CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Address verifications are still needed from tens of thousands of registered voters in West Virginia.
Last fall, postcards were sent out to about 71,000 people statewide who had moved within the past two years to confirm new addresses for voter roll maintenance, as required in the National Voter Registration Act.
As of Wednesday, 20,512 of the West Virginians who received the cards had responded either by returning their cards with confirmed or updated information or making changes online at GoVoteWV.com, according to state information.
“It’s very important to vote where you live, so we’re just trying to make sure that individuals are registered to vote and go to their correct polling place so that there’s no troubles for them on election day,” said Brittany Westfall, elections director for the Secretary of State’s Office.
Non-responses won’t lead to automatic cancellations.
Instead, “They will go through two federal elections to give them time to either vote, update their registration,” Westfall said.
“After two federal elections, if there’s still no voting or no verification on where they live, those individuals will be cancelled.”
Address changes are submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office all year through the U.S. Postal Service and state Division of Motor Vehicles.
At the time last fall’s postcards went out, the Secretary of State’s Office also sent notifications to 21,455 people in West Virginia already considered “inactive” and requiring confirmation.
Voter registration can be changed or verified online HERE, at a state Division of Motor Vehicles office, county clerk offices of by voting in any election.
“If you go vote at your polling place, you can confirm your address there,” Westfall said.
Ultimately, voter cancellation is up to county clerks.
Cancellation requires re-registration to vote.
West Virginia’s primary election is on Tuesday, May 12. The last day to register to vote in the primary or to change an existing registration is Apr. 21.