Charleston, W.Va – W.Va. Secretary of State Mac Warner is releasing the 2022 Running for Office Guide, which provides guidance to political candidates including requirements for age, residency, and party affiliation. The 2022 Running for Office Guide can be found at sos.wv.gov/elections.

Under state law, candidates in the upcoming 2022 election for the State Senate and the House of Delegates must be a resident of the district they are elected from for a period of at least one year prior to November 8, 2022.

According to Warner, the state’s county clerks are working closely with their county commissions to assess and modify magisterial district boundaries required by W. Va. Code 1-2-2b and 7-2-2 prior to the deadline of January 22, 2022. These lines may impact candidate eligibility in some county races on the ballot in 2022.

“Our county clerks are working closely together. This will be West Virginia’s first election with 100 single-member Delegate Districts. And some county Magisterial Districts, which are used to determine eligibility of county commission and Board of Education races, may change as well. We encourage candidates to pay close attention to where the boundary lines will be established,” Warner said.

Candidates interested in running for office in 2022 can review the House, Senate and Congressional maps located at GoVoteWV.com to ensure that they reside in the proper district.

In addition to residency requirements, candidates for partisan nominations in the upcoming May 10 Primary Election must not have been a member of another recognized political party for at least 60 days prior to becoming a candidate. Candidate registration will take place January 10-29.

According to Secretary Warner, voter registration services and a 2022 election calendar can be accessed online anytime at www.GoVoteWV.com. Detailed information about running for office may be found in the 2022 Running For Office Guide.