early voting lasted 20 days. The early voting period is now 10 days.
“It looks like the highest number of ballots cast in early voting than any other voting period,” she said today during a news conference at the Secretary of State’s office.
She added, “It’s pretty not and heavy all over the state.”
That does not necessarily mean the highest overall voter turnout West Virginia has ever had, Valentine-Brown said.
Of the early voters in West Virginia so far, almost 45 percent are registered as Democrats. Thirty-one percent are listed as Republicans. About 21 percent are listed as “no party.”
With presidential nominee Donald Trump talking frequently about the possibility of a “rigged” election, Valentine-Brown said she wanted to emphasize the security measures in place to ensure a secure election in West Virginia. She did not mention Trump by name but said her office had received a lot of questions about the likelihood of voter fraud.
“I want to reiterate how seriously we take election security,” she said.
She noted that West Virginia voting machines are not connected to the Internet. She also said the state’s voting process has a mandatory paper trail.
She said there were 9,000 dedicated West Virginia poll workers — eyes and ears to ensure fair elections.
“We’re always monitoring threats,” she said. “We will have liaisons out. These ears the eyes and ears of the office.”
If a voter experiences a problem, he or she should start by contacting a local poll worker or a county election official, Valentine-Brown said.
Although the state Legislature passed a Voter ID law in 2016, it does not actually take effect until 2018, Valentine-Brown noted. “Voters should proceed as they always have.”
She said electioneering — any political activity that would affect a race positively or negatively — is prohibited within 300 feet of a polling area.
More highlights of her comments:
- No results will be posted on the Secretary of State’s website until official results have been obtained from the county.
- Ballot selfies are against state law. “A photo or any use public or private is not allowed” inside voting precincts, she said. But photos outside are OK.
- There’s no straight-ticket voting in West Virginia any more. “You have to mark every race on the ballot individually.