The 2026 primary election is underway in West Virginia. Early voting started on Wednesday and will continue until May 9th. Here are some facts, figures, and observations about this year’s election:
More individuals are taking advantage of early voting. The 2004 election was the first presidential election year where early voting was allowed in the state, and according to the Secretary of State’s office, 103,690 voters cast ballots within that ten-day window. That represented about 14 percent of all votes.
By the 2024 presidential election, the number of early votes had risen to 310,412. That represents about 40 percent of all votes cast. Research shows people vote early for a variety of reasons—they are highly motivated by a candidate or issue, it is more convenient, or they are anxious and “just want to get it over with.”
(Here is a list of the early voting locations and hours for this election.)
The turnout for this election will be light, if history is any indication. An average of just 23 percent of registered West Virginia voters have cast ballots in the last four off-year primary elections.
Primary election voter turnout is consistently lower than general elections, even in presidential years. A study by Yale University of House of Representatives primary elections determined that “sizable segments of the electorate consider the stakes lower…(and voters) feel less social pressure to turn out.” Voters are more willing to let party loyalists determine nominees.
That also means the choice of candidates lies in the hands of the few.
If 23 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the upcoming primary, just 275,544 of the state’s 1,198,019 registered voters will decide not only party nominees but also members of the judiciary, since this is the general election for judges, magistrates and school board members.
And here is another way to look at it.
Not everyone eligible to register is signed up. About 215,000 West Virginians are 18 or older but are not registered. So, only about 20 percent of voting-age adults in the state will make the call for everyone on party nominees, judges, and members of county boards of education.
This brings us to the most critical campaign strategy in this election—getting out the vote. Candidates have the dual task of pushing their message to the public while mobilizing individuals to vote. Advertising helps, and it works. However, the difficult task for candidates is reaching the right 23 percent who will vote.
All the advertisements and news about politics can turn our thinking about elections upside down with the candidates at the top and the rest of us at the bottom looking up. Therefore, it’s important as we begin voting to remember the words of Abraham Lincoln: “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behind, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”