CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Saturday is the deadline for candidates to file to run for office in the May 14th Primary Election in West Virginia.
Candidates for statewide and congressional offices must file with the Secretary of State’s Office. Those running for local offices must file with their county clerk.
The Secretary of State’s Office in Charleston along with regional offices in Clarksburg and Martinsburg will be open on Saturday from 9 a.m. until midnight.
Brittany Westfall, director of elections with the Secretary of State’s Office, said there are a few steps to take care of before officially filing to run for office.
“To run for office in the Primary Election, you will need to file your certificate announcement, candidate filing seat and have that notarized or come here to have that notarized at the Secretary of State’s Office,” she said.
Certificate of Announcements can be downloaded from the Secretary of State’s election website at GoVoteWV.com.
As of Friday morning 1,700 candidates statewide had filed to run for office. More than 500 of those candidates for statewide and judicial offices have filed to run, which is a record number of candidates for a West Virginia Primary.
If a candidate is filing by mail, they need to make sure to have their mail is postmarked by Jan. 27.
Westfall said it’s important to review your materials before mailing them.
“If you are mailing your forms, you want to contact us just to make sure you’re filling everything out right because if that comes after the 27th and there are mistakes then we won’t be able to accept that,” she said.
Most of the County Clerk offices are open on Saturday from 9 a.m. till 12 p.m.
All candidates who run for office must be a registered voter.