CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s 10-day early voting period is underway.
There’s at least one early voting location in each county and several counties have more than one.
Mason County Clerk Diana Cromley said Wednesday she’s hoping for about 1,200 early voters out the county’s 15,000 registered voters.
The last early voting period, which was before the November 2024 General Election, West Virgina had 310,412 early voters. The total for this election won’t likely get close to that number.
Voters this year need a photo ID.
“They want to make sure they bring their (photo) IDs with them and we will quickly get you in and out of voting,” Cromley told MetroNews affiliate WVOV Radio.
Kanawha County voter Alexander Vaughn said the new photo ID requirement is no big deal.
“I kind of always thought I had to show my ID,” Vaughn told MetroNews after early voting Wednesday. “It hasn’t really changed anything for me.”
Voter Sharon Lewis said she was concerned with the new requirement.
“There’s an effort to restrict voting access more and more in this country and that’s not a good thing,” Lewis said.
Voters who spoke to MetroNews Wednesday also commented on negative campaigning which has seemed to pick up this election especially in state senate races.
“I think it’s totally unnecessary and I think it doesn’t do one single thing to change anybody’s mind,” voter Shirley Justice said. “I think the candidates need to focus on the issues. People can’t afford health care and they don’t have access to affordable food and housing.”
Another voter, who chose not to identify himself, said it’s politics.
“That’s just the way it is. I don’t have an opinion one way or the other. I don’t like it but people are going to do what they are going to do,” he said.
Early voting is daily, with the exception of Sundays, through Saturday, May 9.
MetroNews Reporter Jack Carlson contributed to this story.