Elections and Candidates 

Lincoln County Clerk Donald Witten and Lincoln County Sheriff Jerry Bowman entered plea agreements to federal charges resulting from a 20 month investigation conducted by the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office, the FBI, and U.S. Attorney’s Office.

David Nichols, the Elections Manager in Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant’s Office, was elected to the National Association of State Elections Directors (NASED) Executive Committee during their annual conference this week in Washington, D.C.

The Secretary of State’s Office will provide a free live video stream every day of the filing period, including up to the midnight deadline on January 28.

Secretary Tennant said the prompt decision is a great benefit to potential candidates, to local election officials, and the Secretary of State’s Office.

The grant will be used to update polling places to allow easier access for voters with disabilities.

Governor Tomblin took the oath as West Virginia's 35th Governor on November 13, 2011.

The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office has filed its response to lawsuits filed in relation to the redistricting plan passed by the State Legislature earlier this year.

Secretary Tennant will present the certificates to a joint session of the Legislature on November 13 at noon. Governor-elect Earl Ray Tomblin has said he will take the oath of office as West Virginia’s 35th Governor at 3:00 in the afternoon on that day.

The grant money will pay for a new oil cooler on the court house’s elevator. During the peak days of early voting, hundreds of people use the elevator to access the early voting location.

County Commissions met as Boards of Canvassers beginning on October 11, with the final county declaring their results at 3:05 PM on October 12.

The staff of the Secretary of State’s Office began taking calls at 5:00 AM on Election Day and more than two dozen liaisons assisted election officials around the state until after 11:00 PM.

The Secretary of State’s Office has received several reports of voters receiving phone calls with various types of official sounding information, such as a precinct that has moved or a precinct that is closed.

304,145 people voted in the special election for governor, for a total voter turnout of 25 percent.

These figures represent the total number of ballots cast during the early voting period and absentee ballots returned to county clerks. These figures ARE NOT election results.

Tennant said her office will have liaisons spread across the state working closely with election workers. They will be able to answer questions from election workers and will also enable fast communication with the Secretary of State’s Office.

Voters can cast their ballot during the early voting period at their county courthouse or courthouse annex during regular business hours. The final day of early voting is Saturday, October 1, 2011.

It’s the latest in Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant’s effort to make the election process more transparent and government more engaging.

Citizens can pick up a voter registration application at the Secretary of State’s Office or at other state agency offices like the Division of Motor Vehicles. The application can also be downloaded from the SOS website, filled out, and mailed in.

Voter registration radio advertisements began running this week during the weekly radio shows of Marshall Coach Doc Holliday and WVU Coach Dana Holgorsen. The spots will also air during the pregame and postgame shows on both team’s network.

The vacancy was created when former Governor Joe Manchin created won election to the United States Senate.

Only certified write-in candidates that have completed the necessary paperwork with the Secretary of State’s Office can receive votes during the special election. The deadline to file that paperwork was Tuesday, August 23.

Time frame ensures the ballot reaches the voter, that the voter has time to mark his or her ballot, and that the ballot has the opportunity to make it back to the county clerk’s office in time to be counted.

Secretary Tennant, the state’s chief elections officer, told a group of military members and their families that it is her duty to make sure they have the opportunity to cast their ballot, no matter where in the world their duty takes them.

The zero interest loan, which must be repaid within five years, will be used to purchase new optical scan voting machines.

West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant is asking Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin to add the subject of the Supreme Court of Appeals Public Campaign Financing Pilot Program to the special session, set to begin next week.

The forum, focusing on Military Voting Rights, also featured Alabama Secretary of State Beth Chapman and Seminole County (Fla.) Elections Supervisor Mike Ertel.

Since his death, West Virginia voters have been to the ballot box three times – once in a special U.S. Senate primary, once in the 2010 general election, and once for a special gubernatorial primary election.

Several municipalities in West Virginia have already held their elections, but voters in more than 100 towns and cities across the state will go to the polls on Tuesday, June 14.

The special gubernatorial election was held May 14, 2011.

That number includes the more than 43,600 who voted during the 11-day early voting period which ended Wednesday. There are about 1,216,000 registered voters in West Virginia.

These numbers are only the total number of ballots cast to this point. These numbers ARE NOT election results.

West Virginians will go to the polls in a special gubernatorial primary on Saturday, May 14 – but more than 40,000 people have already cast their ballot during the early voting period, which ended Wednesday.

You as a voter have certain rights.

There will be about 650,582 eligible Democrat voters; about 350,618 eligible Republican voters; and about 214,954 eligible voters registered with no party affiliation or as a member of another political party.

3,648 ballots were cast in the first ever Vote By Mail election in West Virginia. During the 2009 city election, just 1,467 of the more than 16,000 registered voters went to precincts to cast a ballot. In 2007 voter turnout was even lower.

Early voting begins at county courthouses or courthouse annexes on Friday, April 29. The early voting period will continue every weekday until May 11, with early voting also being offered from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday, April 30 and Saturday, May 7.

Morgantown voters have until April 26 to return their voted ballot back to the city clerk's office.

The ballots must be sent out several weeks in advance for several reasons: to ensure the ballot gets to the voter, that the voter has time to mark his or her ballot, and that the ballot can be returned in time to be counted.

The seminar was held March 21-22 in Lewis County.

The two-day elections seminar takes on added importance this year, because of the special gubernatorial elections set for May and October. Normally 2011 would have been a year of mostly municipal elections, and not a special gubernatorial election.

Fayette County Clerk Kelvin Holliday said that’s a state and national record.

Morgantown's registered voters can expect their ballot in the mail beginning April 8.

Tennant will deliver testimony about the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act and its effectiveness in the 2010 elections.

Two Democratic county clerks and two Republican county clerks drew numbered balls out of a hopper. Candidates were assigned a ball number based on the order in which their candidacy paperwork was received by the Secretary of State.

Candidates can file with Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant’s office from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM through February 12, 2011. The filing and fee must be received by 5:00 PM on February 12.

Bethany, Harrisville, Paw Paw, Ridgeley, Thurmond, and West Hamlin will all be part of a pilot program that passed the state legislature in 2009.

Tennant appeared on "The Legislature Today" with Beth Vorhees on January 24.

The Supreme Court ruled last week that, according to the state constitution, an election for governor must be held in 2011.

The report was presented to the West Virginia Legislature on January 19, 2011.

Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant’s Office trimmed more than $36,000 from the final cost of the special United States Senate primary held in August, after reviewing and approving reimbursement reports from all 55 counties.

Secretary Tennant and Elections Division Manager David Nichols appeared on WAJR-AM in Morgantown along with city officials to discuss the plan, set to take effect for the city’s upcoming election in April.

Secretary Tennant and Governor - now Senator - Manchin signed the certificate proclaiming that Joe Manchin III was elected a member of the United States Senate.

Tennant said she wanted counties to have their canvasses completed by Tuesday so the state could certify the election Friday – meaning Senator-elect Joe Manchin could be sworn in as early as November 15 to gain seniority in the US Senate.

Secretary Tennant personally supervised the statewide effort. She is encouraging counties to complete the canvassing process quickly because the sooner the results are canvassed and certified the sooner Senator-Elect Manchin can be seated in Washington.

Preliminary reports from the Secretary of State’s Office say about 535,152 people cast a ballot out of the state’s 1,216,023 registered voters.

Secretary Tennant said her office will have representatives in counties across West Virginia on Election Day – the same comprehensive plan that was used during the May primary and the August special primary.

The Secretary of State’s Office has received several reports of voters receiving phone calls with various types of official sounding information, such as a precinct that has moved or a precinct that is closed.

These figures represent only the number of ballots cast during the early voting period and absentee ballots returned to county clerks - these are NOT election results.

Secretary Tennant presented the check to Wood County Commissioners, County Clerk Jamie Six, and members of the Rosemar United Methodist Church congregation.

The training offered by this office and county clerks is the only required training poll workers need to attend. Other groups are offering what has been described as poll worker training to detect voter fraud.

West Virginia Elections Specialist Jackie Harris spent 13 days in war-torn Afghanistan, observing the elections for the lower house of parliament.

Election Day is November 2, but in person early voting begins in West Virginia on October 13.

Secretary Tennant said she relied on legal precedent and case law when deciding on the single ballot design.

Brief filed with Kanawha County Circuit Court on September 23, 2010.

Secretary of State says modernization will save time and money for the state and counties.

Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant said today the so-called ballot “compromise” offered by GOP State Chairman Mike Stuart violates both state and federal law.

Secretary of State said the lawsuit filed by the West Virginia Republican State Executive Committee will also disenfranchise military and overseas voters.

Jackie Harris is traveling with an international delegation from Democracy International (DI) to Kabul on September 10 to observe elections for the Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of the Afghan Parliament.

The award, in the State Division for the Best Professional Practices, was presented by the Election Center.

From the Fifties to the Eighties, it was not uncommon to have voter turnout well over 70 percent.

Overall turnout for the special primary was about 12 percent.

According to the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) maintained by county clerks and the Secretary of State, about 30,579 people cast a ballot during the five-day early voting period.

More than 5,000 people cast a ballot Friday on the first day of early voting in the special US Senate election – almost three times the number that voted on the first day of early voting in the May primary.

There are 14 candidates – 10 Democrats, three Republicans, and one Mountain Party – on the primary ballot.

A recent decision by Raleigh County Circuit Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick said parts of the code were “ambiguous,” resulting in more than 300 contested absentee ballots being thrown out in the Lincoln County primary election.

From June 28 to August 9 a total of 5,808 people registered to vote, according to the Secretary of State’s Statewide Voter Registration System.

Special election timeline, cost to counties discussed during joint gathering at the State Capitol

Secretary Tennant was joined by county clerks from both the Democrat and Republican parties.

The primary election will be held on Saturday, August 28, 2010. The deadline to register to vote or to update an existing voter registration prior to this election is Monday, August 9th.

The special primary election to fill the unexpired term left following the death of Senator Robert C. Byrd is set for Saturday, August 28, 2010.

Secretary of State stands by her original interpretation of state code.

Tennant said Uniformed Services and Overseas Voter Week is designed to raise awareness among military and overseas voters so they can start the process of registering to vote and requesting an absentee ballot.

Tennant supports a special election to fill Senator Byrd's seat to take place in November, but without legislative initiative or a new court challenge to the existing law, she is legally obligated to the decision she has conveyed to the Governor.

The proposed legislative rule impacts voters and candidates who run, or who explore the possibility of running, for the two State Supreme Court seats that will be contested in 2012.

House Bill 4130 passed during the 2010 legislative session and went into effect 90 days after the session ended – June 11.

Military and overseas voters from five counties in West Virginia – Jackson, Kanawha, Marshall, Monongalia, and Wood – were able to request and cast a ballot using a secure internet connection.

The award is named after Senator Jennings Randolph, who was instrumental in passing legislation allowing 18-year-olds the right to vote.

The online article says voters here “made a bit of voting history in the recent West Virginia primary.”

About 166,000 people in West Virginia cast ballots in the midterm primary election, including the more than 40,000 people who took advantage of early voting.

Voters in Jackson and Monroe Counties can vote at a secure location away from the county courhouse.

All told 40,493 people voted early in West Virginia.

All information submitted is confidential.

The webcast contained information about voting systems used in West Virginia, as well as the Secretary of State’s plan for assisting county clerks on Election Day and a personal message from Secretary Tennant to voters and poll workers.

Secretary Tennant discussed the start of early voting and secure satellite precincts on WSAZ-TV Charleston.

During the 2002 midterm primary election about 14,000 people voted early and in the 2006 midterm primary election about 25,000 people voted early.

Renee Montgomery filmed a public service announcement Monday morning with Secretary of State Natalie Tennant stressing the importance of not only registering, but going to the polls on Election Day.

Tennant is in Munich, Germany for the 2010 Overseas Vote Foundation UOCAVA summit.

The five videos focus on using paper ballots, iVotronic, Automark, Automark and M100, and Optical Scan.

An online voting pilot project will be implemented in Jackson, Kanawha, Marshall, Monongalia, and Wood Counties.

In-person early voting begins April 21 and runs through May 8.

About 470 candidates filed to run for offices such as House of Delegates, State Senate, and Republican and Democratic State Executive Committee.

The live webcast began at noon on the final day of filing and ended at midnight, when candidacy papers had to be postmarked.

Candidate filings must be postmarked by midnight on January 30.

The opinion was issued January 21, 2010.

Secretary Tennant appeared on "The Legislature Today" with Beth Vorhees.

You can see who files during the last day on a live webcast on the Secretary of State's website.

Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant turned her conference room into an area dedicated to helping candidates fill out the necessary forms.

Candidates seeking office in 2010 can file their paperwork with the Secretary of State's Office or their county clerk.

Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant is proud to announce the addition of Jackie Harris to the staff of the Elections Division.

Not only is this system secure but it ensures the privacy of the voter and their vote.

A pilot program is being tested that will allow not only members of the military, but other citizens living overseas, the opportunity to vote online.

To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, a voter must cast a ballot in every general election they are eligible to vote in for the past 50 years.

Important issues discussed with county clerks and county commissioners, who came from across West Virginia.

The Commission is reviewing how Supreme Court races are financed in West Virginia

More than 100 town and city leaders from around the state got an in depth explanation of the proposed Early Vote By Mail Pilot Program Wednesday at the 40th Annual Conference of the West Virginia Municipal League.

Changes include clarification of how poll workers are chosen, how long a satellite plan is in place for an election cycle, adding public notice requirements, and removing a restriction to keep a satellite precinct open for the entire early voting period.

The legislation to allow municipalities to participate in the Vote By Mail Pilot Program passed during the 2009 Legislative Session (HB 3134).

One special guest scheduled to attend on August 31 is Minnesota Elections Manager Gary Poser.

Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant discussed the proposed rules for the recently passed Satellite Precinct Bill (House Bill 2464) with members of the Kanawha County Commission Thursday in Charleston.

Voters in more than 130 towns and cities across West Virginia will head to the polls June 9 to choose the men and women who will serve as their municipal leaders.

The County Clerk said getting experience with the electronic voting machines can encourage youth to become lifelong voters.