CHARLESTON, W.Va. –West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner announcing Thursday that all 55 counties have certified their 2026 Primary Elections, which means all elections are now certified except for those that are pending election contest proceedings.
In a release from Warner’s office, 252,008 out of 1,198,934 registered voters cast ballots during the 2026 Primary Election. This resulted in a voter turnout of 21.02%. He also said that 67,364 voters participated in the early voting period, which is more than 8% higher than the 2022 midterm primary election.
A full Primary Election Report will be published later this summer by the WVSOS after all voter participation history is submitted, which is due by no later than July 31.
In the report it will include election, preparations, examine voter registration, participation numbers, and trends, discuss voting methods, provide absentee and provisional ballot information, summarize reports from the field on Election Day, and make recommendations to address certain challenges in future elections, according to the release.
This Primary Election marked the first administered in nearly three decades with a party primary closed to unaffiliated voters. This was decided by the WV Republican State Executive Committee in 2024.
The release said, that the WVSOS sponsored a statewide training conference for county clerks and their staff, which mainly focused on the closed party primary. It stated that all 55 county clerks or am elected member of their team participated in that conference.
Along with the conference, Warner’s office alerted statewide and local news channels of the closed primary including print, radio, and television media.
The information was also available on the WVSOS website.
Despite these efforts, Warner said after they reviewed post-election field reports, it appeared that precincts where unaffiliated voters were permitted to participate in the closed Republican Party primary.
In Harrison and Fayette Counties, election contests have been filed by unsuccessful candidates alleging unpermitted participation by unaffiliated voters.
Once voter history is complete, Warner’s office will conduct a voter history review for each county and possibly other fields, such as political districts, and reports on its findings in the report later this summer.
“In a time where more people than ever are paying close attention to election integrity, it’s critical that election officials are as transparent as possible,” Warner said. “As WV Secretary of State, I intend to do just that with the 2026 Primary Election Report, which is slated for release after all voter participation data is finalized, submitted by the July 31 deadline, and analyzed by my team.”