CHARLESTON, W.Va. — All 55 counties began canvassing the 2026 Primary Election on Monday, May 18, according to a press release from West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner. State law requires canvassing to begin five days after the election, not including Sunday.
County commissioners serve as the Board of Canvassers. Each Board of Canvassers reviews the election night returns, absentee ballots and provisional ballots for each county precinct. Updated data reported by the counties indicate that 67,366 ballots were cast early, and 3,869 absentee ballots have been received.
During the canvass, an audit of the unofficial results is conducted by hand-counting the paper ballots from a minimum of 3% of the total precincts in every county. The audit results are then compared to the electronic results to confirm totals. If the comparison shows a difference of 1% or more between the hand-counted results and electronic results, or if the outcome of any race changes, then the electronic results are disregarded and the entire county must be counted by hand.
Preliminary voting totals from West Virginia’s May 12 Primary Election had 250,755 ballots cast statewide, with three legislative races decided by five or fewer votes. During canvassing, provisional ballots and absentee ballots postmarked on or before May 12 will be reviewed and determined for counting by the Board of Canvassers. In close races, once those legal votes are included in the totals, they could change the outcome of an election.
After the canvass, candidates have the opportunity to post a bond and demand a recount. The recount period ends when a county certifies the results, which can occur no sooner than 48 hours after the completion of the canvass. Once certified, the recount period closes and the results become official. In multi-county districts, the recount period does not end until the last county in the district certifies the results.
Candidates wishing to contest the election for fraud, irregularities or other lawful contest grounds have 10 days after the certification of results to file the contest and provide the proper notice to opposing candidates. All requirements for properly filing an election contest are set forth in law.
Counties where no recount is conducted have until June 11, 30 days after Election Day, to transmit their certified results to the Secretary of State.
For more information about elections in West Virginia, visit GoVoteWV.com.
