Source: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/WVCODE/code.cfm?chap=03&art=2&section=3
Timestamp: 2017-01-20 22:33:34
Document Index: 101215053

Matched Legal Cases: ['§3', '§3', '§3', '§1973', '§3', '§3', '§1973', '§1973', '§1973', '§401', '§3', '§1973', '§1973', '§1973', '§1973', '§1973', '§3', '§ 1973', '§ 1973', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§1973', '§1973', '§1973', '§1973', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§1973', '§1973', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§1973', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§1973', '§1973', '§1973', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3', '§3']

Chapter 3 | Article 3 - 2
3 - 2 - 1 3 - 2 - 2 3 - 2 - 3 3 - 2 - 4 3 - 2 - 4 A 3 - 2 - 5 3 - 2 - 6 3 - 2 - 6 A 3 - 2 - 7 3 - 2 - 8 3 - 2 - 9 3 - 2 - 10 3 - 2 - 11 3 - 2 - 12 3 - 2 - 13 3 - 2 - 14 3 - 2 - 15 3 - 2 - 16 3 - 2 - 17 3 - 2 - 18 3 - 2 - 19 3 - 2 - 20 3 - 2 - 21 3 - 2 - 22 3 - 2 - 22 A 3 - 2 - 23 3 - 2 - 23 A 3 - 2 - 24 3 - 2 - 25 3 - 2 - 26 3 - 2 - 27 3 - 2 - 28 3 - 2 - 29 3 - 2 - 30 3 - 2 - 31 3 - 2 - 32 3 - 2 - 33 3 - 2 - 34 3 - 2 - 35 3 - 2 - 36 3 - 2 - 37 3 - 2 - 38 3 - 2 - 39 3 - 2 - 40 3 - 2 - 41 3 - 2 - 42 3 - 2 - 43 3 - 2 - 44 3 - VOTING BY ABSENTEES
WVC -2- ARTICLE 2. REGISTRATION OF VOTERS.
WVC 3-2-1 §3-2-1. Permanent voter registration law; uniform system of voter
(a) This article, providing a permanent and uniform system for
the registration of the voters of the state of West Virginia, may
be cited as the "Permanent Voter Registration Law."
(b) A permanent voter registration system is hereby
established which shall be uniform in its requirements throughout
the state and all of its subdivisions. No voter so registered
shall be required to register again for any election while
continuing to reside within the same county, unless the voter's
registration is canceled as provided in this article.
(c) A person who is not eligible or not duly registered to
vote shall not be permitted to vote at any election in any
subdivision of the state, except that such a voter may cast a
"provisional" or "challenged" ballot as provided in this chapter if
the voter's eligibility or registration is in question, and such
"provisional" or "challenged" ballot may be counted only if a
positive determination of the voter's eligibility and proper
registration can be ascertained.
WVC 3 - 2 - 2 §3-2-2. Eligibility to register to vote.
(a) Any person who possesses the constitutional qualifications
for voting may register to vote. To be qualified, a person must be
a citizen of the United States and a legal resident of West
Virginia and of the county where he or she is applying to register,
shall be at least eighteen years of age, except that a person who
is at least seventeen years of age and who will be eighteen years
of age by the time of the next ensuing general election may also be
permitted to register, and shall not be otherwise legally
disqualified: Provided, That a registered voter who has not reached
eighteen years of age may vote both partisan and nonpartisan
ballots in a federal, state, county, municipal or special primary
election if he or she will be eighteen years of age by the time of
the corresponding general election.
(b) Any person who has been convicted of a felony, treason or
bribery in an election, under either state or federal law, is
disqualified and is not eligible to register or to continue to be
registered to vote while serving his or her sentence, including any
period of incarceration, probation or parole related thereto. Any
person who has been declared mentally incompetent by a court of
competent jurisdiction is disqualified and shall not be eligible to
register or to continue to be registered to vote for as long as
that disability continues.
WVC 3-2-3
§3-2-3. State authority relating to voter registration; chief election official. (a) The Secretary of State, as chief election official of the state as provided in section six, article one-a of this chapter, shall have general supervision of the voter registration procedures and practices and the maintenance of voter registration records in the state and shall have authority to require reports and investigate violations to ensure the proper conduct of voter registration throughout the state and all of its subdivisions. Upon written notice to the clerk of the county commission of a county of the need for voter registration record maintenance and the failure of that clerk to complete such maintenance within ninety days of the notice, the Secretary of State may make changes in the voter registration data necessary to comply with list maintenance requirements of sections four-a, twenty-three, twenty-five, twenty-six and twenty-seven of this article: Provided, That the secretary shall send the notice by certified mail, return receipt requested. (b) The Secretary of State, as chief election official of the state, is responsible for implementing, in a uniform and nondiscriminatory manner, a single, uniform, official, centralized, interactive computerized statewide voter registration list defined, maintained and administered at the state level that contains the name and registration information of every legally registered voter in the state and assigns a unique identifier to each legally registered voter in the state. (c) The Secretary of State is hereby designated as the chief election official responsible for the coordination of this state's responsibilities under 42 U.S.C. §1973gg, et seq., the “National Voter Registration Act of 1993”. The Secretary of State shall have general supervision of voter registration procedures and practices at agencies and locations providing services as required by the provisions of this article and shall have the authority to propose procedural, interpretive and legislative rules for promulgation in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code for application for registration, transmission of applications, reporting and maintenance of records required by the provisions of this article and for the development, implementation and application of other provisions of this article. WVC 3-2-4 §3-2-4. Authority and responsibility of the clerk of the county
commission and of the county commission relating to
(a) Subject to the authority of the secretary of state, the
clerk of the county commission shall be the chief registration
authority in each respective county and all subdivisions therein,
and shall supervise their deputies, employees and registrars in the
performance of their respective duties.
(b) The county commission of each county shall allocate
sufficient resources for the proper and efficient performance of
duties relating to voter registration as required by law, and shall
provide for temporary clerical assistance necessary for systematic
purging procedures or other duties of short duration required by
(c) The county commission shall have authority on its own
motion to summon and examine any person concerning the registration
of voters, to investigate any irregularities in registration, to
summon and examine witnesses, to require the production of any
relevant books and papers and to conduct hearings on any matters
relating to the registration of voters.
(d) The clerk of the county commission shall be responsible
for the administration of voter registration within the county and
shall establish procedures and practices which ensure the full
implementation of the requirements of federal and state laws and
rules relating to voter registration, and which ensure
nondiscriminatory practices.
§3-2-4a. Statewide voter registration database. (a) The Secretary of State shall implement and maintain a single, official, statewide, centralized, interactive computerized voter registration database of every legally registered voter in the state, as follows: (1) The statewide voter registration database shall serve as the single system for storing and managing the official list of registered voters throughout the state. (2) The statewide voter registration database shall contain the name, registration information and voter history of every legally registered voter in the state. (3) In the statewide voter registration database, the Secretary of State shall assign a unique identifier to each legally registered voter in the state. (4) The statewide voter registration database shall be coordinated with other agency databases within the state and elsewhere, as appropriate. (5) The Secretary of State, any clerk of the county commission, or any authorized designee of the Secretary of State or clerk of the county commission, may obtain immediate electronic access to the information contained in the statewide voter registration database. (6) The clerk of the county commission shall electronically enter voter registration information into the statewide voter registration database on an expedited basis at the time the information is provided to the clerk. (7) The Secretary of State shall provide necessary support to enable every clerk of the county commission in the state to enter information as described in subdivision (6) of this subsection. (8) The statewide voter registration database shall serve as the official voter registration list for conducting all elections in the state. (b) The provisions of subdivision (6), subsection (a) of this section notwithstanding, the Secretary of State or any clerk of a county commission shall perform maintenance with respect to the statewide voter registration database on a regular basis as follows: (1) If an individual is to be removed from the statewide voter registration database he or she shall be removed in accordance with the provisions of 42 U. S. C. §1973gg, et seq., the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. (2) The Secretary of State shall coordinate the statewide voter registration database with state agency records and shall establish procedures for the removal of names of individuals who are not qualified to vote due to felony status or death. No state agency may withhold information regarding a voter's status as deceased or as a felon unless ordered by a court of law. (c) The list maintenance performed under subsection (b) of this section shall be conducted in a manner that ensures that: (1) The name of each registered voter appears in the statewide voter registration database; (2) Only voters who are not registered, who have requested in writing that their voter registration be canceled, or who are not eligible to vote are removed from the statewide voter registration database; (3) Duplicate names are eliminated from the statewide voter registration database; and (4) Deceased individuals’ names are eliminated from the statewide voter registration database. (d) The Secretary of State and the clerks of all county commissions shall provide adequate technological security measures to prevent the unauthorized access to the statewide voter registration database established under this section. (e) The Secretary of State shall ensure, and may perform such maintenance necessary to ensure, that voter registration records in the state are accurate and updated regularly, including the following: (1) A system of file maintenance that makes a reasonable effort to remove registrants who are ineligible to vote from the official list of eligible voters. Under the system, consistent with 42 U. S. C. §1973gg, et seq., registrants who have not responded to a notice sent pursuant to section twenty six, article two of this chapter, who have not otherwise updated their voter registration address, and who have not voted in two consecutive general elections for federal office shall be removed from the official list of eligible voters, except that no registrant may be removed solely by reason of a failure to vote; (2) By participation in programs across state lines to share data specifically for voter registration to ensure that voters who have moved across state lines or become deceased in another state are removed in accordance with state law and 42 U. S. C. §1973gg, et seq.; and (3) Through safeguards to ensure that eligible voters are not removed in error from the official list of eligible voters. (f) Applications for voter registration may be accepted only when the following information is provided: (1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection and notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, an application for voter registration may not be accepted or processed unless the application includes: (A) In the case of an applicant who has been issued a current and valid driver's license, the applicant's driver's license number; (B) In the case of an applicant who has been issued an identification card by the Division of Motor Vehicles, the applicant's identification number; or (C) In the case of any other applicant, the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number; and (2) If an applicant for voter registration has not been issued a current and valid driver's license, Division of Motor Vehicles identification card, or a Social Security number, the Secretary of State shall assign the applicant a number which will serve to identify the applicant for voter registration purposes. The number assigned under this subdivision shall be the unique identifying number assigned under the statewide voter registration database. (g)(1) The Secretary of State and the Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles shall enter into an agreement to match and transfer applicable information in the statewide voter registration database with information in the database of the Division of Motor Vehicles to the extent required to enable each official to verify the accuracy of the information provided on applications for voter registration. (2) The Secretary of State and the Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles shall enter into an agreement for the Division of Motor Vehicles to provide all name fields, residence and mailing address fields, driver’s license or state identification number, last four digits of the Social Security number, date of birth, license or identification issuance and expiration dates, and current record status of individuals eligible to register to vote to the Secretary of State for the purpose of voter registration list maintenance comparison through an interstate data-sharing agreement designated by the Secretary of State as permitted by subdivision (2), subsection (e) of this section. (h) The Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles shall enter into an agreement with the Commissioner of Social Security under 42 U. S. C. §401, et seq., the Social Security Act. All fees associated with this agreement shall be paid for from moneys in the fund created under section twelve of this article. WVC 3 - 2 - 5 §3-2-5. Forms for application for registration; information
required and requested; types of application forms;
(a) (1) All state forms for application for voter registration
shall be prescribed by the Secretary of State and shall conform
with the requirements of 42 U. S. C.§1973gg, et seq., the National
Voter Registration Act of 1993 and the requirements of the
provisions of this article. Separate application forms may be
prescribed for voter registration conducted by the clerk of the
county commission, registration by mail, registration in
conjunction with an application for motor vehicle driver's license
and registration at designated agencies. These forms may consist
of one or more parts, may be combined with other forms for use in
registration by designated agencies or in conjunction with driver
licensing and may be revised and reissued as required by the
Secretary of State to provide for the efficient administration of
(2) Notwithstanding any provisions of subdivision (1) of this
subsection to the contrary, the federal postcard application for
voter registration issued pursuant to 42 U. S. C.§1973, et seq.,
the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986 and
the mail voter registration application form prescribed by the
Federal Election Commission pursuant to 42 U. S. C.§1973gg, et
seq., the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, are accepted as
valid forms of application for registration pursuant to the provisions of this article.
(3) The Secretary of State is authorized to promulgate
procedures to permit persons to register to vote through a secure
electronic voter registration system.
(1) A statement specifying the eligibility requirements for
registration and an attestation that the applicant meets each
eligibility requirement;
(2) Any specific notice or notices required for a specific
type or use of application by 42 U. S. C.§1973gg, et seq., the
National Voter Registration Act of 1993;
(3) A notice that a voter may be permitted to vote the
partisan primary election ballot of a political party only if the
voter has designated that political party on the application for
registration unless the political party has determined otherwise;
(4) The applicant's driver's license number or an
identification number issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles. If
the applicant does not have a driver's license or an identification
card issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles, then the last four
digits of the applicant's Social Security number; and
(5) Any other instructions or information essential to
(c) Each application form shall require that the following be
provided by the applicant, under oath, and an application which
does not contain each of the following is incomplete:
(1) The applicant's legal name, including the first name,
middle or premarital name, if any, and last name;
(3) The applicant's residence address including the number and
street or route and city and county of residence except:
(A) In the case of a person eligible to register under the
provisions of 42 U. S. C.§1973ff, et seq., the Uniformed and
Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the address at which he or
she last resided before leaving the United States or entering the
uniformed services, or if a dependent child of such a person, the
address at which his or her parent last resided;
(B) In the case of a homeless person having no fixed residence
address who nevertheless resides and remains regularly within the
county, the address of a shelter, assistance center or family
member with whom he or she has regular contact or other specific
location approved by the clerk of the county commission for the
purposes of establishing a voting residence; or
(C) In the case of a participant in the Address
Confidentiality Program administered by the Secretary of State in
accordance with section one hundred three, article twenty-eight
(a), chapter forty-eight of this code, the designated address
assigned to the participant by the Secretary of State; and
(4) The applicant's signature, under penalty of perjury as
provided in section thirty-six of this article, to the attestation
of eligibility to register to vote and to the truth of the information given. The clerk may accept the electronically
transmitted signature kept on file with another approved state
database for an applicant who applies to register to vote using an
approved electronic voter registration system in accordance with
procedures promulgated by the Secretary of State.
(d) The applicant shall be requested to provide the following
information but no application may be rejected for lack of this
(1) An indication whether the application is for a new
registration, change of address, change of name or change of party
(2) The applicant's choice of political party affiliation, if
any, or an indication of no affiliation. An applicant who does not
enter a choice of political party affiliation is listed as having
no party affiliation on the voting record;
(3) The applicant's residence mailing address if different
than the residence street address;
(4) The last four digits of the applicant's Social Security
(7) The address where the applicant was last registered to
vote, if any, for the purpose of canceling or transferring the
previous registration; and
(e) The Secretary of State shall prescribe the printing
specifications of each type of voter registration application and
the voter registration application portion of any form which is
part of a combined agency form.
(f) Application forms prescribed in this section may refer to
various public officials by title or official position but in no
case may the actual name of an officeholder be printed on the voter
registration application or on any portion of a combined
(g) No later than July 1 of each odd-numbered year, the
Secretary of State shall submit the specifications of the voter
registration application by mail for statewide bidding for a
contract period beginning September 1 of each odd-numbered year and
continuing for two calendar years. The successful bidder shall
produce and supply the required mail voter registration forms at
the contract price to all purchasers of the form for the period of
WVC 3 - 2 - 6 §3-2-6. Time of registration application before an election.
(a) Voter registration before an election closes on the
twenty-first day before the election or on the first day thereafter
which is not a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday.
(b) An application for voter registration, transfer of
registration, change of name or change of political party
affiliation submitted by an eligible voter by the close of voter
registration is effective for any subsequent primary, general or
special election if the following conditions are met:
(1) The application contains the information required by
subsection (c), section five of this article. Incomplete
applications for registration containing information which are
submitted within the required time may be corrected within four
business days after the close of registration if the applicant
provides the required information; and
(2) The application is received by the appropriate clerk of
the county commission no later than the hour of the close of
registration or is otherwise submitted by the following deadlines:
(A) If mailed, the application shall be addressed to the
appropriate clerk of the county commission and is postmarked by the
postal service no later than the date of the close of registration. If the postmark is missing or illegible, the application is
presumed to have been mailed no later than the close of
registration if it is received by the appropriate clerk of the
county commission no later than the third day following the close of registration;
(B) If accepted by a designated agency or motor vehicle
licensing office, the application is received by that agency or
office no later than the close of registration;
(C) If accepted through a registration outreach program, the
application is received by the clerk, deputy clerk or registrar no
later than the close of registration;
(D) If accepted through an approved electronic voter
registration system, the application is received by the clerk of
the county commission or other entity designated by the Secretary
of State no later than the close of business on the final day of
(3) The verification notice by the provisions of section
sixteen of this article mailed to the voter at the residence
indicated on the application is not returned as undeliverable.
WVC 3 - 2 - 6 A
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of section six of this
article, the following persons are entitled to register to vote, in
person, at the office of the clerk of the county commission up to,
but not including, the day of the election:
(1) Any member of a uniformed service of the United States, as
defined in 42 U. S. C. § 1973ff-6 (7), who is on active duty;
(2) Any member of a uniformed service of the United States, as
defined in 42 U. S. C. § 1973ff-6 (7), who is discharged from
active duty during the sixty days immediately preceding the
(4) Any person residing outside the country by virtue of his
or her employment in support of national security functions or
purposes and presents appropriate documentation of such employment
as prescribed by the Secretary of State; and
(5) Any spouse or dependent residing with a person listed in
subdivisions (1), (2), (3) or (4) of this subsection.
(b) The provisions of subsection (a) apply only to those
persons who are otherwise qualified to register and who, by reason
of such active duty or temporary overseas residency:
(1) Are normally absent from the county in which they reside;
(2) Have been absent from such county and returned to reside
there during the twenty-one days immediately preceding the
(c) A person qualifying and registering to vote pursuant to this section, after the close of voter registration set forth in
section six, article two of this chapter, shall be required to cast
a provisional ballot and that provisional ballot shall be counted
during the canvass of the election, unless the voter is determined
by the Clerk of the County Commission to otherwise fail to meet the
eligibility requirements for voter registration.
(d) The Secretary of State shall prescribe procedures for the
addition of persons registered under this section to the lists of
WVC 3 - 2 - 7 §3-2-7. Hours and days of registration in the office of the clerk
of the county commission; in-person application for
voter registration; identification required.
(a) The clerk of the county commission shall provide voter
registration services at all times when the office of the clerk is
open for regular business.
(b) An eligible voter who desires to apply for voter
registration in person at the office of the clerk of the county
commission shall complete a voter registration application on the
prescribed form and shall sign the oath required on that
application in the presence of the clerk of the county commission
or his or her deputy: Provided, That an individual may apply for
voter registration using an approved electronic voter registration
system if available at the office of the clerk. Such system may
electronically transfer the voter's signature stored in the
database of another state agency in accordance with procedures
promulgated by the Secretary of State. The applicant shall present
valid identification and proof of age. The clerk may waive the
proof of age requirement if the applicant is clearly over the age
(c) The clerk shall attempt to establish whether the residence
address given is within the boundaries of an incorporated
municipality and, if so, make the proper entry required for
municipal residents to be properly identified for municipal voter
(d) Upon receipt of the completed registration application,
the clerk shall either:
(1) Provide a notice of procedure for verification and notice
of disposition of the application and immediately begin the
verification process prescribed by the provisions of section
sixteen of this article; or
(2) Upon presentation of a current driver's license or
state-issued identification card containing the residence address
as it appears on the voter registration application, issue the
receipt of registration.
WVC 3-2-8 §3-2-8. Registration outreach services by the clerk of the county
commission; challenge of voter's registration.
(a) Registration outreach services, including application for
registration, change of address, name or party affiliation and
correction or cancellation of registration, may be provided at
locations outside the office of said clerk of the county commission
by the clerk, one or more of his or her deputy clerks, or by
temporary registrars or volunteer registrars appointed in
accordance with the provisions of section nine of this article.
(b) (1) The clerk of the county commission may establish
temporary registration offices to provide voter registration
services to residents of the county. The clerk shall file a list
of the scheduled times and locations of any temporary registration
offices with the county commission at least fourteen days prior to
opening the temporary office and shall solicit public service
advertising of the location and times for any temporary
registration office on radio, television and newspapers serving
(2) The clerk of the county commission shall establish an
approved program of voter registration services for eligible high
school students at each high school within the county and shall
conduct that program of voter registration at an appropriate time
during each school year, but no later than forty-five days before
a statewide primary election held during a school year. The
secretary of state shall issue guidelines for approval of programs of voter registration for eligible students, and all such programs
shall include opportunities for students to register in person and
present identification at the high school where the student is
enrolled. Official school records shall be accepted as
identification and proof of age for eligible students.
(c) When the boundaries of precincts are altered requiring the
transfer of a portion of the voters of one precinct to another
precinct, the clerk of the county commission or temporary
registrars appointed for the purpose may conduct door-to-door
registration services in the areas affected by the boundary changes
and may register, alter or transfer the registration of voters
found to reside in those areas. Upon a determination that a voter
who previously registered in the area canvassed no longer resides
at that address, except for those persons who are qualified to
maintain a legal residence at the address, the clerk of the county
commission shall challenge the registration of the voter in
accordance with the provisions of section twenty-eight of this
(d) The procedures required upon receipt of an application for
registration as prescribed in subsection (b), section seven of this
article shall also be performed by the authorized persons
conducting the registration outreach services.
WVC 3-2-9 §3-2-9. Appointment of temporary and volunteer registrars for
registration outreach services.
(a) Temporary registrars and volunteer registrars may be
appointed to perform registration outreach services as provided in
section eight of this article. Whenever registration outreach
services are conducted by temporary registrars or volunteer
registrars, two persons of opposite political parties shall serve
together. All temporary registrars and volunteer registrars shall
be trained by the clerk of the county commission before beginning
their duties and shall thereafter be supervised by said clerk.
(b) Temporary registrars and volunteer registrars shall have
the same eligibility qualifications as required of election
officials and shall be subject to suspension by the same procedures
as prescribed for election officials as provided in section twenty-
eight, article one of this chapter. Eligibility may be suspended
(1) Failure to appear at the required time and place or to
perform the duties of a registrar as required by law;
(2) Alteration or destruction of a voter registration
(3) Improper influence of the choice of party affiliation of
a voter, or other improper interference or intimidation relating to
the voter's decision to register or not to register to vote; or
(4) Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or having
anything wagered or bet on an election.
(c) Each temporary or volunteer registrar, before beginning
the duties of the office, shall take an oath to perform the duties
of the office according to law and the oath shall be filed with the
(d) (1) The county commission may appoint temporary registrars
to conduct registration as provided in section eight of this
article. An equal number of such registrars shall be selected from
the two major political parties. The county commission shall
notify each county executive committee, in writing, specifying the
number of registrars to be appointed, the general schedule of
registration activities to be performed, and the date by which the
nominations must be received, which date shall be not less than
twenty-eight days following the date of the notice. Each executive
committee, by majority vote of the committee, may nominate the
number of persons needed to serve as registrars and shall submit
the nominations in writing to the county commission by the date
specified in the notice. The clerk of the county commission shall
notify those persons so nominated and appointed. If any person
declines to serve or fails to appear, the clerk of the county
commission shall fill the vacancy with a qualified person of the
(2) Temporary registrars shall be compensated at a rate not
less than the federal minimum wage and may be reimbursed for
mileage traveled between the county courthouse and any temporary
(e) The clerk of the county commission may appoint volunteer
registrars to conduct registration outreach services as provided in
section eight of this article. Volunteer registrars shall serve
without compensation. At least fourteen days before beginning any
registration outreach service to be conducted by volunteer
registrars, the clerk shall notify the county commission in writing
listing the proposed schedule for all registration outreach
activities and the name and party affiliation of each volunteer
registrar appointed.
WVC 3 - 2 - 10 §3-2-10. Application for registration by mail.
(a) Any qualified person may apply to register, change,
transfer or correct his or her voter registration by mail. Application shall be made on a prescribed form as provided by
section five of this article.
(b) To the extent possible, with funds allocated annually for
such purpose, the Secretary of State shall make state mail
registration forms available for distribution through governmental
and private entities and organized voter registration programs. The Secretary of State shall make a record of all requests by
entities or organizations for two hundred or more forms with a
description of the dates and locations in which the proposed
registration drive is to be conducted. The Secretary of State
shall also require the entity or organization requesting the forms
to provide contact information on a form prescribed by the
Secretary of State. The Secretary of State may limit the
distribution to a reasonable amount per group.
(c) The clerk of the county commission shall provide up to
four mail registration forms to any resident of the county upon
request. To the extent possible with funds allocated annually for
the purpose, the clerk of the county commission shall make state
mail registration forms available for distribution through
organized voter registration programs within the county. The clerk
of the county commission shall make a record of all requests by
entities or organizations for ten or more forms with a description of the dates and locations in which the proposed registration drive
is to be conducted. The clerk may limit the distribution to a
reasonable amount per group.
(d) The applicant shall provide all required information and,
only after completing the information, sign the prescribed
applicant's oath under penalty of perjury as provided in section
thirty-six of this article. No person may alter or add any entry
or make any mark which would alter any material information on the
voter registration application after the applicant has signed the
oath: Provided, That the clerk of the county commission may
correct any entry upon the request of the applicant provided the
request is properly documented and the correction is dated and
initialed by the clerk.
(e) Completed applications shall be mailed or delivered to the
clerk of the county commission of the county in which the voter
resides. If a clerk receives a completed mail application form
from a voter whose residence address is located in another county,
the clerk shall forward that application within three days to the
clerk of the county commission of the county of the applicant's
(f) Upon receipt of the application for registration by the
appropriate clerk of the county commission, the clerk shall:
(1) Attempt to establish whether the residence address given
is within the boundaries of an incorporated municipality and, if
so, make the proper entry required for municipal residents to be properly identified for municipal voter registration purposes; and
(2) Immediately begin the verification process required by the
provisions of section sixteen of this article.
(g) Any person who registers by mail pursuant to this section
and who has not previously voted in an election in the state shall
be required to present the following forms of identification to the
Secretary of State or clerk of the county commission:
(1) In the case of an individual who votes in person, a
current and valid photo identification; or a copy of a current
utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other
government document that shows the name and address of the voter;
(2) In the case of an individual who votes by mail, a copy of
a current and valid photo identification or a copy of a current
government document that shows the name and address of the voter,
submitted with the ballot.
(h) An individual who desires to vote in person or by mail,
but who does not meet the requirements of subsection (g) of this
section, may cast a provisional ballot.
(i) Subsection (g) of this section does not apply in the case
(1) Who registers to vote by mail under 42 U.S.C. §1973gg-4,
et seq., and submits as part of his or her registration either a
copy of a current and valid photo identification or a copy of a
current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or government document that shows the name and address of the voter;
(2) (A) Who registers to vote by mail under 42 U.S.C.
§1973gg-4, et seq., and submits with his or her registration either
a driver's license number or at least the last four digits of the
individual's social security number; and (B) with respect to whom
the Secretary of State or clerk of the county commission matches
the information submitted under paragraph (A) of this subdivision
with an existing state identification record bearing the same
number, name and date of birth as provided in the registration; or
(3) Who is: (A) Entitled to vote by absentee ballot under 42
U.S.C. §1973ff-1, et seq., the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens
Absentee Voting Act; (B) provided the right to vote otherwise than
in person under 42 U.S.C. §1973ee-1(b)(2)(B)(ii); or 25 (iii),
section 3(b)(2)(B)(ii) of the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly
and Handicapped Act; (C) entitled to vote otherwise than in person
under any other federal law: Provided, That any person who has
applied for an absentee ballot pursuant to the provisions of
subdivision (1), subsection (b), section one, article three of this
chapter; paragraph (B), subdivision (2) of said subsection;
subdivision (3) of said subsection; or subsection (c) of said
section may not have his or her ballot in that election challenged
for failure to appear in person or for failure to present
(j) Any person who submits a state mail voter registration
application to the clerk of the county commission in the county in which he or she is currently registered for the purpose of entering
a change of address within the county, making a change of party
affiliation or recording a change of legal name shall not be
required to make his or her first vote in person or to present
identification or proof of age.
(k) On and after the first day of July, two thousand six, any
person who agrees to mail or to deliver a signed voter registration
application to the Secretary of State or the clerk of the county
commission and who intentionally interferes with the applicant's
effort to register either by destroying the application or by
failing to mail or to deliver the application in a timely manner is
fined not more than one thousand dollars, or confined in a jail for
not more than one year, or both. For purposes of this subsection,
the mailing or delivery of an application is timely if it is mailed
or delivered within fifteen days after the applicant signs the
application or in accordance with the provisions of article two,
chapter three of this code for processing before the closing of the
registration records for the pending election, whichever comes
(l) On or after the first day of July, two thousand six, any
person who intentionally solicits multiple registrations from any
one person or who intentionally falsifies a registration
thereof, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars, or confined in jail for not more than one year, or both.
WVC 3-2-11
§3‑2‑11. Registration in conjunction with driver licensing. (a) The Division of Motor Vehicles or other division or department that may be established by law to perform motor vehicle driver licensing services shall obtain, as an integral and simultaneous part of every process of application for the issuance, renewal or change of address of a motor vehicle driver's license or official identification card pursuant to the provisions of article two, chapter seventeen‑b of this code, when the division's regional offices are open for regular business, the following information from each qualified registrant: (1) Full name, including first, middle, last and any premarital names; (2) Date of birth; (3) Residence address and mailing address, if different; (4) The applicant’s electronic signature; (5) Telephone number, if available; (6) Email address, if available; (7) Political party membership, if any; (8) Driver’s license number and last four digits of social security number; (9) A notation that the applicant has attested that he or she meets all voter eligibility requirements, including United States citizenship; (10) Whether the applicant affirmatively declined to become registered to vote during the transaction with the Division of Motor Vehicles; (11) Date of application; and (12) Any other information specified in rules adopted to implement this section. (b) Unless the applicant affirmatively declines to become registered to vote or update their voter registration during the transaction with the Division of Motor Vehicles, the Division of Motor Vehicles shall release all of the information obtained pursuant to subsection (a) of this section to the Secretary of State, who shall forward the information to the county clerk for the relevant county to process the newly registered voter or updated information for the already-registered voter pursuant to law. Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, if the applicant affirmatively declines to become registered to vote, the Division of Motor Vehicles is required to release the first name, middle name, last name, premarital name, if applicable, complete residence address, complete date of birth of an applicant and the applicant's electronic signature, entered in the division's records for driver license or nonoperator identification purposes to the Secretary of State in order to facilitate any future attempt of the applicant to register to vote online, along with the notation that the applicant affirmatively declined to become registered at that time. The Division of Motor Vehicles shall notify that applicant that by submitting his or her signature, the applicant grants written consent for the submission of the information obtained and required to be submitted to the Secretary of State pursuant to this section. (c) Information regarding a person's failure to sign the voter registration application is confidential and may not be used for any purpose other than to determine voter registration. (d) A qualified voter who submits the required information or update to his or her voter registration, pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, in person at a driver licensing facility at the time of applying for, obtaining, renewing or transferring his or her driver's license or official identification card and who presents identification and proof of age at that time is not required to make his or her first vote in person or to again present identification in order to make that registration valid. (e) A qualified voter who submits by mail or by delivery by a third party an application for registration on the form used in conjunction with driver licensing is required to make his or her first vote in person and present identification as required for other mail registration in accordance with the provisions of subsection (g), section ten of this article. If the applicant has been previously registered in the jurisdiction and the application is for a change of address, change of name, change of political party affiliation or other correction, the presentation of identification and first vote in person is not required. (f) An application for voter registration submitted pursuant to the provisions of this section updates a previous voter registration by the applicant and authorizes the cancellation of registration in any other county or state in which the applicant was previously registered. (g) A change of address from one residence to another within the same county which is submitted for driver licensing or nonoperator's identification purposes in accordance with applicable law serves as a notice of change of address for voter registration purposes if requested by the applicant after notice and written consent of the applicant. (h) Completed applications for voter registration or change of address for voting purposes received by an office providing driver licensing services shall be forwarded to the Secretary of State within five days of receipt unless other means are available for a more expedited transmission. The Secretary of State shall remove and file any forms which have not been signed by the applicant and shall forward completed, signed applications to the clerk of the appropriate county commission within five days of receipt. (i) Voter registration application forms containing voter information which are returned to a driver licensing office unsigned shall be collected by the Division of Motor Vehicles, submitted to the Secretary of State and maintained by the Secretary of State's office according to the retention policy adopted by the Secretary of State. (j) The Secretary of State shall establish procedures to protect the confidentiality of the information obtained from the Division of Motor Vehicles, including any information otherwise required to be confidential by other provisions of this code. (k) A person registered to vote pursuant to this section may cancel his or her voter registration at any time by any method available to any other registered voter. (l) This section shall not be construed as requiring the Division of Motor Vehicles to determine eligibility for voter registration and voting. (m) The changes made to this section during the 2016 Regular Legislative Session shall become effective on July 1, 2017, and any costs associated therewith shall be paid by the Division of Motor Vehicles. If the Division of Motor Vehicles is unable to meet the requirements of this section by February 1, 2017, it shall make a presentation to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance explaining any resources necessary to meet the requirements or any changes to the code that it recommends immediately prior to the 2017 Regular Legislative Session. (n) The Secretary of State shall propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code in order to implement the requirements of this section. WVC 3-2-12
§3-2-12. Combined voter registration and driver licensing fund; transfer of funds. (a) Fifty cents of each license fee collected pursuant to the provisions of section one, article three, chapter seventeen of this code shall be paid into the State Treasury to the credit of a special revenue fund to be known as the "Combined Voter Registration and Driver Licensing Fund." The moneys so credited to such fund may be used by the Secretary of State for the following purposes: (1) Printing and distribution of combined driver licensing or other agency applications and voter registration forms, or for the printing of voter registration forms to be used in conjunction with driver licensing or other agency applications, or for implementing the automatic voter registration program authorized in section eleven of this article; (2) Printing and distribution of mail voter registration forms for purposes of this article; (3) Supplies, postage and mailing costs for correspondence relating to voter registration for agency registration sites and for the return of completed voter registration forms to the appropriate state or county election official; (4) Reimbursement of postage and mailing costs incurred by clerks of the county commissions for sending a verification mailing, confirmation of registration or other mailings directly resulting from an application to register, change or update a voter's registration through a driver licensing or other agency; (5) Reimbursement to state funded agencies, with the exception of the Division of Motor Vehicles, designated to provide voter registration services under this chapter for personnel costs associated with the time apportioned to voter registration services and assistance; (6) The purchase, printing and distribution of public information and other necessary materials or equipment to be used in conjunction with voter registration services provided by state funded agencies designated pursuant to the provisions of this article; (7) The development and continued maintenance of a statewide program of uniform voter registration computerization for use by each county registration office and the Secretary of State, purchase of uniform voter registration software, payment of software installation costs and reimbursement to the county commissions of not more than fifty percent of the cost per voter for data entry or data conversion from a previous voter registration software program; (8) Efforts to maintain correct voter information and conduct general list maintenance to remove ineligible voters and ensure new residents receive voter registration information, including collaborating with other states and non-profit corporations dedicated to improving the election system; (9) Payment of any dues or fees associated with a program to match and transfer data to and from other states; (10) Resources related to voter registration and list maintenance; and (11) Payment or reimbursement of other costs associated with implementation of the requirements of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U. S. C. 1973gg): Provided, That revenue received by the fund in any fiscal year shall first be allocated to the purposes set forth in subdivisions (1) through (10), inclusive, of this subsection. (b) The Secretary of State shall promulgate rules pursuant to the provisions of chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to provide for the administration of the fund established in subsection (a) of this section. (c) Any balance in the fund created by subsection (a) of this section which exceeds $100,000 as of June 30, 2017, and on June 30 of each year thereafter, shall be transferred to the General Revenue Fund. WVC 3 - 2 - 13 §3-2-13. Agencies to provide voter registration services;
designation of responsible employees; forms;
prohibitions; confidentiality.
(a) For the purposes of this article, "agency" means a
department, division or office of state or local government, or a
program supported by state funds, which is designated under this
section to provide voter registration services, but does not
include departments, divisions or offices required by other
sections of this article to provide voter registration services.
(b) The following agencies shall provide voter registration
services pursuant to the provisions of this article:
(1) Those state agencies which administer or provide services
under the food stamp program, the Aid to Families with Dependent
Children (AFDC) program, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
program and the Medicaid program;
(2) Those state-funded agencies primarily engaged in providing
services to persons with disabilities;
(4) Armed services recruitment offices, as required by federal
(5) The Department of Revenue, if it provides a check box on
any form provided to the general public authorizing the Department
of Revenue to request a voter registration application by mail from
the Secretary of State on behalf of the applicant.
(c) No later than the first day of October, one thousand nine hundred ninety-four, the Secretary of State shall, in conjunction
with a designated representative of each of the appropriate state
agencies, review those programs and offices established and
operating with state funds which administer or provide public
assistance or services to persons with disabilities and shall
promulgate an emergency rule pursuant to the provisions of chapter
twenty-nine-a of this code designating the specific programs and
offices required to provide voter registration services in order to
comply with the requirements of this section and the requirements
of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. §1973gg,
et seq.). The offices and programs so designated shall begin
providing voter registration services on the first day of January,
one thousand nine hundred ninety-five.
(d) In each even-numbered year, the Secretary of State shall,
in conjunction with the designated representatives of the
appropriate state agencies, perform the review as required by the
provisions of subsection (c) of this section. The Secretary of
State shall periodically review and revise, if necessary, the
legislative rule designating the specific agencies required to
provide voter registration services.
(e) Each state agency required to provide services pursuant to
the provisions of this article shall designate a current employee
of that agency to serve as a state supervisor to administer voter
registration services required in all programs under the agency's
jurisdiction. Each state supervisor is responsible for coordination with the Secretary of State, overall operation of the
program in conjunction with services within the agency, designation
and supervision of local coordinators and for the review of any
complaints filed against employees relating to voter registration
(f) The state supervisor shall designate a current employee as
a local coordinator for voter registration services for each office
or program delivery center who shall be responsible for the proper
conduct of voter registration services, timely return of completed
voter registration applications, proper handling of declinations
and reporting requirements. Notice of the designation of these
persons shall be made upon request of the Secretary of State and
within five days following any change of designation. Each local
coordinator shall receive biannual training provided by the
(g) The registration application forms used for agency
registration shall be issued pursuant to the provisions of section
five of this article.
(h) The Secretary of State, in conjunction with those agencies
designated to provide voter registration services pursuant to the
provisions of this section, shall prescribe the form or portion of
the appropriate agency form required by the provisions of 42 U.S.C.
§1973gg, et seq., section 7(a)(6)(B) of the National Voter
Registration Act of 1993, containing the required notices and
providing boxes for the applicant to check to indicate whether the applicant would like to register or decline to register to vote. The form or portion of the form is designated the "declination
(1) Seek to influence an applicant's political preference or
party registration;
(2) Display to any applicant any political preference or party
(3) Make any statement to an applicant or take any action the
purpose or effect of which is to discourage the applicant from
registering to vote; or
(4) Make any statement to an applicant or take any action the
purpose or effect of which is to lead the applicant to believe that
a decision to register or not to register has any bearing on the
availability of services or benefits.
(j) No information relating to the identity of a voter
registration agency through which any particular voter is
registered or to a declination to register to vote in connection
with an application made at any designated agency may be used for
any purpose other than voter registration.
WVC 3-2-14 §3-2-14. Registration procedures at agencies.
(a) For the purpose of this section, "applicant" means a
person who applies in person, whether at an agency office or other
site of direct contact with an agency employee responsible for
accepting applications, seeking services or assistance for himself
or herself or for a member of his or her immediate family.
(b) No later than the first day of December, one thousand nine
hundred ninety-four, the secretary of state shall promulgate
procedural rules governing the duties and training of agency
employees responsible for providing voter registration services,
including the distribution, handling, transmittal and retention of
voter registration applications and other forms used in conjunction
with agency registration, and any reporting necessary to comply
with the "National Voter Registration Act of 1993" (42 U.S.C.
1973gg).
(c) Beginning on the first day of January, one thousand nine
hundred ninety-five, or on the first day of July of any subsequent
odd-numbered year after which an agency has been designated, each
agency designated under the provisions of section thirteen of this
(1) Distribute with each application for service or
assistance, and with each recertification, renewal or change of
address form relating to that service or assistance, the
declination form prescribed in subsection (h), section thirteen of
this article, and a voter registration application issued for the purposes of agency registration pursuant to the provisions of
section five of this article;
(2) Provide to each applicant who does not decline to register
to vote the same degree of assistance in voter registration as is
provided for the completion of the agency's other forms, unless the
applicant refuses assistance;
(3) Accept completed voter registration applications and
forward those applications to the secretary of state within five
days of receipt;
(4) Accept declination forms and retain or forward those forms
in a manner prescribed by procedural rules promulgated by the
(5) Provide, on the request of an applicant or person
assisting an applicant, a reasonable number of mail application
forms for use by other eligible persons residing with the
(d) Any applicant who checks "no" or fails to check "yes" or
"no" on the declination form shall be deemed to have declined to
register; and any applicant who checks "yes" on the declination
form, but fails or refuses to sign the voter registration
application or fails to return the voter registration application
to an agency or to an appropriate voter registration office shall
be deemed to have declined to register.
(e) Upon receipt of registration forms from an agency, the secretary of state shall remove and file any forms which have not
been signed by the applicant and shall forward completed, signed
applications to the clerk of the appropriate county commission
within five days of receipt.
(f) Any qualified voter who submits the application for
registration pursuant to the provisions of this section in person
at an agency or to an agency employee providing services at another
location, and who presents identification and proof of age at that
time or has previously presented identification and proof of age to
the same agency, shall not be required to make his or her first
vote in person or to again present identification in order to make
that registration valid.
(g) Any qualified voter who submits by mail or by delivery by
a third party an application for registration on the form used in
conjunction with agency registration shall be required to make his
or her first vote in person and to present identification as
required for other mail registration in accordance with the
provisions of subsection (g), section ten of this article.
(h) Voter registration application forms which are returned to
an agency unmarked shall be collected for reuse according to
procedures prescribed by the secretary of state.
WVC 3-2-15 §3-2-15. Special procedures relating to agency registration at marriage license offices.
When a qualified voter appears in person to apply for a
marriage license, the applicant shall be presented a voter
registration application. If the applicant does not intend to
change his or her legal name or residence address upon marriage,
the applicant may immediately apply to register or to update a
previous registration, in accordance with the procedures prescribed
in section fourteen of this article, except that the completed
applications shall be forwarded directly to the registration office
of the clerk of the county commission if the residence given is
within the same county. If the applicant does intend to change his
or her legal name or residence address upon marriage, and desires
to register to vote, the applicant shall instead be given a mail
registration card for use after the change of name or address has
WVC 3-2-16 §3-2-16. Procedures upon receipt of application for registration
by the clerk of the county commission; verification
procedure and notice of disposition of application for
(a) Upon receipt of an application for voter registration, the
clerk of the county commission shall determine whether the
application is complete, whether the applicant appears to be
eligible to register to vote within the county and whether the
applicant is currently registered within the county. If the
application is incomplete or the applicant appears not to be
eligible, the clerk shall take the appropriate action as prescribed
in section seventeen of this article.
(b) If the application received is complete and appears to be
from an eligible person who has not previously been registered
within the county, or has not been included within the active voter
registration files as defined in section eighteen of this article
within the preceding calendar year and does not present a driver's
license containing the residence address pursuant to the provisions
of subdivision (2), subsection (d), section seven of this article,
the clerk of the county commission shall conduct the following
(1) The clerk shall issue or mail, by first-class
nonforwardable return requested, a verification notice addressed to
the applicant at the residence and mailing address given on the
application, except that the mailing address shall not be included on the notice if it appears to identify a distinctly different
location from the residence address, such as a business address,
another residence or a different city or town, unless the voter has
registered as a uniformed services, overseas or homeless voter and
provided a local residence address pursuant to the provisions of
subdivision (4), subsection (c), section five of this article.
(2) The verification notice shall state the purpose of the
procedure, the fact that no further action is required of the
applicant, and the fact that a notice of the disposition of the
registration application will be mailed after the ten day return
(3) If the verification notice is not returned as
undeliverable within ten days, the application for registration
shall be accepted and entered into the active voter registration
files and a registration receipt mailed designating the voter's
(4) If the verification notice is returned undeliverable
within ten days, the clerk shall compare the address given on the
voter registration application with the address used on the
envelope and, if there is any discrepancy, shall send a second
verification notice to the correct address. If there is no
discrepancy, the application for registration shall be denied and
the notice of denial prescribed in section seventeen of this
article shall be mailed.
(5) If the verification notice is returned undeliverable after the registration has been accepted, the clerk shall initiate the
confirmation procedure prescribed in section twenty-six of this
(c) If the application received is complete and appears to be
from an eligible person who is currently registered within the
county, or has been included within the active voter registration
files as defined in section eighteen of this article within the
preceding calendar year, the clerk of the county commission shall
send, by first-class nonforwardable return requested mail, a
registration receipt or other notice of the disposition of the
(1) If the application is for a change of name, change of
address, change of political party affiliation, reinstatement or
other correction of the previous voter registration, the clerk
shall include a new voter registration receipt;
(2) If the application does not make any change in the
previous voter registration, the clerk shall notify the registrant
that the voter is not required to reregister or update the
registration as long as he or she lives at the same address and has
the same legal name; or
(3) If the notice of disposition is returned undeliverable
after the registration has been accepted, the clerk shall initiate
the confirmation procedure prescribed in section twenty-six of this
(d) If the application contains information indicating the address at which the applicant was previously registered to vote in
another county or state, the clerk of the county commission shall
give notice to the clerk or registrar of that jurisdiction for the
purpose of canceling the previous registration.
WVC 3-2-17 §3-2-17. Denial of registration application; notice; appeal to clerk of the county commission, decision; appeal to county commission, hearing, decision; appeal to circuit
(a) If the clerk of the county commission finds that any of
the following is true, based on the application or official
documentation of ineligibility, the clerk shall deny the
application for voter registration:
(1) The applicant, at the time the application is received, is
not eligible to register in the county and state pursuant to the
provisions of section two of this article;
(2) The applicant has submitted an application which is
incomplete, pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c), section
five of this article; or
(3) The verification notice as required in section sixteen of
this article is returned as undeliverable at the address given by
(b) When the clerk of the county commission determines that
the application must be denied, the clerk shall send, by first
class forwardable return requested mail, a notice that the
application for registration was denied and the reasons therefor.
(1) If the reason for denial is an incomplete application, the
clerk shall inform the voter of the right to reapply and shall
enclose a mail voter registration form for the purpose.
(2) If the reason for denial is return of the verification notice as undeliverable at the address given, the clerk shall
inform the voter of the right to present proof of residence in
order to validate the registration.
(3) If the reason for denial is ineligibility, the notice
shall include a statement of eligibility requirements for voter
registration and of the applicant's right to appeal the denial.
(c) An applicant whose application for registration is denied
by the clerk of the county commission because of ineligibility or
for failure to submit proof of residence may make a written request
for a reconsideration by the clerk, and may present information
relating to his or her eligibility. The clerk shall review the
request for consideration and shall issue a decision in writing
within fourteen days of the receipt of the request.
(d) If the application is denied upon reconsideration pursuant
to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section, the applicant
may make a written request for a hearing before the county
commission. The county commission shall schedule and conduct the
hearing within thirty days of receipt of the request and shall
issue a decision, in writing, within fifteen days of the hearing.
(e) An applicant may appeal the decision of the county
commission to the circuit court. The circuit court shall only
consider the record before the county commission, as authenticated
by the clerk of the county commission. The circuit court may
affirm the order of the county commission, whether the order be
affirmative or negative; but if it deems such order not to be reasonably justified by the evidence considered, it may reverse
such orders of the county commission in whole or in part as it
deems just and right; and if it deems the evidence considered by
the county commission in reaching its decision insufficient, it may
remand the proceedings to the county commission for further
hearing. Any such order or orders of the circuit court shall be
certified to the county commission.
(f) Any party to such appeal may, within thirty days after the
date of a final order by the circuit court, apply for an appeal to
the supreme court of appeals which may grant or refuse such appeal
at its discretion. The supreme court of appeals shall have
jurisdiction to hear and determine the appeal upon the record
before the circuit court and to enter such order as it may find
that the circuit court should have entered.
(g) It shall be the duty of the circuit court and the supreme
court of appeals, in order to expedite registration and election
procedures, to hold such sessions as may be necessary to determine
any cases involving the registration of voters. Judges of the
circuit court and the supreme court of appeals in vacation shall
have the same power as that prescribed in this section for their
respective courts.
WVC 3 - 2 - 18 §3-2-18. Registration records; active, inactive, canceled, pending
and rejected registration files; procedure; voting
(1) "Original voter registration record" means all records
submitted or entered in writing or electronically, where permitted
by law, for voter registration purposes, including:
(A) Any original application or notice submitted by any person
for registration or reinstatement, change of address, change of
name, change of party affiliation, correction of records,
cancellation, confirmation of voter information or other request or
notice for voter registration purposes; and
(B) Any original entry made on any voter's registration record
at the polling place, or made or received by the clerk of the
county commission relating to any voter's registration, such as
records of voting, presentation of identification and proof of age,
challenge of registration, notice of death or obituary notice,
notice of disqualifying conviction or ruling of mental incompetence
or other original document which may affect the status of any
person's voter registration.
(2) "Active voter registration records" means the registration
records, whether on paper or in electronic format, containing the
names, addresses, birth dates and other required information for
all persons within a county who are registered to vote and whose
registration has not been designated as inactive or canceled pursuant to the provisions of this article.
(3) "Inactive voter registration records" means the
registration records, whether on paper or in electronic format,
containing the names, addresses, birth dates and other required
information for all persons designated inactive pursuant to the
provisions of section twenty-seven of this article following the
return of the prescribed notices as undeliverable at the address
provided by the United States Postal Service or entered on the
voter registration, or for failure of the contacted voter to return
a completed confirmation notice within thirty days of the mailing.
(4) "Canceled voter registration records" means the records
containing all required information for all persons who have been
removed from the active and inactive voter registration records and
who are no longer registered to vote within the county.
(5) "Pending application records" means the temporary records
containing all information submitted on a voter registration
application, pending the expiration of the verification period.
(6) "Rejected application records" means the records
application which was rejected for reasons as described in this
(7) "Confirmation pending records" means the records
containing all required information for persons who have been
identified to be included in the next succeeding mailing of address
confirmation notices as set forth by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993(42 U. S. C.§1973gg, et seq.).
(b) For the purposes of this chapter or of any other
provisions of this code relating to elections conducted under the
provisions of this chapter, whenever a requirement is based on the
number of registered voters, including, but not limited to, the
number of ballots to be printed, the limitations on the size of a
precinct, or the number of petition signatures required for
election purposes, only those registrations included on the active
voter registration files shall be counted and voter registrations
included on the inactive voter registration files, as defined in
this subdivision, shall not be counted.
(c) Active voter registration records, confirmation pending
records and inactive voter registration records may be maintained
in the same physical location, providing the records are coded,
marked or arranged in such a way as to make the status of the
registration immediately obvious. Canceled voter registration
records, pending application records and rejected application
records may be maintained in separate physical locations. However,
all such records shall be maintained in the statewide voter
registration database, subject to this article.
(d) The effective date of any action affecting any voter's
registration status shall be entered on the voter record, including
the effective date of registration, change of name, address or
party affiliation or correction of the record, effective date of
transfer to inactive status, return to active status or cancellation. When any registration is designated inactive or is
canceled, the reason for the designation or cancellation and any
reference notation necessary to locate the original documentation
related to the change shall be entered on the voter record.
(e) Within one hundred twenty days after each primary,
general, municipal or special election, the clerk of the county
commission shall enter the voting records into the statewide voter
registration database.
WVC 3 - 2 - 19 §3-2-19. Maintenance of active and inactive registration records
for municipal elections.
(a) For municipal elections, the registration records of
active and inactive voters shall be maintained as follows:
(1) Clerks of the county commissions shall prepare pollbooks
or voter lists to be used in municipal elections when the county
precinct boundaries and the municipal precinct boundaries are the
same and all registrants of the precinct are entitled to vote in
state, county and municipal elections within the precinct or when
the registration records of municipal voters within a county
precinct are separated and maintained in a separate municipal
section or book for that county precinct and can be used either
alone or in combination with other pollbooks or voter lists to make
up a complete set of registration records for the municipal
election precinct.
(2) Upon request of the municipality, and if the clerk of the
county commission does not object, separate municipal precinct
books shall be maintained in cases where municipal or ward
boundaries divide county precincts and it is impractical to use
county pollbooks or voter lists or separate municipal sections of
those pollbooks or voter lists. If the clerk of the county
commission objects to the request of a municipality for separate
municipal precinct books, the State Election Commission must
determine whether the separate municipal precinct books should be
(3) No registration record may be removed from a municipal
registration record unless the registration is lawfully transferred
or canceled pursuant to the provisions of this article in both the
county and the municipal registration records.
(b) Within thirty days following the entry of any annexation
order or change in street names or numbers, the governing body of
an incorporated municipality shall file with the clerk of the
county commission a certified current official municipal boundary
map and a list of streets and ranges of street numbers within the
municipality to assist the clerk in determining whether a voter's
address is within the boundaries of the municipality.
WVC 3 - 2 - 20 §3-2-20.
WVC 3 - 2 - 21 §3-2-21. Maintenance of records in the statewide voter
registration database in lieu of precinct record
(a) The clerk of the county commission of each county shall
maintain a voter registration data system record book into which
all required records of appointments of authorized personnel,
tests, repairs, program alterations or upgrades and any other
action by the clerk of the county commission or by any other person
under supervision of the clerk affecting the programming or records
contained in the system, other than routine data entry, alteration,
use, transfer or transmission of records shall be entered.
(b) The clerk of the county commission shall appoint all
personnel authorized to add, change or transfer voter registration
information within the statewide voter registration database, and
a record of each appointment and the date of authorization shall be
entered as provided in subsection (a) of this section. The
assignment and confidential record of assigned system
identification or authorized user code for each person appointed
shall be as prescribed by the Secretary of State.
(c) Voter registration records entered into and maintained in
the statewide voter registration database shall include the
information required for application for voter registration, for
maintenance of registration and voting records, for conduct of
elections and for statistical purposes, as prescribed by the
(d) No person shall make any entry or alteration of any voter
record which is not specifically authorized by law. Each entry or
action affecting the status of a voter registration shall be based
on information in an original voter registration record, as defined
in section eighteen of this article.
(e) The clerk of the county commission shall maintain, within
the statewide voter registration database, active and inactive
voter registration records, confirmation pending records, canceled
voter registration records, pending application records and
rejected application records, all as defined in section eighteen of
(f) Upon receipt of a completed voter registration
application, the clerk shall enter into the statewide voter
registration database the information provided on the application,
mark the records as pending and initiate the verification or notice
of disposition procedure as provided in section sixteen of this
article. Upon completion of the verification or notice of
disposition, the status of the voter record shall be properly noted
in the statewide voter registration database.
(g) Upon receipt of an application or written confirmation
from the voter of a change of address within the county, change of
name, change of party affiliation or other correction to an active
voter registration record, the change shall be entered in the
record and the required notice of disposition mailed.
(h) Upon receipt of an application or written confirmation from an inactive voter of a change of address within the county,
change of name, change of party affiliation or other correction to
a registration record, any necessary change shall be entered in the
record, the required notice of disposition mailed and the record
updated to active status, and the date of the transaction shall be
recorded. Receipt of an application or written confirmation from
an inactive voter that confirms the voter's current address shall
be treated in the same manner.
(i) Upon receipt of a notice of death, a notice of conviction
or a notice of a determination of mental incompetence, as provided
in section twenty-three of this article, the date and reason for
cancellation shall be entered on the voter's record and the record
status shall be changed to canceled.
(j) Upon receipt from the voter of a request for cancellation
or notice of change of address to an address outside the county
pursuant to the provisions of section twenty-two of this article,
or as a result of a determination of ineligibility through a
general program of removing ineligible voters as authorized by the
provisions of this article, the date and reason for cancellation
shall be entered on the voter's record and the record status shall
be changed to canceled.
WVC 3-2-22 §3-2-22. Correction of voter records.
(a) Any registered voter who moves from one residence to
another within the county may file a request for change of address
on the voter registration records by completing and signing, under
penalty of perjury, as provided in section thirty-six of this
article, and filing:
(1) A change of address form at the office of the clerk of the
county commission or through any of the voter registration outreach
services established pursuant to the provisions of section eight of
(4) A change of address form for voter registration purposes
at any authorized voter registration agency;
(5) A confirmation of change of address form received pursuant
to the provisions of section twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six
or twenty-seven of this article; or
(6) An affidavit of change of address at the polling place of
the precinct in which the new residence is located on election day.
(b) Upon the receipt of any request for change of address as
provided in subsection (a) of this section, the clerk shall enter
the change, assign the proper county precinct number and, if
applicable, assign the proper municipal precinct number, and issue
an acknowledgement notice or mail that notice to the voter at the
(c) When the clerk of the county commission receives notice
that a voter may have moved from one residence to another within
the county from the United States postal service or through state
programs to compare voting registration records with records of
other official state or county agencies which receive, update and
utilize residence address information, the clerk shall enter the
change of address onto the voter registration record and send the
confirmation notice as prescribed in section twenty-six of this
(d) Any registered voter who changes his or her legal name
through marriage or by order of the circuit court may file a
request for change of address on the voter registration records by
completing and signing, under penalty of perjury, as provided in
section thirty-six of this article, and filing:
(1) Any voter registration application form authorized by this
(2) An affidavit of change of legal name at the polling place
(e) Upon the receipt of any request for change of legal name
as provided in subsection (d) of this section, the clerk shall
enter the change and issue an acknowledgement notice or mail the
notice to the voter.
(f) Any registered voter who desires to change his or her
political party affiliation may do so by filing, no later than the
close of voter registration for an election, any voter registration application form authorized by the provisions of this article. Upon receipt of a request for change of political party
affiliation, the clerk shall enter the change and issue an
acknowledgement notice or mail the notice to the voter.
(g) Any registered voter who finds an error in the information
on his or her voter registration record may request a correction
of the record by completing, signing and filing any voter
registration form authorized by the provisions of this article, or
an affidavit requesting such correction at the polling place on
election day: Provided, That any voter who, in a primary election,
alleges the party affiliation entered on the voter registration
record at the polling place is incorrect and who desires to vote
the ballot of a political party for which he or she does not appear
to be eligible, may vote a challenged or provisional ballot of the
desired political party: Provided, however, That the ballot may be
counted in the canvass only if the original voter registration
record contains a designation of such political party which has
been filed no later than the close of registration for the primary
election in issue.
WVC 3-2-22A §3-2-22a.
WVC 3 - 2 - 23 §3-2-23. Cancellation of registration of deceased or ineligible voters.
The clerk of the county commission shall cancel the
registration of a voter:
(A) A death certificate from the Registrar of Vital Statistics
or a notice from the Secretary of State that a comparison of the
records of the registrar with the county voter registration records
show the person to be deceased;
(B) The publication of an obituary or other writing clearly
identifying the deceased person by name, residence and age
corresponding to the voter record; or
(C) An affidavit signed by the parent, legal guardian, child,
sibling or spouse of the voter giving the name and birth date of
the voter, and date and place of death;
(2) Upon receipt of an official notice from a state or federal
court that the person has been convicted of a felony, of treason or
bribery in an election;
(3) Upon receipt of a notice from the appropriate court of
competent jurisdiction of a determination of a voter's mental
(4) Upon receipt from the voter of a written request to cancel
the voter's registration, upon confirmation by the voter of a
change of address to an address outside the county, upon notice
from a voter registrar of another jurisdiction outside the county or state of the receipt of an application for voter registration in
that jurisdiction, or upon notice from the Secretary of State that
a voter registration application was accepted in another county of
the state subsequent to the last registration date in the first
county, as determined from a comparison of voter records; or
(5) Upon failure to respond and produce evidence of continued
eligibility to register following the challenge of the voter's
registration pursuant to the provisions of section twenty-eight of
WVC 3-2-23A
§3-2-23a. Cancellation of registration of deceased or ineligible voter. The Secretary may propose legislative rules regarding the maintenance of the security and privacy of the voter registration records and the procedures to be followed by clerks of the county commission and the Secretary to make changes in voter registration records, including cancellations. WVC 3 - 2 - 24 §3-2-24.
WVC 3 - 2 - 25 §3-2-25. Systematic purging program for removal of ineligible voters from active voter registration files;
comparison of data records; confirmation notices;
public inspection list.
(a) The systematic purging program provided in this section
shall begin no earlier than October 1 of each odd-numbered year and
shall be completed no later than February 1 of the following year. The clerk of the county commission shall transmit or mail to the
Secretary of State a certification that the systematic purging
program has been completed and all voters identified as no longer
eligible to vote have been canceled in the statewide voter
registration database in accordance with the law no later than
February 15 in the year in which the purging program is completed.
(b) The Secretary of State shall provide for the comparison of
data records of all counties. The Secretary of State shall, based
on the comparison, prepare a list for each county which shall
include the voter registration record for each voter shown on that
county's list who appears to have registered or to have updated a
voter registration in another county at a subsequent date. The
resulting lists shall be returned to the appropriate county and the
clerk of the county commission shall proceed with the confirmation
procedure for those voters as prescribed in section twenty-six of
(c) The Secretary of State may provide for the comparison of
data records of counties with the data records of the Division of Motor Vehicles, the registrar of vital statistics and with the data
records of any other state agency which maintains records of
residents of the state, if the procedure is practical and the
agency agrees to participate. Any resulting information regarding
potentially ineligible voters shall be returned to the appropriate
county and the clerk of the county commission shall proceed with
the confirmation procedure as prescribed in section twenty-six of
(d) The records of all voters not identified pursuant to the
procedures set forth in subsections (b) and (c) of this section
shall be combined for comparison with United States Postal Service
change of address information, as described in section 8(c)(A) of
the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U. S. C.§1973gg, et
seq.). The Secretary of State shall contract with an authorized
vendor of the United States Postal Service to perform the
comparison. The cost of the change of address comparison procedure
shall be paid for from the combined voter registration and
licensing fund established in section twelve of this article and
the cost of the confirmation notices, labels and postage shall be
paid for by the counties.
(e) The Secretary of State shall return to each county the
identified matches of the county voter registration records and the
postal service change of address records.
(1) When the change of address information indicates the voter
has moved to a new address within the county, the clerk of the county commission shall enter the new address on the voter record
and assign the proper precinct.
(2) The clerk of the county commission shall then mail to each
voter who appears to have moved from the residence address shown on
the registration records a confirmation notice pursuant to section
twenty-six of this article and of section 8(d)(2) of the National
Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U. S. C.§1973gg, et seq.). The
notice shall be mailed, no later than December 31, to the new
address provided by the postal service records or to the old
address if a new address is not available.
(f) The clerk of the county commission shall indicate in the
statewide voter registration database the name and address of each
voter to whom a confirmation notice was mailed and the date on
which the notice was mailed.
(g) Upon receipt of any response or returned mailing sent
pursuant to the provisions of subsection (e) of this section, the
clerk shall immediately enter the date and type of response
received in the statewide voter registration database and shall
then proceed in accordance with the provisions of section twenty-
six of this article.
(h) For purposes of complying with the record keeping and
public inspection requirements of the National Voter Registration
Act of 1993 (42 U. S. C.§1973gg, et seq.), and with the provisions
of section twenty-seven of this article, the public inspection
lists shall be maintained either in printed form kept in a binder prepared for such purpose and available for public inspection
during regular business hours at the office of the clerk of the
county commission or in read-only data format available for public
inspection on computer terminals set aside and available for
regular use by the general public. Information concerning whether
or not each person has responded to the notice shall be entered
into the statewide voter registration database upon receipt and
shall be available for public inspection as of the date the
(i) Any voter to whom a confirmation notice was mailed
pursuant to the provisions of subsection (e) of this section who
fails to respond to the notice or to update his or her voter
registration address by February 1 immediately following the
completion of the program, shall be designated inactive in the
statewide voter registration database. Any voter designated
inactive shall be required to affirm his or her current residence
address, on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State, upon
appearing at the polls to vote.
(j) In addition to the preceding purging procedures, all
counties using the change of address information of the United
States Postal Service shall also, once each four years during the
period established for systematic purging in the year following a
presidential election year, conduct the same procedure by mailing
a confirmation notice to those persons not identified as
potentially ineligible through the change of address comparison procedure but who have not updated their voter registration records
and have not voted in any election during the preceding four
calendar years. The purpose of this additional systematic
confirmation procedure shall be to identify those voters who may
have moved without filing a forwarding address, moved with a
forwarding address under another name, died in a another county or
state so that the certificate of death was not returned to the
clerk of the county commission, or who otherwise have become
WVC 3-2-26 §3-2-26. Confirmation notices for systematic purging program.
(a) For purposes of this article, a "confirmation notice"
means a specific notice sent to a registered voter when that voter
appears to have moved or to have become ineligible to vote, based
(1) A mailing returned as undeliverable as provided in
sections sixteen, seventeen and twenty of this article; or
(2) Information obtained through a systematic purging program
as provided in sections twenty-four and twenty-five of this
(b) A confirmation notice shall be sent by first class,
forwardable mail and shall include a pre-addressed, postage prepaid
or business reply return card on which the registrant may state his
or her current address, together with a notice prescribed by the
secretary of state to meet the specific requirements of Section
8(d)(2) of the "National Voter Registration Act of 1993" (42 U.S.C.
WVC 3-2-27 §3-2-27. Procedure following sending of confirmation notices;
correction or cancellation of registrations upon
response; designation of inactive when no response;
cancellation of inactive voters; records.
(a) Upon receipt of a confirmation response card mailed
pursuant to the provisions of section twenty-six of this article
and returned completed and signed by the voter, the clerk shall
(1) Update the voter registration by noting the confirmation
of the current address if no other changes are requested or by
entering any change of address within the county, change of name or
other correction requested by the voter; or
(2) Cancel the voter's registration if the voter confirms that
he or she has moved out of the county.
(b) Upon receipt of the confirmation notice returned
undeliverable, the clerk may either:
(1) Send a second confirmation notice to the old residence
address if the first notice was sent to a new address provided by
(2) Designate the registration as "inactive" or transfer it to
the inactive voter registration file, as defined in section
nineteen of this article.
(c) If no response to the confirmation notice is received by
the first day of February following the mailing of the confirmation
notice, the clerk shall designate the registration as "inactive" or
transfer it to the inactive voter registration file as provided in
section nineteen of this article.
(d) An inactive voter registration shall be returned to active
status or transferred to the active voter registration file upon
the voter's application to update the registration or to vote in
any election while they remain on the inactive list.
(e) The clerk of the county commission shall cancel the
records of all voters on the inactive file who have not responded
to the confirmation notice, otherwise updated their voter
registrations or voted in any state, county or municipal primary,
general or special election held within the county during a period
beginning on the date of the notice and ending on the day after the
date of the second general election for federal office which occurs
after the date of the notice.
WVC 3-2-28 §3-2-28. Challenges; notice; cancellation of registration.
(a) The registration of any registered voter may be challenged
by the clerk of the county commission, the secretary of state, any
registrar of the county, the chairman of any political party
committee or by any voter who shall appear in person at the clerk's
office. The person challenging the registration shall complete a
form prescribed by the secretary of state giving the name and
address of the voter and the reason for challenge. The challenge
shall be filed as a matter of record in the office of the clerk of
(b) Upon the receipt of a challenge, the clerk of the county
commission shall mail a notice of challenge to the registrant,
setting forth that the voter's registration will be canceled if the
voter does not appear in person during business hours at the
clerk's office within a period of thirty days from the mailing of
the notice and present evidence of his or her eligibility. The
form of the notice of challenge shall be prescribed by the
secretary of state and shall be mailed by certified mail, return
(c) If the notice of challenge is returned as undeliverable at
the registration address, or if the challenged registrant does not
appear and present evidence of continued eligibility within the
prescribed time, the voter's registration shall be immediately
canceled. Returned mail or failure to appear shall be prima facie
evidence of the registrant's ineligibility. If the registrant does timely appear and present evidence of his or her eligibility, the
clerk shall determine eligibility to be registered as a voter as in
any other case. If the reason for ineligibility is that the voter
does not reside at the address on the registration and the voter
presents evidence of residence elsewhere in the county, the clerk
of the county commission shall accept a request for change of
address and remove the challenge.
WVC 3 - 2 - 29 §3-2-29. Custody of original registration records.
(a) All original registration records in paper format shall
remain in the custody of the county commission, by its clerk, or,
electronically, in the statewide voter registration database and
shall not be removed except for use in an election or by the order
of a court of record or in compliance with a subpoena duces tecum
issued by the Secretary of State pursuant to the provisions of
section six, article one-a of this chapter.
(b) All original voter registration records shall be retained
for a minimum of five years following the last recorded activity
relating to the record, except that any application which
duplicates and does not alter an existing registration shall be
retained for a minimum of two years following its receipt. The
Secretary of State shall promulgate rules pursuant to the
provisions of chapter twenty-nine-a of this code for the specific
retention times and procedures required for original voter
(c) Prior to the destruction of original voter registration
applications or registration cards of voters whose registration has
been canceled at least five years previously, the clerk of the
county commission shall notify the Secretary of State of the
intention to destroy those records. If the Secretary of State
determines, within ninety days of the receipt of the notice, that
those records are of sufficient historical value that microfilm or
other permanent data storage is desirable, the Secretary of State may require that the records be delivered to a specified location
for processing at state expense.
(d) Active, inactive, pending, rejected and canceled
registration records shall be maintained as a permanent record, as
(1) Individual canceled registration records shall be
maintained in the statewide voter registration database for a
period of at least five years following cancellation. Upon the
expiration of five years, those individual records may be removed
from the statewide voter registration database and disposed of in
accordance with the appropriate documentent retention policy.
(2) Rejected registration records shall be maintained in the
same manner as provided for canceled registration records.
WVC 3 - 2 - 30 §3-2-30. Public inspection of voter registration records in the
office of the clerk of the county commission; providing
voter lists for noncommercial use; prohibition against
resale of voter lists for commercial use or profit.
(a) Any person may examine the active, inactive, rejected and
canceled voter registration records during office hours of the
clerk of the county commission in accordance with chapter
twenty-nine-b of this code. Active, inactive, rejected and
canceled voter files are to be maintained in electronic data
format. Any person may examine voter record information in printed
form or in a read-only data format on a computer terminal set aside
for public use, if available. The data files available for
examination and copying shall include all registration and voting
information maintained in the file, but may not include the
registrant's telephone number, email address, Social Security
number or driver's license number or nonoperator's identification
number issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles.
(b) The clerk of the county commission shall, upon request,
provide printed copies of the lists of voters for each precinct. No list prepared under this section may include the registrant's
telephone number, email address, Social Security number or driver's
license number or nonoperator's identification number issued by the
Division of Motor Vehicles. The clerk shall establish a written
policy, posted within public view, listing the options for
selection and sorting criteria and available data elements. The data elements shall include, at least:
(1) The name, residence address, political party affiliation
and status of the registrant;
(3) The times at which lists will be prepared. A copy of the
county policy shall be filed with the Secretary of State no later
than January 1 of each even-numbered year.
(c) Lists of registered voters may be obtained for
noncommercial purposes in data format on disk or as a printed list
provided by the clerk of the county commission at a cost of one
cent per name. No data file prepared under this subsection may
include the registrant's telephone number, email address, Social
Security number or driver's license number or nonoperator's
identification number issued by the Division of Motor Vehicles.
(d) The fees received by the clerk of the county commission
shall be kept in a separate fund under the supervision of the clerk
and may be used for the purpose of defraying the cost of the
preparation of the voter lists. After deducting the costs of
preparing voter lists, the clerk shall deposit the net proceeds
from the sale of the voter lists in the State Election Fund as set
forth in subsection (b), section forty-eight, article one of this
(e) The Secretary of State shall make voter lists available
for sale subject to the limitations as provided in subsection (a)
of this section. The fees for the voter lists shall be as prescribed in section two-b, article one, chapter fifty-nine of
this code. The revenue associated with purchase of a partial list
or associated with a complete statewide list shall be deposited in
the State Election Fund as set forth in subsection (b), section
forty-eight, article one of this chapter.
(f) No voter registration lists or data files containing voter
names, addresses or other information derived from voter data files
obtained pursuant to the provisions of this article may be used for
commercial or charitable solicitations or advertising, sold or
reproduced for resale.
(g) This section may not be interpreted to prevent the
Secretary of State from sharing data files containing voter
information with authorized service providers or sharing data
across state lines with any state or local election official for
the purpose of voter registration and election administration in
accordance with this chapter or applicable federal law.
WVC 3 - 2 - 31 §3-2-31. Rules pertaining to voting after registration or change
of address within the county.
(a) A voter who designates a political affiliation with a
major party on a registration application filed no later than the
close of voter registration before the primary may vote the ballot
of that political party in the primary election. Political
parties, through the official action of their state executive
committees, shall be permitted to determine whether unaffiliated
voters or voters of other parties shall be allowed to vote that
party's primary election ballot upon request.
(b) A voter whose registration record lists one residence
address but the voter has since moved to another residence address
within the precinct shall be permitted to update the registration
at the polling place and vote without challenge for that reason.
(c) A voter whose registration record lists one residence
in a different precinct in the same county shall be permitted to
update the registration at the polling place serving the new
precinct and shall be permitted to vote a challenged or provisional
ballot at the new polling place. If the voter's registration is
found on the registration records within the county during the
canvass and no other challenge of eligibility was entered on
election day, the challenge shall be removed and the ballot shall
(d) A voter whose registration record has been placed on an inactive status or transferred to an inactive file and who has not
responded to a confirmation notice sent pursuant to the provisions
of section twenty-four, twenty-five or twenty-six of this article
and who offers to vote at the polling place where he or she is
registered to vote shall be required to affirm his or her present
residence address under penalty of perjury, as provided in section
thirty-six of this article.
WVC 3-2-32 §3-2-32. Unlawful registration or rejection of voter; penalties.
(a) Any registrar or clerk of the county commission who
knowingly registers or permits to be registered a person not
lawfully entitled to be registered, or who knowingly refuses to
register a person entitled to be registered, or who knowingly
assists in preventing such person from being registered, or who
inserts or intentionally permits to be inserted a name or other
entry in any registration form or file, knowing or having reason to
know that the entry should not be made, shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than one
thousand dollars or confined in the county jail for not more than
(b) Any person who registers or applies to be registered, or
persuades or assists another to be registered, or who applies for
a change of residence address, knowing or having reason to know
that he or she is not entitled to be registered or to have his or
her residence address changed on the registration record, or any
person who declares an address known not to be his or her legal
residence or who impersonates another in an application for
registration, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon
conviction, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars or
WVC 3-2-33 §3-2-33. Neglect of duty by registration officers; penalties.
Any registrar or clerk of the county commission or his or her
authorized deputies or any other persons upon whom a duty is
imposed pursuant to the provisions of this article, or the rules,
regulations or directions promulgated or issued by the secretary of
state as the chief registration official of the state, who shall
willfully delay, neglect or refuse to perform such duty, shall be
guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not
more than one thousand dollars or confined in the county jail for
WVC 3-2-34 §3-2-34. Alteration or destruction of records; penalties.
(a) Any person who wrongfully and intentionally inserts or
permits to be wrongfully inserted any name or material entry on any
registration form, file or any other record in connection with
registration, or who wrongfully alters or destroys an entry which
has been duly made, or who wrongfully takes and removes any such
registration form, or any other record authorized or required in
connection with registration from the custody of any person having
lawful charge thereof, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon
(b) Any person, in the absence of specific authority provided
under the provisions of this article, who destroys or attempts to
destroy any registration document or record, or who removes or
attempts to remove such registration document or record, shall be
less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or
WVC 3-2-35 §3-2-35. Withholding information; penalties.
Any person who neglects to or refuses to furnish to the
secretary of state, to the county commission, or to the clerk of
the county commission any information which he or she is authorized
to obtain in connection with registration, or to exhibit any
records, papers or documents herein authorized to be inspected by
them, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction
confined in the county jail for not more than one year, or both, at
WVC 3-2-36 §3-2-36. Crimes and offenses relating to applications for
registration or change of registration; penalties.
(a) A person who willfully provides false information
concerning a material matter or thing on an application for
registration or change of registration, under oath, affirmation or
attestation, shall be deemed guilty of perjury; one who induces or
procures another person to do so shall be deemed guilty of
subordination of perjury.
(b) A person who knowingly offers any application for
registration or transfer of registration when the applicant therein
is not qualified to register or transfer his registration, or any person who knowingly administers an oath or affirmation to an
applicant for registration or change of registration when the
application contains false information concerning a material matter
or thing, or any person who falsely represents that an oath or
affirmation was executed by an applicant for registration or change
of registration, shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction
year nor more than three years, or fined not less than five
hundred dollars nor more than five thousand dollars, or both fined
and imprisoned, or, in the discretion of the court, be confined in
the county jail for not more than one year, or fined not less than
five hundred dollars nor more than five thousand dollars, or both
WVC 3-2-37 §3-2-37. Effective date.
(a) Except as may otherwise be specifically provided in this
section, the provisions of this article shall take effect on the
first day of January, one thousand nine hundred ninety-five. The
provisions of this article relating to the preparation for
implementation of voter registration programs and procedures under
this article and under the "National Voter Registration Act of
1993" (42 U.S.C. 1973gg), including sections three, five, twelve
and thirteen of this article and subsections (a) and (b), section
fourteen of this article and subdivision (4), subsection (b),
section nineteen of this article and section twenty of this
article, shall take effect upon the effective date of this article.
(b) All procedures and requirements established by the
previous enactment of this article, except the provisions of
subsection (d), section twenty-two of this article, shall continue
in effect until the thirty-first day of December, one thousand nine
hundred ninety-four inclusive, as if article two of this chapter
had not been amended.
WVC 3-2-38 §3-2-38.
WVC 3-2-39 §3-2-39.
WVC 3-2-40 §3-2-40.
WVC 3-2-41 §3-2-41.
WVC 3-2-42 §3-2-42.
WVC 3-2-43 §3-2-43.
WVC 3-2-44 §3-2-44.