West Virginia Election Results 2026: Voting has ended

West Virginia voters must show an approved form of photo identification at the polls during 2026 advance-voting or on Election Day, and all IDs must be valid and not expired. Accepted IDs include a West Virginia or out-of-state driver's license, a U.S. passport or passport card, a government-issued employee ID with photo, a West Virginia college or high school student ID with photo, a U.S. military ID with photo, or a photo voter registration card; voters whose religious community prohibits photographs may use a non-photo DMV ID. Exceptions: an adult who has known the voter at least six months may sign an affidavit, or a poll worker who has known the voter at least six months may vouch. A voter without ID votes a provisional ballot, counted at canvass if the signatures match. Registered voters can get a free voter ID card at the county clerk's office.

To register to vote in West Virginia you must be a natural born or naturalized citizen of the United States, live at the West Virginia address on your voter registration, and be at least 17 years old and 18 by the next general election; 17-year-olds may register and vote in a primary election if they turn 18 before the next general election. A person may not register or cast a ballot while serving a sentence (including parole or probation) for a felony, treason or election bribery conviction, and a person ruled mentally incompetent by a court may not register. Misdemeanor convictions do not affect registration.

In West Virginia a felony conviction causes the county clerk to cancel the person's voter registration after official notice of the conviction. A person convicted of a felony is not permitted to vote until the sentence is complete, which includes being 'off papers' for any period of parole or probation. The right to vote is regained after completion of the sentence, but registration is not automatically renewed: the citizen must re-register to vote after the sentence is completed.

Under West Virginia Code §3-1-42, an employee who is entitled to vote may, if necessary, take up to three hours off work between the opening and closing of the polls on Election Day to vote, without any penalty or deduction from their usual salary or wages. The employee must make a written demand for the time off at least three days before the election. If the employee has three or more hours of their own free time while the polls are open and does not vote during that time, the employer may deduct wages for the time actually absent. Employers in essential or continuous-operation services may schedule voting time so operations are not disrupted, as long as each employee still has ample and convenient time to vote.