Election 2026

How to vote in Gilmer County

Want to know what’s on your ballot before Primary Election Day on May 12? Here are the candidates in Gilmer County, West Virginia.

by Mountain State Spotlight Staff April 22nd, 2026April 23rd, 2026

West Virginians will go to the polls on May 12 to pick party nominees for federal jobs like U.S. senator and U.S. representative all the way down to state legislative seats and county commissioners. Plus, there are a number of nonpartisan races on the ballots — positions like school board and many city council seats — that will be decided by this election.

Voting in Gilmer County

In Gilmer County, like around West Virginia, early voting starts on April 29.

You can vote in-person early from April 29 through May 9. Here’s a list of all of the early voting locations and hours around the state, but to find out more specifics about Gilmer County, call the county clerk at (304) 462-7641.

For more information about voting in West Virginia — or to view candidate information for a different county — click here.

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 Primary Election Day, May 12, polls in Gilmer County will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. You can find your polling place by entering your information here.

Gilmer County levies

Public library, board of health, extension, senior center and parks levies

Gilmer County voters will decide whether to add an additional temporary tax to fund the county’s public library, board of health, extension services, senior citizens center and parks department. Voters can choose whether to fund each expense individually. Here’s the language as it appears on the ballot:

Special Election to authorize continuing the levies for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2027, July 1,2028, July 1, 2029, and July 1, 2030, to provide funds for general expenses of operation for:

GILMER COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

GILMER COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH

GILMER COUNTY EXTENSION SERVICE

GILMER COUNTY SENIOR CITIZENS

GILMER COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION

According to the order of the County Commission of Gilmer County, West Virginia, entered on the 17th day of December, 2025. The proposed excess levy on Class I, Class II, Class III and Class IV property is listed respectively following the purpose for which it is intended and is as follows:

GILMER COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

FOR GENERAL EXPENSE OF OPERATION

Class I .255

Class II .51

Class III 1.02

Class IV 1.02

GILMER COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH

FOR GENERAL EXPENSE OF OPERATION

Class I .50

Class II 1.00

Class III 2.00

Class IV 2.00

GILMER COUNTY EXTENSION SERVICE

FOR GENERAL EXPENSE OF OPERATION AND 4-H PROGRAM FUNDING

Class I .325

Class II .65

Class III 1.30

Class IV 1.30

GILMER COUNTY SENIOR CITIZENS

FOR GENERAL EXPENSE OF OPERATION

Class I .36

Class II .72

Class III 1.45

Class IV 1.45

GILMER COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION

FOR GENERAL EXPENSE OF OPERATION

Class I .36

Class II .72

Class III 1.45

Class IV 1.45

Public school levy

Gilmer County voters will decide whether to add an additional temporary tax of 7.84 to 31.36 cents for every $100 of assessed property to fund facility maintenance and improvement, textbooks, fine arts, after school tutoring and the band program (in addition to some other programs) for Gilmer County Public Schools. Here’s the language as it appears on the ballot:

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 1, 2032, in the approximate average amount of $1,017,670 annually, for the purpose of the payment of the general current expenses of The Board of Education of the County of Gilmer (the “Board”), including for the purposes hereinafter set forth; all according to the Order of the Board entered on the 5th day of January, 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, are as follows:

A. To provide funding for the repair and maintain school facilities, utilities costs, purchase of necessary custodial supplies and equipment,existing maintenance contracts, equipment contracts, and to maintain a safe school environment, in the total approximate annual amount of $254,000, including as further set forth below:

Utilities $70,000

Custodial Supplies, Equipment, Etc. $40,000

Maintenance: Buildings & Grounds $90,000

Maintenance: Equipment Contracts $33,000

Safe Schools $21,000

B. To provide funding for supplies, supplemental textbooks, workbooks, fine arts, media and streaming services as well as community information and Project Connect, vocational and extended curriculum costs and to establish and restore supplements to county support organizations and cocurricular/extracurricular staff participation supplements, in the total approximate annual amount of $391,000, including as further set forth below:

Instructional Equipment $43,000

Supplies $35,000

Fine Arts $30,000

Textbooks $70,000

Media Streaming and Project Connect $35,000

County 4-H Program $28,000

Extended Curricular/Summer Learning $40,000

Future Farmers of America (FFA) $10,000

Secondary Vocational $22,000

Cocurricular/ Extracurricular Staff Participation Supplement $78,000

C. To provide funding for costs related to extracurricular secondary and elementary school programs (including transportation), academic extracurricular programs, after school tutoring and alternative learning center, extended year band program, elementary and secondary sports programs, and costs related to substitutes, inclusive of professional and service personnel, in the total approximate annual amount of $372,670, including as further set forth below:

Secondary Extracurricular Activities $148,670

Band $11,000

Elementary Extracurricular Activities $18,000

Substitutes $125,000

Alternative Learning Center, After School and Extended Year Activity Bus $58,000

Academic Extracurricular $12,000

The amounts set forth above are the anticipated 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 total amount necessary to carry out the above purposes over five fiscal years, after making reasonable allowances for discounts,delinquencies, exonerations, uncollected taxes and shrinkage, is $5,088,350 or the average sum of $1,017,670 annually. 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 Gilmer 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 amounts shall be carried over and, in the Board’s sole discretion, spent on such specific purpose or purposes in subsequent fiscal years

If additional State, Federal, private or other special funds are made available to the Board for any of the above-stated purposes, the amounts herein set forth may be used, solely or on a matching basis, to secure said additional funds or provide additional services. Additional funds received by grant, donation or otherwise from the state or federal government, or from any agency of either, or from any other public or private source, for the above-stated purposes, may be used either in substitution for or in addition to the funds obtained from this Excess Levy.

The Board reserves unto itself as the levying body the right and authority, in its discretion, to reduce the rates of the excess levy, should increased assessments produce funds in excess of projected needs in any year specified in the levy call in accordance with section six-g, article eight, chapter eleven, of the West Virginia Code.

The Board is hereby authorized and empowered to expend, during the term of this Excess Levy and one additional year, the surplus, if any, accruing in excess of the above amounts needed for any of the above-stated purposes, plus excess collections due to increased assessed valuations for the enrichment, supplementation,operation, and improvement of educational services, schools and/or facilities in the public schools of Gilmer County, including student instructional supplies, materials, equipment,facility improvements and/or capital projects, as Board may determine from time to time, in its discretion.

In the event that the actual amount collected is less than the amounts noted for the above-stated purposes for any one or more fiscal years, the Board is hereby authorized and empowered to determine, in its discretion, which one or more of the above-stated purposes shall be reduced for each such fiscal year, and the amount of each such reduction for such fiscal year; provided, that the total of all such reductions shall not exceed the amount of such collection shortfall each year.

The additional levy, in cents per $100 of assessed value on each class of property, shall be on Class I property 7.84 cents; on Class II property 15.68 cents; on Class III property 31.36 cents; on Class IV property 31.36 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.

Click here to see the nonpartisan candidates on every ballot

Click here to see the Democratic candidates

Click here to see the Republican candidates

Nonpartisan candidates on every ballot

Because this is a primary election, there are different Republican and Democratic ballots.

But in every county there are also nonpartisan races that will be on every ballot. Unlike the partisan races, these seats will be decided during the primary, meaning this is your only chance to weigh in on candidates.

Judicial positions

Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals

Five justices are elected to West Virginia’s highest court for 12-year terms. Every year, the court convenes twice for several months to hear appeals of Intermediate Court decisions, as well as appeals from circuit court in criminal cases, juvenile proceedings, and child abuse and neglect matters. They can also be asked to help interpret state and national constitutions and laws.

To be eligible for the court, candidates must be at least 30 years old, have lived in West Virginia for at least five years, be a member in good standing with the West Virginia State Bar, and have been admitted to practice law for at least 10 years prior to the election.

In the 2026 primary, there are two unexpired terms on the ballot.

Division 1: 6 year unexpired term