2026 election

Voting in West Virginia

Primary

Held

Tuesday, May 12

Early voting

April 29th – May 9th

General

Tuesday, November 3

Early voting

October 21 – October 31

Register online by: October 13, 11:59pm
Register by mail by: October 13
Register in person by: October 13 close of business
Request a mail ballot by: October 28
Mail it back postmarked by: November 3 and received by November 9
Or drop it off by: November 2

See every race and candidate on your West Virginia ballot, and where each one stands, before you vote.

Plan your ballot →

How to cast your ballot

By mail

You need one of these reasons:

Personal or business travel.
Attendance at a college, university or other place of education or training.
Illness, injury or other medical reason which keeps me confined (includes concerns of COVID-19).
Immobility due to advanced age or a physical disability.
Incarceration or detention in jail or home. I am not under conviction of any felony, of treason or of bribery in an election (including any period of probation or parole). You must complete the statement on Page 2 of this form if this reason is checked.
Employment which because of hours worked and distance from the county seat makes voting in person impossible.
I am a participant in the Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) with the Office of the Secretary of State.
My early voting site and polling place are inaccessible to me.
Temporarily living outside of the county due to serving as an elected or appointed federal or state officer.
Temporarily living outside of the county due to a temporary assignment by my employer for a specific period of four years or less.

Request a ballot Track your ballot The rules Where to drop it off

In person

Polls open on election day: 6:30am – 7:30pm
Or vote early: In the windows shown above

What counts as ID

You will need to show a valid photo ID to vote in West Virginia.

Acceptable forms include:

voter registration card that includes the voter’s photograph
WV driver's license or other WV ID issued by the DMV
driver's license issued by another state
US passport or passport card
military ID card issued by the US government
US or WV government employee ID
student ID

An expired form of accepted ID may be used by a voter age 65 or older, as long as that ID was valid on the voter's 65th birthday.

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If you're a first-time voter who registered to vote by mail, you'll need to show proof of residence to vote. Acceptable forms include:

photo ID
current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other current government document that shows your name and address

Voters without ID:

If you are unable to provide ID, you will be able to vote a provisional ballot and can present ID up until the time of the canvass of votes (5 days after election day - excluding Sundays). You may be able to vote a regular ballot if:

a poll worker has known you for at least six months prior to the election,
an adult who has known you for at least six months accompanies you and signs an affidavit certifying your identity,
or you are a resident of a licensed state care facility and your polling place is in that facility.

Find your polling place Early voting

Before you can vote

Registering

Ways to register:

West Virginia lets you pre-register from age 17, so you are on the roll the moment you turn 18.

Who can register, and what you need

To register in West Virginia you must:

be a United States citizen
live in West Virginia at the address on your application
be 18 years old, or to vote in the primary be 17 years old and turning 18 before the general election
not be under conviction, probation, or parole for a felony, treason, or election bribery
not have been judged "mentally incompetent" in a court of competent jurisdiction

Check if you are registered Register

Which primary can you vote in?

West Virginia recommends that you register with a party to participate in partisan primary elections. You should register with the party whose primary you would like to vote in. However, some major parties allow unaffiliated voters to participate in their primary elections.

Also voted on May 12: Nebraska.

Dates, deadlines and rules come from DemocracyWorks, last refreshed August 27, 2026; poll hours from our own election guide. Rules change — check with your election office before you rely on a date.