Charleston, W.Va. – Early voting in-person is always very popular with West Virginia voters and the May 12th Primary Election is no exception. According to WV Secretary of State Kris Warner, a total of 48,233 registered voters have already cast a ballot in-person during the early voting period that began on Wednesday, April 29th.
Warner said that an additional 2,826 voters have voted by absentee ballots returned to and reported by the state's 55 county clerks.
The early voting period for the Primary Election ends on Saturday, May 9th. Early voting polling locations in all 55 counties are open from 9:00am until 5:00pm on Saturday. Those voters in line at 5:00pm will be permitted to vote.
The May 12 Primary Election is the first election to require photo identification to vote. If a voter does not have a photo ID, Warner advises them to take a friend or family member with them who can verify their identification. Warner said that no registered voter will be turned away although they may be required to vote a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots will not be counted until the canvassing takes place and then only with the approval of the Board of Canvassers.
Secretary Warner encourages voters to review the sample ballot for their precinct before they go to vote. Sample ballots for all 55 counties can be found HERE.
In West Virginia, voters in the hospital on Election Day may request an emergency absentee ballot up to noon Election Day, and some counties have additional emergency absentee voting policies. Voters should contact their County Clerk to see if they qualify for an emergency absentee ballot and to request one. The county clerk directory may be found at GoVoteWV.com.
