West Virginia Voting Requirements & Information
U.S. Vote Foundation’s West Virginia Voting Requirements and Information directory informs you of West Virginia voting rules and options. It focuses on West Virginia-specific voting guidelines and information for all voters, including domestic, overseas, and military voters. Here you can find out about West Virginia voter eligibility, voter ID requirements, registration, absentee and early voting options, ways to transmit voting documents and links to specific-West Virginia voting tools. It's an all-in-one West Virginia voting resource.
General Information
Registration
You can register to vote or update your registration information:
- online
- by mail
- at some public assistance offices and motor vehicle offices
- in person at your elections office
Election Day Voting
Polling places are open from 630am to 730pm on Election Day.
Find my polling place
Early Voting
Any registered voter may vote in person at the county courthouse or annex beginning 13 days before the election and ending 3 days before the election. Some counties offer additional early voting locations
Early voting is typically available on weekdays during regular business hours and on Saturdays from 9am to 5pm.
Absentee Voting
A registered voter may vote absentee provided they will be absent from their place of voting on Election Day and meet one of the following criteria:
- You are away due to personal or business travel.
- You are in attendance at college, university or other place of education or training
- You are confined due to illness, injury or other medical reason
- You are immobile due to advanced age or a physical disability.
- You are incarcerated or in detention in jail or home and not convicted of a felony
- Your employment because of hours worked and distance from the county seat makes voting in person impossible
- You are a participant in the Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) with the Office of the Secretary of State
- The county absentee voting office and your polling place are inaccessible to you due to your physical disability
- You are required to live temporarily outside county of residence because of service as an elected or appointed state or federal officer
- You are required to live temporarily outside county of residence because of temporary assignment by your employer for a specific period of four years or less
Please visit the US Vote Disability Voting Guide to see accommodations for the registration and voting process.
Eligibility Requirements
You are eligible to vote in West Virginia if you:
- at 17 years of age provided you will be 18 by the next general election.
- Are a U.S. citizen
17 year olds may vote in primary elections if they will be 18 by the date of the general election
You are NOT eligible to vote in West Virginia if:
- You have been legally declared "mentally incompetent" by a court
- You are serving a sentence which includes any period of incarceration, parole and probation, following a conviction for either a felony, treason, or bribery in an election
Restorative Requirements
- If you have completed a felony sentence, including any term of incarceration, parole, supervision, period of probation, or you have been pardoned, then you are immediately eligible to register to vote
You may preregister to vote in West Virginia
- at 17 years of age provided you will be 18 by the next general election.
If you are a student, you are eligible to vote in West Virginia if:
- You reside in West Virginia but are attending college in another state
- You reside in another state but attend college in West Virginia
- You provide a valid photo student ID from a college/university in West Virginia at the polls
Identification Requirements
Voter Registration
To register to vote in West Virginia you should provide one of the following:
- Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
- Your West Virginia Driver's License Number
- Your West Virginia ID Number
If you are registering to vote for the first time by mail, you will need to provide a copy of a valid ID. If you registered to vote for the first time in West Virginia or your county, and you have not voted in a federal election in this state, you must show a valid ID with your voter registration application or the first time you vote. Acceptable forms of ID include:
- Current and Valid Photo ID
- Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Government Check, or Paycheck that Shows your current name and address
- Government Issued Document that shows your current name and address
You can alternatively show one of these documents when you vote to complete your registration.
Voting In-Person
In West Virginia, you are required to show voter ID which is valid and not expired. You can use any ID from this list:
- Utility Bill
- Bank Statement
- Government Issued Document that shows your Current Name and Address
- Hunting or Fishing ID
- Medicare or Medicaid Card issued by the government
- Social Security Card
- Birth Certificate
- Valid West Virginia Voter ID Card
- Insurance Plan ID Card
- Utility Bill
- Valid Federal issued ID
- Valid Student ID
- Valid West Virginia issued ID
- Valid West Virginia Driver's License
- SNAP ID
- TANF ID card
- License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm
- Valid US Passport
Utility and bank statements should be from within six months of the Election. First time voters without valid id will be issued a provisional ballot. There are three exceptions to the id requirement: 1. Signed, Sworn Statement by an Adult with ID who has Known the Voter for 6 Months or More 2. A Poll Worker Knows the Voter 3. Residents of State Care Facilities
If your first time voting will be absentee by mail, you must send a copy of one of the forms of valid ID with your ballot. If you have previously voted in person in a federal election, ID is not required when voting an absentee ballot.
Voter Materials Transmission Options
Domestic Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
State Lookup Tools – Am I Registered?
State Elections Website
Where is my Polling Place?
Where is my Ballot?
Can I Register to Vote Online?
Am I Registered?
State Voter Registration FAQ
Has my Ballot Been Counted?
Overseas / Military Voter Information
Can I View my Sample Ballot?
Where is my Overseas or Military Ballot?
Eligibility Requirements
Overseas Voters
U.S. citizens living abroad have the right to vote as absentee voters, provided they are eligible to vote in their state. If you are living outside of the U.S. permanently, indefinitely, or temporarily, your voting rights stay with you, even if you never voted when you lived in the U.S. To vote from overseas:
- Complete and send an overseas voter registration/ballot request form to your election office in the U.S. This is one specific form that will register you as an overseas voter and request your absentee ballot – simultaneously.
Many states allow children who were born overseas, but never lived in the U.S., to use their U.S. parents’ last residence address to register.
Military Voters
Service members and their eligible family members living outside their voting jurisdiction (within or outside the U.S.) are able to vote as absentee voters.
- If you are a service member, or an eligible family member, there is a single form to file for both voter registration and ballot request. It is often called the “Federal Post Card Application” or the FPCA form. This form must be re-filed with your election office each time you change location.
To vote as a service member or eligible family member:
- Complete and send a voter registration/ballot request form “FPCA” to your election office in the U.S. It is the same form in all states.
Identification Requirements
Voting Overseas
U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:
- U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
- Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
- Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
Your state does not require an ID to be provided in order to register your ballot.
Voting Military
Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form ("FPCA"). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:
- U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
- Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
- Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
Your state does not require an ID to be provided in order to register your ballot.
Voter Materials Transmission Options
Overseas Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |
Military Voter |
In-Person |
|
Fax |
|
Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | |||||
| Absentee Ballot Request | |||||
| Blank Ballot To Voter | |||||
| Voted-Absentee Ballot Return |