Because regular elections are held in even-numbered years, it’s common for bills related to voting to be taken up in odd-numbered years. This gives officials time to put in place new regulations and procedures approved by the Legislature.
But while lawmakers in many other states are weighing proposed legislation right now that would increase people’s access to voting, West Virginia is pushing bills that will further restrict our voting rights and options at the ballot box.
Some of the bills would have no practical effect on state-run elections in West Virginia. These bills amount to little more than political posturing and wasted time for lawmakers in a limited session.
Others would restrict our options rather than make voting easier. These bills have a way of depressing turnout in elections and thus, benefitting the status quo. So, it comes as little surprise that they are being prioritized by the supermajority at the Capitol that wants to hold onto power.
Here are five elections bills that West Virginia simply doesn’t need.
- SB490 (and it’s House counterpart HB 2683) would prohibit ranked-choice voting in West Virginia. Ranked-choice voting already isn’t in use in any West Virginia government-run elections. Multiple legislators have admitted they don’t know what ranked-choice voting is before voting to prohibit it. This cut-and-paste legislation from a national anti-democracy group will do nothing to improve elections in West Virginia, and yet both bills are on their way to passage, having already cleared several committee hurdles.
- HB 2117 shortens the amount of time for absentee voters to get their ballots in. Right now, these ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the canvass. This bill would require the ballots to be received by Election Day, shortening the amount of time to vote for many disabled and elderly West Virginians, as well as those living abroad for things like military service. This bill is borne out of President Trump’s big lie that mass fraud connected to absentee voters led to him being denied the presidency in the 2020 Election.
- HB 3016 increases the requirements for voter ID and also unnecessarily states that noncitizens may not vote in West Virginia elections (which is already the case). Currently, West Virginia voters must show a form of voter ID, but many different forms are accepted, including a voter registration card. This bill creates more red tape for voters, particularly poor voters who are less likely to have a valid photo ID.
- SB 487 is designed to kick more voters off the voter rolls. Right now, voters may be removed from the voter rolls if they haven’t voted in the last four years. This bill reduces the amount of time to just two years. So, if you voted in the 2022 election but not in the 2024 election, officials would be able to delete your registration. We have a right to vote, and it should never be treated as a use-it-or-lose-it privilege.
- The worst of all of these anti-voter bills might be HB 2400, another proposed piece of legislation based on Trump’s big lie. This bill would make it a crime to give someone an absentee voter application if they did not ask for one. Not an absentee ballot, mind you –just the application for one.
We hope West Virginians are paying close attention and will remember which legislators spent time during their short legislative session making it harder for people to vote rather than prioritizing real problems in West Virginia.