West Virginia 2024 Voter Guide

Election Day is November 5. Here’s what you need to know.

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While the top of every ballot will be the candidates running for U.S. president, there are a lot of other important races West Virginians will have a chance to decide, including who should represent the state in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as who should fill key state executive branch offices, from governor to attorney general to agricultural commissioner.

Plus, all of the 100 seats in the West Virginia House are up for election, and half of the seats in the West Virginia Senate. And in every county and many cities, there are races for offices like sheriff, county commissioner, mayor, and assessor.

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Who can vote? 

To register to vote in West Virginia, you must:

• be a citizen of the United States;
• live in West Virginia at the address on your application;
• be 18 years old on the day of the election;
• not have been judged “mentally incompetent” in a court of law;
• not be serving a sentence (including probation or parole) for a felony, treason or election bribery. People convicted of misdemeanors are eligible to vote, and people who have fully served their sentences for felonies can re-register to vote once they’re “off papers.”

How do you check if you’re registered? 

You can search for your voter registration information on the Secretary of State’s website by entering your name and date of birth.

The deadline to register to vote in the General Election is October 15, 2024. You can register online, by mail or in person. You will need a valid ID in order to vote; here’s a list of acceptable IDs. Note that first-time voters may be asked to provide additional identification with their current name and address.

How do you find your polling place? 

You can search for your polling place on the Secretary of State’s website by entering your name and date of birth.

What are the key dates? 

Deadline to register to vote in the General Election: Oct. 15, 2024.

Early in-person voting starts Oct. 23 and goes through Nov. 2. Every county has at least one location where you can vote during this period, generally the county courthouse or judicial annex. Contact your county clerk for more information.

Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.

Can you mail in a ballot? 

Yes, but unlike during the 2020 presidential election, you have to meet certain requirements before you’re allowed to vote absentee in West Virginia. Per the Secretary of State, “eligibility to vote absentee in West Virginia requires two basic criteria: (1) confinement or not being present in the county during in-person voting, and (2) a permitted reason/excuse.” 

Read more on the Secretary of State’s website.

If you plan to vote absentee, you must request an absentee ballot by the sixth day before the election, which this year is Oct. 31. It must be postmarked by Election Day (Nov. 5) or hand-delivered to your local County Clerk’s office by the day before Election Day (Nov. 4).

What races are on every ballot? 

U.S. President

Kamala Harris (D)

Vice President Kamala Harris was selected as the Democratic presidential nominee after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race in July. A former San Francisco District Attorney and California Attorney General, Harris has embraced many of Biden’s main proposals, including ensuring access to abortion care for Americans in every state, passing legislation to address climate change and reforming the country’s immigration system. 

Donald Trump (R)

Donald Trump was the 45th President of the United States, but lost reelection for a second term to Joe Biden. Since leaving office, Trump has faced numerous legal challenges, including charges for illegally conspiring to overturn his 2020 defeat, criminally conspiring to overturn his defeat in Georgia and mishandling classified documents. He was found guilty of 34 counts of fraud in one trial stemming from hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, but has not yet been sentenced.

If reelected, Trump’s platform includes sealing the U.S.-Mexico border, deporting people who entered the country illegally, ending inflation and banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports.

Chase Oliver (L)

Georgia resident Chase Oliver is running for U.S. President on the Libertarian ticket. He previously ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in Georgia in 2022 and for U.S. House in Georgia’s 5th District in 2020. In a Ballotpedia survey, he said as president he would take the lead in promoting peace both at home and abroad and respect people’s individual rights. His website advocates abolishing the Department of Education, slashing government spending to drive down inflation and upholding Second Amendment rights. 

Jill Stein (Mountain)

Jill Stein has previously run for president in 2012 and 2016 on the Green Party ticket. This year, her campaign platform includes guaranteed free child care, free college, free broadband, a $25 minimum wage, universal rent control and a more aggressive “Green New Deal.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Independent)

Though Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has formally dropped out of the presidential race, his name will still appear on West Virginia ballots.

U.S. House of Representatives — District 1

Carol Miller (R)

Current Republican Congresswoman Carol Miller is seeking a fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. In her time there she has been a reliably Republican vote, and has voted in lockstep with the conservative Heritage Foundation’s positions on many key issues. She was rated poorly by the nonpartisan group Common Ground, which measures politicians on their actions that reach across the aisle and has an A+ rating from the anti-abortion rights group Susan B. Anthony.

Chris Bob Reed (D)

Charleston resident Chris Reed is a retired educator. He previously ran unsuccessfully as a Mountain Party candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates in 2016.

Wes Holden (I)

Kanawha County resident Wes Holden spent most of his career working for former West Virginia senator and governor Jay Rockefeller. He previously ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates in 2016. On his website he says if elected, he’ll bring a voice to Washington that’s “unswayed by party politics,” will support veterans’ health care and benefits and leave reproductive issues like abortion up to patients and their physicians.

U.S. House of Representatives — District 2

Riley Moore (R)

Current state treasurer Riley Moore is seeking a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, left open because current Congressman Alex Mooney unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Before running for treasurer, Moore served one term in the West Virginia House of Delegates. On his website, he said if elected to Congress he’ll work to secure the U.S. border, eliminate abortion rights, protect the Second Amendment and keep coal and natural gas jobs in West Virginia.

Steven Wendelin (D)

Retired naval officer Steven Wendelin moved to West Virginia in 2018 and is seeking his first elected office here. He calls himself a “Blue Dog” Democrat, who if elected, will bring an independently-minded perspective to Washington, D.C. On his website, he says he supports the right of people to make their own decisions when it comes to abortion and end-of-life care, would take steps to slow or reverse climate change, would control escalating drug costs and work across the aisle to end partisan politics. 

West Virginia Governor

Patrick Morrisey (R)

Republican Patrick Morrisey has been West Virginia’s attorney general since 2013, and is now running for governor. During his time as the Attorney General, Morrisey made a name for himself by repeated clashes with first the Obama then the Biden administration, suing the federal government over regulations he perceived as overreach. If elected governor, he says on his website he will expand broadband and eliminate the state’s income tax, as well as stop “woke-initiatives” at the West Virginia border, bar transgender women from participating in women’s sports and work to expand the state’s “culture of life” beyond birth by helping low-income parents.

Steve Williams (D)

Democrat Steve Williams has been the mayor of Huntington since 2012. In that role, he testified in the landmark 2021 trial filed on behalf of the city and county against the country’s three largest drug distributors. While the city and county lost the civil case, lawyers are currently appealing the decision. If elected governor, he said in a Ballotpedia survey that he would seek to collaborate with the Legislature, and that in his view, one of the largest challenges facing the state’s next governor is working to achieve financial stability.

Chase Linko-Looper (Mountain)

Disabled combat veteran Chase Linko-Looper is running for West Virginia governor as the Mountain Party candidate. On his website, Linko-Looper said if elected, his priorities would include campaign finance reform, instituting automatic and same-day voter registration, fully funding daycare and Pre-K programs and harnessing federal money to create union jobs in renewable energy fields like solar, wind, water and geothermal. 

Erika Klie Kolenich (L)

Upshur County resident Erika Kolenich is running for governor as a Libertarian, having previously run unsuccessfully in 2020. On her website, she says if elected governor she will eliminate unnecessary business and licensing requirements, push for criminal justice reform and expand school choice.

S. Marshall Wilson (Constitution)

Berkeley County resident S. Marshall Wilson previously served two terms in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 2016 to 2020, but changed his affiliation from the Republican Party to an independent in 2019. He ran unsuccessfully for the House of Delegates as a member of the ACT party in 2022, and as an independent write-in for governor in 2020. If elected, he said he will audit each executive branch department and defend the Constitution. 

West Virginia Secretary of State

Thornton Cooper (D)

South Charleston attorney Thornton Cooper spent nearly three decades working in various state agencies and is a familiar name in Kanawha County politics. 

He ran unsuccessfully for the House of Delegates in 2012, 2014, 2016. In a survey he filled out for Ballotpedia, he said if elected Secretary of State, his focus will be on making it easy for West Virginians to vote, protecting election workers and streamlining the process for people to start businesses.

Kris Warner (R)

Monongalia County native Kris Warner is currently the Executive Director of the West Virginia Economic Development Authority, a position he was appointed to by Gov. Jim Justice. He is also the brother of current Secretary of State, Mac Warner. On his campaign website, he says his priorities if elected would be keeping West Virginia elections fair and free of voter fraud, making it easier to do business in the state and fighting federal overreach.

West Virginia Auditor

Mary Ann Claytor (D)

This is Kanawha County native Mary Ann Claytor’s third campaign for state auditor; she lost to current auditor JB McCuskey in the 2016 and 2020 general election. While she hasn’t previously held elected office, Claytor does have experience auditing: her campaign website says she spent 22 years working in the State Auditor’s Office, and has owned her own business helping local governments with financial management. Her platform priorities include conducting audits to identify wasteful spending, making sure education spending is helping students succeed and enhancing the state website to provide greater transparency to citizens.

Mark Hunt (R)

Charleston Republican Mark Hunt served six years in the West Virginia House of Delegates, and is currently halfway through a four year term as a West Virginia State Senator. In the race for State Auditor, Hunt is touting his support of law enforcement and lower taxes, as well as his years of service “without a hint of scandal” as key to watching over taxpayer money.

West Virginia State Treasurer

Larry Pack (R)

Republican Larry Pack is running unopposed for State Treasurer. He was appointed the Acting Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Revenue by Gov. Jim Justice in December, a position which has since become permanent. Previously, he served part of a term in the West Virginia House of Delegates representing part of Kanawha County, and resigned to become a senior advisor to Justice in 2022.

West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture

Kent Leonhardt (R)

Monongalia County farmer Kent Leonhardt is seeking a third term as West Virginia’s Agriculture Commissioner. On his website, the accomplishments he lists include doubling maple syrup production, fighting back against legislation to allow timbering in state parks and reworking all animal disease emergency action plans. If reelected, Leonhardt says he will focus on expanding agritourism, advocating for youth agriculture programs like FFA and 4-H, fighting government overreach and expanding industries like lavender production and hemp.

Deborah Stiles (D)

Tucker County native Deborah Stiles has a background as a farmer, as well as a researcher in agriculture and rural policy. If elected, she said she would focus on supporting both large and small farmers, ensuring food safety while eliminating unnecessary regulations and protecting plant and animal health.

West Virginia Attorney General

John “JB” McCuskey (R)

Harrison County native JB McCuskey is currently West Virginia’s auditor, a position he’s been in since 2017 after serving two terms in the West Virginia House of Delegates. As auditor, he’s instituted several measures to make state spending more transparent, including the West Virginia Checkbook website.

During his campaign for Attorney General, McCuskey has stressed his public service experience, and has said he would continue current Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s work to fight the federal government over perceived overreach. McCuskey’s platform has also adopted many of the Republican party’s key issues, including opposition to abortion rights and support for the Second Amendment, law enforcement officers and coal.

Teresa Toriseva (D)

Teresa Toriseva is a Wheeling-based attorney who previously ran unsuccessfully for the House of Delegates in 2022. On her website, she touts her years of courtroom experience and being selected as a Special Assistant Attorney General nine times as preparing her to serve as West Virginia Attorney General. Her main issue is consumer protection, but she also stressed her support of individual rights to own guns and access abortion and the importance of protecting West Virginians from pharmaceutical and coal companies that violate the law.

What candidates are on the ballot in every county?

In every county, voters will elect state senators and delegates, as well as a number of county positions including sheriffs, prosecutors, county commissioners and assessors. Click on your county for a list of the races and candidates that will be on your ballot.

Any other questions?

Read more frequently asked questions here from the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office.

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.