CHARLESTON – Preparations for the November General Election next Tuesday are coming to an end as the state’s 55 county clerks prepare to staff over 1,750 voting precincts throughout the state.
According to WV Secretary of State Mac Warner, it takes a little more than 8,750 poll workers and election officials to host a statewide election in West Virginia. Counties are making last-minute additions to ensure that each polling location is staffed with trained poll workers.
“Voting in person is still the most popular way for West Virginia voters to cast a ballot,” Secretary Warner said. “Casting a ballot at a safe polling location staffed by trained poll workers from different political parties where voters are guaranteed the right to vote a secret ballot free of any unwarranted influence is the most secure way to cast a ballot,” he said.
The ability to request a regular absentee ballot has ended. The last day to apply for an Absentee Ballot with your county clerk was Wednesday, Nov. 2nd.
An eligible first responder called away on duty outside of their county during early voting and Election Day may apply for an electronic ballot until 5:00 pm, Monday, Nov. 7th. There are also provisions for a registered voter to cast an Emergency Absentee Ballot by contacting their county clerk. More on voting for first responders and Emergency Absentee Ballot voting can be found at GoVoteWV.com.
A total of 14,240 registered voters have requested an absentee ballot for the Nov. 8th General Election. Voters have returned 9,528 absentee ballots to their county clerk’s offices as of the end of the day on Thursday, November 3rd.
Early voting in-person ends at 5:00 pm on Saturday, Nov. 5th. As of Friday morning, a total of 97,837 registered voters cast a ballot in person.
The November 4th turnout totals broken down by county and party can be viewed on our website here.
Tuesday’s General Election will take place from 6:30 am until 7:30 pm. Voters in line by 7:30 pm will be permitted to vote.
According to Secretary Warner, he and members of his staff will be traveling the state monitoring polling locations in all 55 counties.
The official and secure WV Secretary of State’s Election Night Reporting system (ENR) will go live at about 8:00 pm on election night. Results reported by county clerks will be posted and available throughout the evening in real-time. You can access the ENR system results by going to GoVoteWV.com.
