Charleston, W.Va. - All 55 counties will begin canvassing the 2026 General Election on Monday, November 9, or as soon after that date that a quorum of members is present. State law requires canvassing to begin five days after the election, not including Sunday.
County Commissioners serve as the Board of Canvassers. Each Board of Canvassers reviews the election night returns, absentee ballots, and provisional ballots cast in all precincts.
According to WV Secretary of State Kris Warner, canvassing across the State will include a manual audit of the unofficial results. Each county will employ teams of opposite parties to manually count every paper ballot from at least 3% of the county's precincts, which this year must include at least 5% of the total ballots cast in each county.
The audit results are then compared to the electronic results to confirm totals. If any comparison shows a difference of 1% or more between the hand-counted results and electronic results, or if the outcome of any race changes, then the electronic results are disregarded and the entire county must be counted by hand.
Secretary Warner said, "I want to express my sincere appreciation to the county clerks and more than 8,200 election day workers who helped our General Election run smoothly."
Preliminary turnout totals for West Virginia's November 3 General Election show that 463,912 ballots were cast statewide, representing 38.33% of West Virgina's 1,210,385 registered voters. Of those ballots cast, 162,349 were cast early, and 7,001 absentee ballots have been received. In the last four midterm general elections, turnout rates were 42.9% in 2022, 47.9% in 2018, 37.8% in 2014, and 44% in 2010.
During canvassing, the Board of Canvassers will review the provisional ballots and absentee ballots postmarked on or before November 3 to determine whether the law requires them to be counted or rejected. In close races, once those legal votes are included in the totals, it is possible for an election outcome to change.
After the canvass, candidates have the opportunity to post a bond and demand a recount. The recount period ends when a county certifies the results, which can occur no sooner than 48 hours after the completion of canvass. Once certified, the recount period closes and results become official. In multi-county districts, the recount period does not end until the last county in the district certifies the results.
Candidates wishing to contest the election for fraud, irregularities, or other lawful contest grounds have 10 days after the certification of results to file the contest and provide the proper notice to opposing candidates. All requirements for properly filing an election contest are set forth in law.
The certification of the results of the General Election should be sent to the Secretary of State as soon as possible but no later than 30 days after the General Election which is December 3rd.
For more information on elections in West Virginia visit GoVoteWV.com.
