West Virginians have until Tuesday to register to vote in primary election

West Virginians have until Tuesday, April 23 to register to vote in the primary election on May 14. (Stephen Maturen | Getty Images)

West Virginians are running out of time to register to vote during this year’s primary election, which will decide among four prominent Republicans vying to be the state’s next governor. 

Tuesday is the deadline for people to register to vote in time for the primary election. 

Would-be voters may register online at GoVoteWV.com using a state-issued identification card and Social Security number or in-person at their county clerk’s office. They can also print a paper application form at GoVoteWV.com. People should have their application addressed to the appropriate county clerk and postmarked by Tuesday.

New registrants should receive a voter registration card in the mail. People can search their registration and polling place online using their name and date of birth at the Secretary of State’s website. 

According to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office, 1,177,674 West Virginia residents had registered to vote as of March 31.

During the 2020 primary, 449,077 ballots were cast, compared to 495,407 in the 2016 primary and 336,533 during the 2012 primary election, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. 

Early voting for the primary election begins May 1 and continues through May 11, excluding Sundays. During early voting, people can cast their votes at their county courthouse, an annex or another designated area during normal business hours and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. 

The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office recommends calling the local county clerk’s for a list of early voting locations in your county, but the office also plans to publish a list online at GoVoteWV.com closer to May 1. 

In the Republican race, car dealership owner Chris Miller, former state Del. Moore Capito, Secretary of State Mac Warner and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey are all running for governor. 

This is the last election during which non-affiliated voters may cast their ballots in the Republican primary. The state Republican Executive Committee voted this winter to allow only registered Republicans to vote in the primary beginning in 2026. 

Republican Party Chairman Matt Herridge, who was elected during the same winter meeting, said Republican leaders had a vigorous debate about whether to close the primary election. Those who wanted to close the primary argued it would encourage voters who are on the fence to join the party. Those who wanted to keep it open argued voting in the primary is a chance for people still in the decision-making process to participate.

“The will of the [State Executive Committee] in a very tight vote was to close the primary, as you know, in ‘26,” Herridge said. “I’m not sure if that will be contested again. It depends on what is brought to the committee over the next few meetings. But I would not at all be surprised if this was not debated again, just given the point that it’s very close and there are arguments on both sides.”

Herridge did not have a vote during the meeting and said he’s still in the information-gathering port of deciding whether he supports closing the primary. 

“I definitely see arguments on both sides, even though I did not participate in the vote,” he said. 

Herridge said he’s interested to see how many voters turn out, given that former President Donald Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee for the presidential race. Sometimes having that in question encourages more people to vote, he said. Herridge said he encourages West Virginians to make their voices heard by voting in the primary. 

“This election with four candidates — really good candidates across the board — is probably going to be won without a plurality,” he said. “So every vote will probably make a bigger difference than it might typically in a two-person race. So I think I would encourage [people] that their voice needs to be heard. We want it to be heard. 

“This race, at this point, it seems like there’s still a substantial number of people that may be undecided,” Herridge said. “And I encourage [people] to, investigate, look at each one of the candidates and vote for the one that they feel best represents them.”

The winner in the Republican primary will face Huntington Mayor Steve Williams, the race’s lone Democratic candidate for governor, in the general election Nov. 5. 

State Democratic Chairman Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, encouraged people to register as a Democrat, saying that Republicans have “ignored the real issues confronting West Virginia.”

“Under a decade of Republican leadership, West Virginia has lost population. There is a crisis in our foster care system, National Guard troops have had to be deployed to our prisons because we can’t attract enough quality corrections personnel to work in our prisons, and we’re suffering from a shortage of qualified teachers,” Pushkin said in a written statement. “Because of a lack of support, West Virginia University has cut its faculty and eliminated programs that most universities consider essential.  Republican leadership has focused on tax breaks for big businesses while ignoring working families and seniors.”

The primary election will be Tuesday, May 14. Polls will open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. 

When voting, people should bring an acceptable form of voter identification. That includes any of the following: 

• a voter registration card

• Medicare card or Social Security card

• birth certificate

• state hunting or fishing license

• a SNAP ID or TANF ID card

• Medicaid ID card

• bank or debit card 

• utility bill or bank statement issued within six months of the date of the election

• health insurance card issued to the voter

• any document issued by the West Virginia or U.S. government that displays the voter’s name.

Sample ballots are available online now. 

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