On May 14, voters will decide who gets to wear the black robe and send people in their county to jail, who will hire their school superintendent and in some cases, who runs their city.
While offices like president or senator are ultimately chosen in November, offices like judges and board of education members are all nonpartisan — meaning they don’t have a party affiliation attached to their name — and will be decided in the primary election.
So if you’re not jazzed about who is running for governor, but you can’t stand your local magistrate or family court judge, the primary is your one and only opportunity to boot that guy out.
Here are the nonpartisan races to look for on your ballot this May:
West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
Statewide, every ballot has the nonpartisan races for the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and the recently-created Court of Intermediate Appeals. Supreme Court justices serve for 12 years, while Intermediate Court of Appeals judges serve for 10.
In the Supreme Court, Justice Haley Bunn, who was appointed in 2022 by the governor, is running for a full term. Long-serving state lawmaker Charles Trump is also seeking the office, but because the two are running for separate seats, they are not competing against each other.
West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals
For the Intermediate Court, three candidates are duking it out for one seat. They are Wheeling-based attorney and former chair of the state GOP Elgine McArdle, civil defense attorney Mychal Shulz and S. Ryan White, a Kanawha County attorney and former Kanawha Board of Education member.
Lower courts: magistrate, circuit and family court
Voters in all 55 counties — regardless of whether they vote the Republican, Democratic or Mountain Party ballots — will also decide on magistrates, circuit court and family court judges.
There are at least two magistrates in each county and each serve four year terms. They typically set bail after an arrest and hold trials on misdemeanor cases. Unlike other judicial positions, magistrates are not required to hold a law degree.
Circuit court judges, who oversee felony cases and most civil litigations, aren’t elected on a county-by-county basis. Instead, they are elected to eight-year terms by district, and these districts are changing next year after state lawmakers drew a new map. Same with family court judges, who have different circuits and hear cases involving families, including divorce, custody and visitation. They also hold final hearings in civil domestic violence cases.
Boards of Education
Outside the judiciary, all counties will also have candidates for their local board of education on the ballot. The county school boards oversee public education and are in charge of setting levies — special property taxes — to fund it.
Those seats are elected for four-year terms.
Conservation District Supervisor
Most counties will also have elections for their conservation district supervisor, who serve for four years. Supervisors will serve as officers of the West Virginia State Conservation Agency, which oversees the state’s water, soil and land.
Certain municipal elections
Many municipalities, including Montgomery, Ravenswood, Beckley and Buckhannon, have nonpartisan city councils and mayors, and those seats will also be decided on May 14.
However, if there’s not a municipal election on the primary ballot, cities can also choose to hold nonpartisan elections in June. For instance, Martinsburg will be having a separate municipal election on June 11.
And for some areas of Cabell and Wayne counties, many of the seats on the Greater Huntington Parks and Recreation Board will also be decided in the upcoming election.
Find more information about your ballot on Mountain State Spotlight’s Voter Guide.
West Virginia 2024 primary election guide: Here’s how to vote and who’s on the ballot in every county
Primary election day is May 14! Use our our voter guide to find out the candidates on the ballot in each county.