Election Security

Election infrastructure is designated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as part of the nation’s critical infrastructure. Election infrastructure includes voter registration databases, election management systems, voting systems, election voting system storage facilities, and voting locations.

Below are efforts by the West Virginia Secretary of State (WVSOS), county clerks, and county commissions to secure election systems in West Virginia:

• WVSOS partners with the WV Fusion Center to bolster security communication efforts among state agencies.
• WVSOS and county clerks are members of the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), which monitors cyber activity and publishes important notifications and best practices from other states.
• With the use of Help America Vote Act funds, the WVSOS, county clerks, and county commissions have enhanced election security. These enhancements include the purchase of election system upgrades, increasing cyber protection, conducting training, and increasing physical security.

Important West Virginia Laws on Elections Security

• County Commissions may only purchase electronic voting systems that are state and federally certified. (W. Va. Code § 3-4A-8)
• West Virginia voting systems and any component thereof must be non-networked and shall not connect to the internet at any time. (W. Va. Code § 3-4A-9)
• With the passage of Senate Bill 522 in 2023, a percentage of the excise tax dollars shall be allocated for use by the county clerks to improve election administration, infrastructure, and security in accordance with standards established by the Secretary of State. (W. Va. Code § 11-22-2)
• In each election, logic and accuracy tests are conducted on voting machines. (W. Va. Code §§ 3-4A-13, 3-4A-26)
• The county board of canvassers conducts a hand count audit after each election. Three percent of the total number of precincts are selected at random and are tallied to ensure the accuracy of voting equipment. If the difference between the tabulated results and the hand counted results is more than one percent, all precincts must be re-counted by hand. (CSR § 153-18-7)

Election Security Partners:

• EI-ISAC
• Homeland Security
• U.S. Election Assistance Commission
• West Virginia Fusion Center

Voting Systems used in West Virginia

49 of 55 counties use the ExpressVote system in statewide elections. Braxton, Clay, Lewis, Nicholas, Tucker, and Webster use optical scan ballots with ExpressVote systems available for voters with disabilities.​

Map of Voting Systems by County

See Something, Text Something

The See Something, Text Something program leverages the technology of common cell phones to quickly and securely report allegations of wrongdoing directly to the WVSOS Investigations Division. With investigators situated around the state, the immediate transfer of information will allow them to get to work quickly.

Possible violations of election law can be confidentially reported from any common texting device in three easy steps:

1. Text "WV" to 45995*Msg & Data rates may apply
2. Click on the incoming text link
3. Submit the confidential complaint

Online Complaint Form

Once submitted, the complaint is immediately received by the WVSOS Investigations Division for action, and a notice of receipt will be sent. Complaints made to the WV Secretary of State's Office are kept confidential. By state law, employees of the WVSOS office are not permitted to discuss any election investigations or complaints.​​​​​​​​​