West Virginians will go to the polls on Nov. 3 to pick the people to fill federal jobs like U.S. senator and U.S. representative all the way down to state legislative seats and county commissioners.
Voting in Marshall County
In Marshall County, like around West Virginia, early voting starts on Oct. 21.
You can vote in-person early from Oct. 21 through Oct. 31. Here’s a list of all of the early voting locations and hours around the state, but to find out more specifics about Marshall County, call the county clerk at (304) 845-1220.
Voting by mail is only available for West Virginians who are unable to vote in person for reasons like illness, incarceration, work schedule and travel. Here’s more information about voting absentee.
New this year: voters will be required to show a photo ID when they go to the polls. County clerks and the secretary of state can also issue voter ID cards that meet these requirements.
On Election Day, Nov. 3, polls in Marshall County will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. You can find your polling place by entering your information here.
Federal races
U.S. Senate
On the Record: candidate responses
Mountain State Spotlight asked each candidate to rate their level of agreement with four statements. Here are the statements and the responses we received.
Issue 1: I agree with President Donald Trump that FEMA should be eliminated and that the primary responsibility for handling disasters such as flooding and tornadoes should rest with state and local governments.
Issue 2: The federal government should provide incentives to energy and manufacturing companies, including relaxing regulations, to help keep them operating in West Virginia.
Issue 3: As West Virginians face rising costs of living and gas prices, I will prioritize the domestic welfare of my constituents over foreign interventions such as the war in Iran.
Issue 4: I will prioritize the autonomy and privacy of my constituents when voting on bills related to artificial intelligence and data centers.
U.S. House of Representatives
On the Record: candidate responses
Mountain State Spotlight asked each candidate to rate their level of agreement with four statements. Here are the statements and the responses we received.
Issue 1: I agree with President Donald Trump that FEMA should be eliminated and that the primary responsibility for handling disasters such as flooding and tornadoes should rest with state and local governments.
Issue 2: The federal government should provide incentives to energy and manufacturing companies, including relaxing regulations, to help keep them operating in West Virginia.
Issue 3: As West Virginians face rising costs of living and gas prices, I will prioritize the domestic welfare of my constituents over foreign interventions such as the war in Iran.
Issue 4: I will prioritize the autonomy and privacy of my constituents when voting on bills related to artificial intelligence and data centers.
State constitutional amendment
Citizenship Requirement to Vote in West Virginia Elections Amendment
Every West Virginia ballot will contain the following constitutional amendment:
Summary of Purpose: This amendment provides that in all elections held in West Virginia only citizens of the United States who are citizens of this state are qualified to vote.
Instructions to Voters: To vote in favor of the Amendment submitted, darken the oval next to “FOR”. To vote against the Amendment, darken the oval next to “AGAINST”.
Non-citizens are already blocked from voting in West Virginia elections per state code. If a simple majority of more than 50% of voters approves this amendment, this would add the prohibition to the state constitution.
The resolution that put this measure on the ballot was sponsored by Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, and approved unanimously by both the state Senate and House of Delegates. Similar language is included in the American Legislative Exchange Council’s “Essential Policy Solutions for 2026,” and the amendment is supported by Americans for Citizen Voting, which advocates for similar policies around the country. It’s opposed by the League of Women Voters of West Virginia, which calls it “completely unnecessary.”
West Virginia Legislature
Need to know which West Virginia House or Senate district you live in?
Who you see on your ballot for West Virginia House and Senate depends on where you live. Enter your address in the tool below.
Senate District 1
On the Record: Candidates did not respond to Mountain State Spotlight’s survey.
Senate District 2
On the Record
Mountain State Spotlight asked each candidate to rate their level of agreement with five statements. Here are the statements; click the arrow to see the responses we received.
West Virginia should fund infrastructure such as clean drinking water, high-quality roads and bridges, and local public schools before passing additional income tax cuts.
The best way to ensure every West Virginia child receives a quality education is to ensure the Hope Scholarship is fully funded for all students with no eligibility restrictions.
When federal funding is cut for social services like SNAP and Medicaid, the state should step in to ensure eligible West Virginians still have access.
Legislation around data centers, namely 2025’s HB 2014, should be revised to return meaningful oversight and authority over such projects to local communities and governments.
Lawmakers should direct more government economic development resources toward initiatives recommended by the state Chamber of Commerce, like childcare, high-speed internet and workforce training.
House District 6
On the Record
Mountain State Spotlight asked each candidate to rate their level of agreement with five statements. Here are the statements; click the arrow to see the responses we received.
West Virginia should fund infrastructure such as clean drinking water, high-quality roads and bridges, and local public schools before passing additional income tax cuts.
The best way to ensure every West Virginia child receives a quality education is to ensure the Hope Scholarship is fully funded for all students with no eligibility restrictions.
When federal funding is cut for social services like SNAP and Medicaid, the state should step in to ensure eligible West Virginians still have access.
Legislation around data centers, namely 2025’s HB 2014, should be revised to return meaningful oversight and authority over such projects to local communities and governments.
Lawmakers should direct more government economic development resources toward initiatives recommended by the state Chamber of Commerce, like childcare, high-speed internet and workforce training.
House District 7
On the Record: Candidates did not respond to Mountain State Spotlight’s survey.
County races
Marshall county levy
School levy
Special election to authorize additional levies (the “Excess Levy”) for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2028, July 1, 2029, July 1, 2030, July 1, 2031, and July I, 2032 in the approximate average amount of $52,018,500 annually for the purpose of the payment of the general current expenses of The Board of Education of the County of Marshall (the “Board”), including for the purposes hereinafter set forth; all according to the Order of the Board entered on the 14th day of July, 2026, and as more particularly described below.
The purposes for which additional funds are needed during the term of this five year levy, and the approximate average annual amount for such purposes after due allowances for discounts, delinquencies, exonerations, uncollected taxes and shrinkage, subject to variation from year to year as set forth herein, are as follows:
A. To provide funding for the Project Lead The Way/ STEM / Robotics curriculum
grades K-12, including, without limitation, teacher positions and coaching positions. $250,000
B. To provide funding for counselors, including, without limitation, fringe benefits
across the county beyond the State funding formula. $400,000
C. To provide funding for nurses, including, without limitation, fringe benefits
throughout the county beyond the State funding formula. $400,000
D. To provide funding for Social Worker services to students, including, without
limitation, Community in Schools, up to three Social Workers and Independent
Therapy Services not funded through the State. $500,000
E. To provide funding for up to five Resource Officers at the High Schools and Middle
Schools and up to three Elementary security officers through the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. These services may be utilized in both our schools and for sporting event security. $800,000
F. To provide funding for intervention specialists, including, without limitation, fringe
benefits across the county elementary schools and up to five Reading Specialists/lnterventionalists. $500,000
G. To provide funding for Community Activity Passes for Marshall County Schools events. $150,000
H. To provide funding for summer school for remediation, enrichment and CTE camp,
including, without limitation, personnel and supplies. $200,000
I. To provide funding for Grand Vue Leadership Camp Scholarships for Marshall County Students. $200,000
J. To provide funding for Back to School Fair and Parent Education Resource Center. $60,000
K. To provide funding for free breakfast, lunch, and summer feeding to students in the County. $500,000
L. To provide funding for vehicle maintenance, fuel and/or bus replacements. $1,500,000
M. To provide funding to library services through the “Moundsville-Marshall County
Public Library” (Public/County Libraries of Benwood, Cameron and Moundsville). $250,000
N. To provide funding to the Marshall County 4-H through the WVU Extension Service. $75,000
0. To provide funding to the Marshall County Health Department for county-wide health services. $100,000
P. To provide funding to create and sustain a School-Based Health Clinic for Marshall County Students and Employees. $250,000
Q. To provide funding for contracts across the County for the Pre-Kindergarten Program. $300,000
R. To provide funding for various renovations, capital improvements and/or new
construction projects throughout the County. $21,520,335
S. To provide funding for school safety and security upgrades, including, without
limitation, security cameras. $20,000
T. To provide funding for improved access to technology throughout the County,
including, without limitation, the purchase of hardware, software, infrastructure, repairs, training, and/or tech support personnel. $1,500,000
U. To provide funding for the maintenance and repair of equipment and buildings throughout the County, including, without limitation, extended employment for summer maintenance. $3,000,000
V. To provide funding for supplemental special education services for certain identified students beyond the State funding formula. $500,000
W. To provide funding portions of employee salaries and benefits, including, without
limitation, the local county salary supplements, fixed charges, dental and optical plans, stipends, and/or Medical Benefit Cards expenses. $16,018,165
X. To provide funding for vocational supplies, equipment and personnel, including,
without limitation, up to twenty-four teachers that are employed in the County but
are not funded through the State formula. $500,000
Y. To provide funding for music, band and/or strings equipment. $125,000
Z. To provide funding for the purchase of instructional equipment, teaching supplies,
textbooks, and/or library books. $1,500,000
AA. To provide funding for extended day learning, including, without limitation, personnel and supplies. $200,000
BB. To provide funding for extra duty salary supplements for curricular positions and athletic coaches. $700,000
TOTAL: $52,018,500
As noted above, the amounts set forth above are the average annual amounts for each purpose. The actual amounts for each purpose likely will vary from one fiscal year to the next. If any item in the above-stated purposes is declared unconstitutional or invalid due to judicial or legislative action, then any affected funds will be distributed among the remaining constitutional and valid itemized purposes. The actual amounts budgeted, as well as the amounts spent, for each purpose and in aggregate, likely will vary from one fiscal year to the next depending on the realized tax collections and
the needs of the Marshall County School District, as determined by the Board with respect to each fiscal year. If the amounts budgeted by the Board for a specific purpose or purposes for a fiscal year are not able to be spent entirely in such fiscal year, then the unspent amount may be carried over and spent on such specific purpose or purposes in subsequent fiscal years.
If additional State, Federal, private or other special funds become available to provide funding for any of the above-stated purposes, or if surplus funds are generated due to increased assessed valuations, then in either case the Board shall be authorized and empowered to expend at the end of each fiscal year, during the term of the levies, the surplus (if any) in excess of the amount needed for any of the above-stated purposes for the enrichment, supplementation and advancement of all educational programs in Marshall County, and other purposes pertinent to the operation of Marshall County Schools, in the discretion of the Board. Such additional or surplus funds may be used either in substitution for or in addition to the funds obtained from the Excess Levy.
In the event that the actual amount collected is less than the approximate annual amounts allocated for the above-stated purposes for any one or more fiscal years (including, without limitation, as a result of any amendments to the West Virginia Constitution or changes the Code of West Virginia impacting property taxes, levy rates or similar matters), the Board is hereby authorized and empowered to determine in its discretion (i) which one or more of the above-stated purposes shall be reduced for each such fiscal year, and (ii) the amount of each such reduction for such fiscal year;
provided, however, that the total of all such reductions shall not exceed the amount of such collection shortfall each year.
In the event that a specific library or school facility that is named in the above-stated purposes closes or otherwise ceases operation, the Board, in its sole discretion, may reallocate funds that were originally allocated to those specific library or school facilities to any of the other above-stated purposes. The Board will not issue bonds in connection with the approval of the proposed Excess Levy.
The Board reserves unto itself as the levying body the right and authority to reduce the rates of the excess levy, in its sole discretion, if increased assessments would produce funds beyond projected needs in any fiscal year specified in the levy call.
The additional levies, in cents per $100 of assessed value on each class of property, shall be on Class I property 20.66 cents; on Class II property 41.32 cents; on Class III property 82.64 cents; and on Class IV property 82.64 cents.
That the proposed years to which the additional rate of levies shall apply are the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2028, July 1, 2029, July 1, 2030, July
1, 2031, and July 1, 2032.
Marshall County Commission
What does a county commission do?
Every West Virginia county has an elected county body that governs it. These officials are elected to six-year terms; their responsibilities include overseeing county tax dollars, supervising the county election process, maintaining the county courthouse and funding county services like libraries, ambulances, fire services and trash pick up. Candidates have to be at least 18 years old, and live in the magisterial district they’re vying to represent.
Marshall County Assessor — Unexpired
What does a county assessor do?
The county assessor is responsible for appraising all real estate and personal property, for tax purposes. They are elected to four-year terms, and have to be at least 18 years old and a county resident.
Moundsville City Council
Ward 2
Ward 4
At Large
These are all of the races that are listed on the West Virginia Secretary of State’s website, but there may be other local races on your ballot! For more information about Marshall County races call the county clerk at (304) 845-1220.
If you see an error in our voter guide, or want to provide more information about one of the candidates, please email us at contact@mountainstatespotlight.org.