February 25th, 2023 by WCBC Radio
West Virginia’s GOP supermajority Senate passed several bills this week that would change how elections are run in the state. One bill proposed by Secretary of State Mac Warner and advanced to the House would require that county officials submit voting records into the statewide registration database 80 days after an election. Under current law, local officials have 120 days to enter voting records. The bill aims to help the state catch discrepancies in the records so results aren’t compromised, Republican Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Trump said on the Senate floor.
The same bill would also allow Warner’s office to use federal money to purchase voting machines and extend the time people have to register to vote electronically.
Residents can register to vote 21 days before an election in West Virginia. Currently, people have until the end of business on the final day of registration to submit an application online. The bill would extend that time to 11:59 p.m.
Another bill advanced to the House would require that decisions about contested elections be made in circuit court. Right now, if there’s a dispute over a municipal election, state law allows for results to be reviewed by local officials like the mayor and city council
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