Charleston, W.Va. – Yesterday, June 10, 2026, the last of West Virginia’s 55 counties certified the results of the 2026 Primary Election. With certification complete, all elections are certified except those that are pending election contest proceedings.
In the 2026 Primary Election, 252,008 out of 1,198,934 registered voters cast ballots, resulting in a voter turnout of 21.02%. While overall turnout remained similarly low as previous midterm primary elections, 67,364 voters participated during the early voting period, which is more than 8% higher than the 2022 midterm primary election.
The Secretary of State’s Office (WVSOS) will publish a full Primary Election Report later this summer after all voter participation history is submitted, which is due from counties by no later than July 31, 2026. The report will encompass election preparations; examine voter registration, participation numbers, and trends; discuss voting methods; provide absentee and provisional ballot information; summarize reports from the field on Election Day; and make recommendations to address certain challenges in future elections.
The 2026 Primary Election was the first administered in nearly three decades with a party primary closed to unaffiliated voters, which was decided by the WV Republican State Executive Committee in 2024. The Democratic Party primary remained open to participation by unaffiliated voters.
In preparation for the closed party primary, the WVSOS sponsored a statewide training conference for county clerks and their staff, during which the closed party primary was a primary topic of discussion and instruction. All 55 county clerks, or a member of their elections staff, participated in that conference. WVSOS also communicated the closed primary news with the public through numerous statewide and local channels including nearly every print, radio, and television media interview conducted during the election cycle.
At the local level, County Clerks made sure that printed materials were available for public display in all 1,684 precincts on Election Day. That same information was made available on the WVSOS webpage for frequently asked questions, which received 1,140 views from May 1 to May 12, 2026, making the FAQ page the 10th-most visited page out of the 166 WVSOS webpages during the same time period. Utilizing several social media platforms, a multitude of posts were made as a means to educate the public.
In addition to WVSOS educational efforts, county clerks, county commissions, party executive committees, candidates, and media outlets across the State engaged in numerous efforts to educate the public about the closed primary election. These efforts included public meetings, providing informational materials in offices and public places, direct mail, phone calls, text message campaigns, and specialized instructions during poll worker training sessions.
The efforts of the WVSOS, county clerks, county commissions, candidates, political parties, and the media, as well as the more than 8,500 poll workers who staffed the State’s 1,684 precincts, were largely successful. The WVSOS received only a small number of inquiries on Election Day regarding the closed primary.
However, after reviewing post-election field reports and preliminary voter participation data from some counties, there appear to be precincts where unaffiliated voters were permitted to participate in the closed Republican Party primary.
In two counties, Harrison and Fayette, election contests have been filed by unsuccessful candidates alleging unpermitted participation by unaffiliated voters. The WVSOS has obtained and analyzed preliminary participation data in these counties, as well as several others, to determine the breadth of the anomalies.
By law, completed voter history from the 2026 Primary Election must be submitted by the counties to the Secretary of State no later than July 31, 2026. Therefore, the data currently available to the WVSOS remains incomplete.
All candidates have the legal right to demand a recount or file an election contest within the appropriate timeframe and in accordance with the available grounds set forth by law.
Recounts must be demanded within 48 hours of the close of canvass. Candidates wishing to contest an election have 10 days from the date of certification to file the contest and provide notice to the affected candidate or candidates. In primary elections, contests are heard by the county commission of the county where the allegations arose.
Candidates and chairs of political parties interested in examining any sealed election materials from the canvass have 7 days from the completion of each county’s canvass to request an examination in accordance with W. Va. Code 3-4A-28.
Once voter history is complete, the WVSOS will conduct a voter history review for each county and possibly other fields, such as political districts, and report on its findings in the 2026 Primary Election Report.
While the law provides no statutory remedies for candidates to address anomalies such as unpermitted unaffiliated participation beyond the election contest process, this information is important to make public for transparency and consideration in future policy and administrative discussions.
Secretary Warner thanks the State’s 55 county clerks, county commissions, more than 8,500 poll workers, 2,717 candidates, and 252,008 voters who participated in and made possible the 2026 Primary Election. With thousands of individuals involved in the election administration process, no election has ever been “perfect.” Nevertheless, we must all strive for perfection because even a single illegal vote could affect an outcome.
"In a time when more people than ever are paying close attention to election integrity, it’s critical that election officials are as transparent as possible," said Secretary Warner. "As WV Secretary of State, I intend to do just that with the 2026 Primary Election Report, which is slated for release after all voter participation data is finalized, submitted by the July 31 deadline, and analyzed by my team."
