You are eligible to register to vote in West Virginia if you are:

• A resident of West Virginia and the county where you register.
• A U.S. citizen.
• At least 17 years old and 18 before the next general election. (Seventeen year olds may register and vote in Primary Elections, if they turn 18 by the next General Election)
• Not currently under conviction for a felony, including probation or parole, or a court ruling of mental incompetence. (Voting rights are restored when the term of conviction ends.) 

You may register at any time.  To be eligible to vote in a specific election, you must register 21 days before that election.( April 20, 2010 is the last day to register to vote in the 2010 Primary Election.  October 12, 2010 is the last day to register to vote in the 2010 General Election)

• In person 
  Register at a convenient registration office (see below).  Bring proof of physical address.  (i.e.  driver's license; utility bill; bank statement; paycheck; and other government document)
• By mail 
  Request an application from your county clerk or the Secretary of State, or
  Register now by downloading a mail-in registration form.  Return completed voter registration forms to your local County Clerk's Office.

 To check if you are already registered to vote click here!

You can obtain voter registration applications for a voter registration drive by contacting our office and submitting a Mail-In Voter Registration Request Form.  This Request Form is available at our office.  A printable version of the Mail-In Voter Registration Application is also available and can be duplicated and used as many times as needed.

• Up to 200 mail-in voter registration forms will be available per organization/individual per election.
• The following information is required for requests of 10 or more forms 
  --Name of Organization/Individual Requesting Forms
  --Name of Contact Person
  --Address (if to be mailed)
  --Amount Picked Up (or mailed)
  --Date of Drive
  --Location of Drive

You may register at any of these offices. If it is close to an election, registering at the county clerk's office is the best place to go to be certain you will be on the books on election day.

• The county clerk's office at your county courthouse 
• Driver license offices
• Public assistance agencies
• Agencies which serve people with disabilities
• Marriage license offices (at county clerk's offices)
• Military recruiting offices

If voting is important to you, take these steps:

• If you registered in person at the county clerk's office and have your voter card, make sure you know where your precinct voting place is located.
• If you registered at an agency or by mail, you should have received your voter card by mail from the county clerk within 8 to 10 days.  If you didn't receive it, call the county clerk to see if your registration was completed.
• If you registered by mail, remember to take a current and valid photo ID; or a copy of a current document with  the updated name and address of the voter the first time you vote.
• If you change your name, residence or political party, file those changes to your voter registration.

If you move within your county or change your name, update your registration in one of these ways:

• At your county clerk's office or other registration office.
• By mail, using the regular mail-in voter registration form.
  --Request an application form
  --Update your registration now by downloading a mail-in registration form
• At your polling place, if you did not move to a different precinct.
• At your new polling place if you moved to a new precinct, although you will have to vote a provisional ballot since your registration would not be available to check.

If you move to another county in West Virginia, you must register there.  See "How Do I Register?" (above) for the answer.

West Virginia has a closed primary -- meaning you may only vote the ballot of the party in which you are registered, although some parties allow unaffiliated voters to vote their ballots upon request.  A party change must be filed by the close of registration (21 days) before a primary or general election for you to be eligible to vote the new party's ballot.  For more information, see Registering in a Political Party.  You may change your party:

• At your county clerk's office or other registration office.
• By mail, using the regular mail-in voter registration form.
  --Request an application form
  --Update your registration now by downloading a mail-in registration form