Voter Registration & Elections
Brooke County currently has approximately 15,000 registered voters. There are 21 voting precincts across the county that are divided among 3 delegate districts: the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.
You can contact the Voter & Elections Office via e-mail or phone.
Sarah Delong, Chief Elections Clerk
304-737-3661
sdelong@mail.wvnet.edu
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I registered to vote?
You can check here by entering your name and date of birth.
How can I register to vote?
You have several options. You can apply in person at the Brooke County Courthouse located at 632 Main Street Wellsburg, WV 26070, you can download a voter registration application and return the completed form by mail or you can click on the link below to register online.
Voter Registration Application
In order to register, each of the following MUST be true
- You are a United States citizen
- You are at least 17 years of age and will be 18 on or before the next General Election
- You are a legal resident of West Virginia and of the county where you are applying
- You are NOT currently under conviction, probation or parole for any felony, treason or bribery
- You have NOT been judged mentally incompetent in a court of competent jurisdiction
Applications can be submitted at any time; however registrations received 21 days or less before an election will not be processed until that election is over. Instructions on completing the form can be found at the beginning of the application. Please note that if required information is not completed, your application will be returned to you. If a copy of your driver’s license or state issued ID that has your current physical address listed is not included with the application, your address will have to be verified through the US Postal Service and will take approximately 10 business days.
Can convicted felons register to vote?
If you are currently under conviction, probation or parole for any felony, treason or election bribery you cannot register to vote. However, once your time has been served and you are no longer on probation or parole you CAN register to vote.
Where do I go to vote?
Early Voting will be held at Brooke County Courthouse
(632 Main Street Wellsburg, WV 26070).
Election Day voting takes place ONLY at your normal polling location.
Polls are open 6:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
(The Courthouse is NOT a polling place and will be closed on Election Day.)
I cannot make it to my polling place on Election Day. Can I still vote?
If you cannot make it to early voting and/or your polling place on Election Day you may be eligible to vote an absentee ballot.
You are only eligible if one of the following apply:
- An injury, illness, physical disability, or advanced age which keeps you confined or immobile.
- You are attending school out of the county or state.
- You are traveling outside of your county for business or personal reasons. (For this reason, your ballot MUST be mailed outside of your county of residence)
- You are incarcerated or serving home confinement for a misdemeanor and are still legally registered to vote.
- Your work hours and distance from the county seat make voting in person impossible.
- A work assignment requires you to temporarily live outside of your county (4 years or less).
- Service as an elected or appointed state or federal official requires you to temporarily live outside of your county.
If you are eligible, an absentee ballot application MUST BE COMPLETED BY HAND and returned to the County Clerk’s office. The voter must sign or place their mark on the application. A power of attorney cannot sign for the voter.
Military and Overseas Application
Applications can be accepted starting on the 84th day before the election and received by the clerk no later than the 6th day before the election. The ballots will start to be mailed out the 46th day before the election. Once you receive the ballot, vote and return it as soon as possible.
I am active duty military, their spouse or dependent or a citizen residing overseas. How do I vote?
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and West Virginia state law provide extended absentee voting opportunities to military and overseas voters. Voters covered by UOCAVA include members of uniformed services and merchant marines on active duty, along with their spouses and dependents, and United States citizens temporarily or permanently residing outside of the United States.
All the information on how to vote can be found on the WV Secretary of States website.
How does my party affiliation affect me in the Primary Election?
West Virginia has “closed” Primary Elections, meaning you are only permitted to vote a ballot from the party you designated on your voter registration application. There are 4 parties recognized by the state: Democrat, Libertarian, Mountain and Republican. If you are registered with any of the four you can only vote that party’s ballot. For example, if you are registered Democrat then you can only receive a Democratic ballot, if you are registered Republican you can only receive the Republican ballot and so on. If you request the ballot of a different political party other than your own, it will be processed as a Provisional (challenged) ballot and may not be counted.
However, if you are registered as anything else (i.e. independent, no party, constitution…) you can choose to vote a ballot from one of the 4 recognized parties. If you choose to vote a different party ballot you must request it from the poll worker while checking in at the polls. They cannot ask you which party ballot you would like to vote. If you do not request a party ballot you will only receive the non-partisan ballot which only contains non-partisan races on the ballot.
Does it matter what party I am registered with in the General Election?
No, your party does not affect you in the General Election. Everyone receives the same ballot.
How can I contact members of the legislature?
A roster of the members of the State Senate can be found here.
Brooke County is in the 1st Senatorial District.
A roster of the members of the House of Delegates can be found here.
Brooke County has three delegate districts; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.
Where can I find past election results?
Past election results can be found by clicking here.
Where can I find information on statewide candidates and elections?
You can find information about statewide candidates and elections on the WV Secretary of State's website. Click here to be redirected to the website.