WVSOS - Elections - Absentee Voting in West Virginia

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Absentee Voting and Early In Person Voting in West Virginia

Absentee Voting Methods & Early Voting In Person Methods
More About Absentee Voting and Early In Person Voting

Absentee voting laws changed in 2001. New provisions allow for "no excuse" voting at the county clerk's office in the days before the election. Also, absentee voting in all counties will now be handled by the county clerk.

Click the category for the reason you need to vote absentee, then click the specific reason which fits your circumstances to find more information.

Travel/Work * Ill Health/Disability * Military/Overseas * School * Convenience/Other

When Travel or Work Takes You Away

Will you be out of the county on election day but home sometime during the two weeks leading up to the election?

If your travel is brief and you will be in your home county during the period of early voting in person, which begins 20 days before the election and runs through 3 days before the election (see the calendar), you may vote in person at the clerk's office. You are not eligible to vote by mail.

Will you be traveling or working away on election day and all through the 20 days before the election?

If your travel is longer and you will be out of your county during the entire 20 days leading up to the election and election day, you may vote by mail, providing the ballot can be mailed to you at an out-of-county address.

Do your hours of employment make voting impossible?

If your employment which, because of hours worked and distance from the county makes voting in person impossible, you may request an absentee ballot by mail.

Do you live part of the year in another place, such as spending the winter in Florida?

If you maintain your voting residence in West Virginia and live here the majority of the time but live elsewhere for part of the year, you may vote absentee by mail.

Have you been given a job assignment which requires you to live outside your county or West Virginia for a definite time?

If you have a job assignment which requires you to live outside the county for an extended period of time (up to four years) and your employer can document that the assignment is temporary, you may maintain your voting residence in West Virginia and vote absentee by mail. This provision also covers out-of-county service as an elected or appointed federal or state officer. Please do not attempt to use this provision if you have moved from your previous residence and taken a normal job in another county or state. In that case, you need to move your voter registration to your new residence.

When You Have Health Problems or Physical Disability

Does illness, physical disability or extreme advanced age make you unable to go to the polls?

If health problems or disabilities keep you confined to your home or other care facility so that you can't vote in person, you may apply for a ballot by mail. Be sure to apply early enough so that your application reaches the clerk at least six days before the election.

Do you have a permanent disability which prevents you from voting in person?

If you can no longer get out and are permanently unable to go to the polls, you may apply to be placed on the permanent absentee voting list to vote by mail.

A doctor's statement must be filed with your application, but once approved, the clerk will automatically send you an absentee ballot before each election.

Is your polling place inaccessible to you because of your physical disability or other reason?

Counties try hard to provide fully accessible voting places, but because of the lack of suitable buildings in many rural areas, that is not always possible. If your polling place is inaccessible, you may vote an early in person ballot at the clerk's office, or you may apply to have your voter registration transferred to an accessible precinct in your district that is convenient for you.

Has a family member been hospitalized because of an emergency during the last seven days before the election and will still be in the hospital or nursing facility on election day?

Emergency absentee voting is available when a person is suddenly hospitalized or unexpectedly admitted to a nursing home within the county, or in some cases, in an adjacent county. The provisions only apply when it is too late to get a ballot by mail.

Has a family member been hospitalized because of an emergency during the last seven days before the election and will still be in the hospital or nursing facility on election day?

When You are a Military or Overseas Voter

Are you in the military or other uniformed services, or the spouse or dependent of someone in the service?

If you are stationed outside your home county, you may apply for an absentee ballot by mail. Military voters may apply anytime after January 1 of an election year up to the deadline, and may apply for all ballots in an election year on just one application.
If you are in a very remote area where a ballot mailed to you might not reach you in time to vote, you may vote a write-in ballot. However, this ballot is only acceptable if you have applied for a by-mail ballot and not received it.

Do you reside outside the United States now, and when you last lived in the United States were you a resident of West Virginia?

West Virginia residents who move outside the country continue to be eligible to vote at their last residence in the United States and may vote an absentee ballot by mail. You may apply anytime after January 1 of an election year up to the deadline, and may apply for all ballots in an election year on just one application.
If you are in a very remote area where a ballot mailed to you might not reach you in time to vote, you may vote a write-in ballot. However, this ballot is only acceptable if you have applied for a by-mail ballot and not received it.
Use the FVAP system to request a Military or Overseas Citizen absentee ballot.

When You Attend School Away From Home

Are you a college student who will be at school out of the county on election day?

If you are a college student living at school, you have two choices. You may become a resident for voting purposes where you live at college, register and vote there, or you may maintain your residence at home and vote an absentee ballot by mail.
If you are a college student living at home but commuting to college in another county, you should vote in person at the polls. If your schedule requires you to be away the entire time the polls are open (6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.), you may vote absentee in person at the clerk's office.

When Voting on Election Day is Inconvenient

Is getting to the polls on election day inconvenient because of work, transportation or other reasons?

A new provision of law allows anyone to vote early in person at the clerk's office during business hours beginning 20 days before the election up to three days before the election.

When You Are Under Incarceration or Detention in Jail or in Home.

Are you under incarceration or detention in jail or in home?

If you are under incarceration or detention in a jail or in a home, you may request an absentee ballot by mail as long as you are not under conviction (including period of probation or parole) of any felony, of treason or of bribery in an election. In order to be eligible for the absentee ballot, the affidavit on the back of the Application of Voting an Absent Voter’s Ballot by Mail form must be completed by a sheriff, chief of police, or authorized deputy