It’s Election Day in West Virginia, with political contests up and down the ballot — plus a constitutional amendment.
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.
Voting at the polls: Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Find your polling place using the secretary of state’s online tool or by contacting your county clerk’s office. Bring an approved ID.
Early voting was brisk: Early voting totals for absentee and in-person balloting were record-breaking in almost every county, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
“It looks really good,” said Deak Kersey, chief of staff for the Secretary of State’ Office, speaking this week on MetroNews’ “Talkline.” “This is the highest early-voting turnout that we’ve had in the history of West Virginia.”
Kersey said “We feel pretty good that it may continue into Election Day.”
The in-person voting total through the final day on Saturday was 310,412, according to the Secretary of State.
Of that total, Republicans had an edge on numbers, 143,549. Democrats accounted for 91,976. There were 60,194 early votes by nonaffiliated voters, 12,801 votes by registered Libertarians and 1,876 votes by people registered with other parties.
West Virginia totaled 21,650 voters submitting absentee ballots through Saturday. The state still has 4,649 absentee ballots that were requested but not returned yet.
Democrats had an edge among the absentee ballots returned so far at 9,493, while Republicans accounted for 7,989. Unaffiliated voters or votes with other parties accounted for the remainder.
West Virginia’s voter participation rate traditionally 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.
This year’s brisk pace of early voting could be sign of heightened interest overall, or it could be that people’s habits are changing toward early voting rather than voting on Election Day.
“I think the data shows that more people are voting. But it could be the latter, where folks just got it out of the way so they didn’t have to go and fight the lines on Election Day,” Kersey said. “It looks to be that more people are voting.”
Check your voter registration status: Check your registration status using the secretary of state’s online tool.
Voter ID requirements on Election Day: Voters must present an acceptable form of ID, such as a driver’s license, U.S. passport, birth certificate, West Virginia hunting or fishing license, or voter registration card.
Exemptions are available to residents of state-run long-term care facilities, voters accompanied by an adult who has known them for at least six months, and voters who are known by a poll worker for at least six months. If you’re a registered voter and cannot get an approved ID, you can apply for a free voter ID card at your county clerk’s office.
New voters who haven’t provided ID when registering to vote must provide an approved ID for first-time voters either at the polls or with their absentee ballots.
Election Day security: 18 investigators and staff from the Secretary of State’s Office will be traveling throughout the state Election Day
The state Fusion Center investigative agency also will be fully staffed with more than 400 Fusion liaison officers. The National Guard and utility companies also will be ready in case of emergencies.
Sample ballots: For sample ballots, use the state’s Voter Sample Ballot Lookup tool.
What are the big races: With Joe Manchin, previously a Democrat, opting out of a re-election bid for U.S. Senate, that has opened the door to a run by two-term Gov. Jim Justice, the Republican nominee, versus former Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott, a Democrat.
Most political observers consider Justice a heavy favorite.
The prognosticators include Justice himself. “From the Senate race standpoint and everything, the Senate race is over. We’re going to win the race, and we’re going to win the race going away,” he said weeks ago.
Justice’s campaign says he will be spending Election Night at The Greenbrier Hotel, which is owned by his family. Justice will deliver remarks 10 to 15 minutes after the race is called, regardless of the time or reported results. Those remarks will be streamed live on the Jim Justice for U.S. Senate Facebook page (here) and Twitter account (here).
The race to succeed Justice as governor includes three-term Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, the Republican nominee, versus three-term Huntington Mayor Steve Williams. The two met last week in a debate hosted by MetroNews.
Ballots will also include races for the U.S. House of Representatives, statewide executive branch offices, half of the seats in the state Senate and all 100 seats in the state House of Delegates.
Constitutional amendment: West Virginia voters will have a question posed about whether the state constitution should be amended to explicitly prohibit physician-assisted deaths.
Amendment One, which presents a heavy question about life and death, will typically be on the back of ballots — beneath national, state and local political races.
The explanation provided on ballots is that “The purpose of this amendment is to protect West Virginians against medically-assisted suicide.”
To vote in favor of the amendment, voters are instructed to darken the oval next to “FOR.” To vote against the amendment, voters are instructed to darken the oval next to “AGAINST.”
The amendment would add a section to the state Constitution to say, “No person, physician, or health care provider in the State of West Virginia shall participate in the practice of medically assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing of a person.”
Furthermore, “Nothing in this section prohibits the administration or prescription of medication for the purpose of alleviating pain or discomfort while the patient’s condition follows its natural course; nor does anything in this section prohibit the withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining treatment, as requested by the patient or the patient’s decision-maker, in accordance with State law. Further, nothing in this section prevents the State from providing capital punishment.”
Physician-assisted death is legal in nine states — California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington — and the District of Columbia. It is an option given to individuals in Montana via court decision. Oregon became the first state to legalize physician-assisted death in 1997.
If the ballot measure passes, West Virginia policy would be diametrically opposed to those states.
Where to find results: The MetroNews Decision 2024 page will include regularly-updated unofficial results.
MetroNews will feature live, statewide coverage on radio, streaming and video broadcast starting at 7:06 p.m. on Election Night. Local stations in the MetroNews radio network will also be broadcasting results and analysis on Election Night.
The Secretary of State’s website, GoVoteWV.com, is another place where unofficial results can be found for West Virginia’s 2024 General Election.
“If there’s a close race, it could change,” Kersey said, “so folks, just keep in mind these are unofficial results released on Election Night.”