All W.Va. Secretary of State’s offices will stay open till midnight on Saturday for candidates to file in-person

News Release
January 26, 2022

Charleston, W.Va – Secretary of State Mac Warner announced today that all three of his offices will be open until midnight on Saturday for candidates to file in person. This has been common practice since 2017.

Candidates interested in running for state positions on the May 10th Primary Election ballot have until midnight on Saturday, January 29th, to file a notice of candidacy along with the filing fee with the Secretary of State’s Office.

Candidates can file in person or can file their notice by U.S. Mail if it is postmarked on or before January 29th. Those positions include Congress, the WV State Senate, the WV House of Delegates, Unexpired Terms for Circuit and Family Court Judge, Republican and Democratic Party State Executive Committees (excluding candidates for State Executive Committee in the 17th Senate District), and the Greater Huntington Park & Recreation District.

“We know that running for public office is a very serious consideration. Some take a little longer to make a final decision,” said Secretary Warner. “We want possible candidates to know that they can file with our office by midnight on Saturday.”

Warner said that the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office at the State Capitol (Suite 157-K) will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 midnight. The Secretary of State’s regional offices in Clarksburg (200 West Main Street) and in Martinsburg (229 East Martin Street) will also be open on Saturday from 12:00 noon until 12:00 midnight.

Warner wants to make sure that all candidates understand that those interested in running for local offices to be elected in 2022 must file with their local county clerk. County Clerk’s office will be open on Saturday the 29th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon to accept candidate filing. Those county positions include County Commission/County Council, County Clerk, Circuit Court Clerk, County Board of Education, Conservation District Supervisor, Unexpired Terms that may exist, and members of the Republican and Democratic Party County Executive Committee and the Congressional, Senate, and House District Party Committees, when applicable. In addition, State Executive committee candidates in the 17th Senate District files with the County Clerk’s Office. Candidates for local offices may also file by U.S. Mail postmarked on or before January 29th.

For more information on the May 10, 2022 Primary Election and for a Directory of County Clerks, visit the WV Secretary of State’s election website at GoVoteWV.com. You can also call the WVSOS Elections Division at (304) 558-6000.