Are you ready for it? Here’s a voter guide for the West Virginia 2024 General Election Nov. 5

Mountain State Spotlight
October 13, 2024

Editor’s note: This West Virginia 2024 General Election Voter Guide was originally published by Mountain State Spotlight. Get stories like this delivered to your email inbox once a week; sign up for the free newsletter at https://mountainstatespotlight.org/newsletter.

While the top of every ballot will be the candidates running for U.S. president, there are a lot of other important races West Virginians will have a chance to decide, including who should represent the state in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as who should fill key state executive branch offices, from governor to attorney general to agricultural commissioner.

Plus, all of the 100 seats in the West Virginia House are up for election, and half of the seats in the West Virginia Senate.

And in every county and many cities, there are races for offices like sheriff, county commissioner, mayor, and assessor.

Who can vote?

To register to vote in West Virginia, you must:

be a citizen of the United States;
live in West Virginia at the address on your application;
be 18 years old on the day of the election;
not have been judged “mentally incompetent” in a court of law;
not be serving a sentence (including probation or parole) for a felony, treason or election bribery. People convicted of misdemeanors are eligible to vote, and people who have fully served their sentences for felonies can re-register to vote once they’re “off papers.”

How do you check if you’re registered?

You can search for your voter registration information on the Secretary of State’s website by entering your name and date of birth.

The deadline to register to vote in the General Election is October 15, 2024. You can register online, by mail or in person. You will need a valid ID in order to vote; here’s a list of acceptable IDs. Note that first-time voters may be asked to provide additional identification with their current name and address.

How do you find your polling place?

You can search for your polling place on the Secretary of State’s website by entering your name and date of birth.

What are the key dates?

Deadline to register to vote in the General Election: Oct. 15, 2024.

Early in-person voting starts Oct. 23 and goes through Nov. 2. Every county has at least one location where you can vote during this period, generally the county courthouse or judicial annex. Contact your county clerk for more information.

Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.

What races are on every ballot?

U.S. President — Kamala Harris (D), Donald Trump (R), Chase Oliver (L), Jill Stein (Mountain), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Independent)
U.S. Senate — Glenn Elliott (D), Jim Justice (R), David Moran (L)
U.S. House of Representatives — District 1: Carol Miller (R), Chris Bob Reed (D), Wes Holden (I)
U.S. House of Representatives — District 2: Riley Moore (R), Steven Wendelin (D)
West Virginia Governor — Patrick Morrisey (R), Steve Williams (D), Chase Linko-Looper (Mountain), Erika Klie Kolenich (L), S. Marshall Wilson (Constitution)
West Virginia Secretary of State — Thornton Cooper (D), Kris Warner (R)
West Virginia State Auditor — Mary Ann Claytor (D), Mark Hunt (R)
West Virginia State Treasurer — Larry Pack (R)
West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture — Kent Leonhardt (R), Deborah Stiles (D)
West Virginia Attorney General — John “JB” McCuskey (R), Teresa Toriseva (D)

Constitutional amendment

This amendment would prohibit anyone, including health care providers, from participating in “the practice of medically assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing of a person.” This practice is sometimes referred to as assisted death, assisted suicide, or aid-in-dying.

This amendment would not prevent the administration or prescription of medication to alleviate pain or discomfort while the patient’s condition follows its natural course, nor does it prohibit withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining treatment at the request of the patient or patient’s decision maker. Critics say the amendment is unnecessary because assisted suicide is already against the law in West Virginia, but supporters say the amendment provides additional protections against the practice.

A “yes” vote supports amending the West Virginia Constitution to prohibit people from participating in “the practice of medically assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing of a person.”

A “no” vote opposes amending the West Virginia Constitution to prohibit people from participating in “the practice of medically assisted suicide, euthanasia, or mercy killing of a person.”

What candidates are on the ballot in every county?

In every county, voters will elect state senators and delegates, as well as a number of county positions, including sheriffs, prosecutors, county commissioners and assessors. Click on Upshur County for a localized voting guide and/or nearby counties that may be of interest to you — and for a list of the races and candidates that will be on the ballot.

Any other questions?

Read more frequently asked questions here from the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office.

If you see an error in our voter guide or want to provide more information about one of the candidates, please email us at contact@mountainstatespotlight.org.