In-person early voting in West Virginia gets underway on Wednesday, leading up to Election Day on Nov. 5.
“There’s no reason not to go vote. Go vote starting tomorrow. Vote in person on Election Day. Vote absentee,” Secretary of State Mac Warner said on MetroNews’ “Talkline.”
“So we have multiple ways to vote — and now it’s get out there and vote, voice your opinion and participate in American democracy.”
West Virginia’s voter participation rate has been among the least active in the nation. Voter turnout is the ratio of the ratio of ballots cast to registered voters.
The state’s voter participation rate in the last presidential year, 2020, was 55.9%, fifth most sluggish in the nation. In 2016, West Virginia’s voter participation rate was 49.2%, seventh from the bottom among states. West Virginia’s 2012 voter participation rate was 45.5%, fourth from the bottom.
Key races on West Virginia ballots include U.S. President, one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats, both seats in Congress, governor and other statewide executive branch offices, half of the state Senate seats and every seat in the state House of Delegates.
There is also a constitutional amendment question that, if enacted, would prohibit medically assisted deaths in West Virginia.
“When I talk to voters I hear a lot of discouragement. Voters tell me they think their votes don’t matter. I think this comes from too little focus on down-ballot races and too little information about outcomes from voting,” said Judy Ball, president of the League of Women Voters of Morgantown-Monongalia County.
“My big picture perspective: Our Legislature makes decisions every session that affect the lives of ordinary West Virginia citizens. And we’re electing a whole House of Delegates and a big chunk of the state Senate. That matters!”
Voter participation may be encouraged, Ball said, when more people understand their absentee voting options. And the League of Women Voters has suggested a broader way of voters assessing their choices.
“Ignore parties and labels,” Ball said. “I believe there is some issue that matters to every voter. I encourage every voter to find an issue they care about, a reason to vote — and vote for that reason.”
For sample ballots, use the state’s Voter Sample Ballot Lookup tool.
Voter registration: To check your registration status, use the secretary of state’s online tool.
Early voting: Early in-person voting is available to all registered voters. Find locations and hours posted on the state elections website closer to the date, or contact your county clerk’s office for more information.
The dates for early voting are Wednesday, Oct. 23, through Friday, Nov. 1, during business hours, along with mandatory 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours on Saturday, Oct. 26, and Saturday, Nov. 2.
“If you go to your county courthouse, you should be able to early vote tomorrow during your normal courthouse hours,” Warner said.
Absentee voting: Registered voters who meet eligibility criteria can vote absentee. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Wednesday, Oct. 30.
“Data show that many WV voters don’t vote rather than use absentee voting options they are entitled to. Frequent reasons West Virginia voters stay home: conflicting schedules, illness or disabilities (their own or family members), transportation issues. All these are legitimate reasons to vote by absentee,” Ball said.
Warner said participation in absentee voting has been reasonably brisk so far.
“Right now we have over 10,000 absentee ballots that have come in around the state, which shows that we may have increased turnout or at least in the absentee and the early voting. It’s looking good right now,” Warner said.
General election: Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5. Find your polling place using the secretary of state’s online tool or by contacting your county clerk’s office. Bring an approved ID.
“The majority of people in West Virginia, probably two thirds, do go to the polls on Election Day, which is two weeks from today,” Warner said.