| WEST VIRGINIA | 5 Electoral Votes |
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| Population (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, West Virginia Secretary of State)
Largest counties: Kanawha, Berkeley, Monongalia, Cabell, Wood, Raleigh. Government Governor: Jim Justice (R) seeking re-election in 2020. State Legislature: West Virginia Legislature House: 100 seats Senate: 34 seats Local: Counties NACO U.S. House: 3R,0D- 1. D.McKinley (R) | 2. A.Mooney (R) | 3. C.Miller (R). > U.S. Senate: Shelley Moore Capito (R) seeking re-election in 2020, Joe Manchin (D) re-elected in 2018.
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State of West Virginia Secretary of State WV Republican State Comm. WV Democratic Party Libertarian Party of WV WV Mountain Party (Green aff.) Constitution Party of WV Charleston
Gazette-Mail, p  The Mountain State |
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| Voter Registration
Deadline: Oct. 13,
2020. Early Voting: Oct. 21-Oct. 31, 2020. In county courthouse, annex or designated community voting location; begins thirteen days before the election and continues until three days before the election. Absentee Voting Voters cast: 145,133 ballots by absentee, and 263,012 ballots during early voting |
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Overview:
Trump obtained the same share of the votes as in 2016
while Biden improved a few points on Clinton's
showing. Trump carried all 55 counties, gaining a
plurality of 309,398 votes (38.93 percentage
points). Republicans also won the races for
governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House and picked up 3
seats in the state Senate and 18 seats in the House of
Delegates. For the presidential race there were no visits
by the principals, but Trump supporters organized a
number of parades and rallies (+). [WVSOS] BALLOT [PDF] |
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| -Registered voters 1,229,239. Ballots cast
450,742. |
| Democrats Biden 122,518 (65.35%), Sanders 22,793 (12.16%), D.L. Rice 15,470 (8.25%), Warren 5,741 (3.09%)... Total 187,482. details 34 Delegates: 19 District, 6 At-Large, 3 PLEO and 6 Unpledged. |
Republicans
Trump 198,741 (94.39%), Walsh 3,806 (1.81%), Weld 3,721 (1.77%), De La Fuente 1,537 (0.73%), Ely 1,436 (0.68%), Matern 1,316 (0.63%), Total 210,557. |
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| 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 |
| Clinton 48.41% |
Clinton 51.51% |
Bush 51.92% |
Bush 56.07% |
McCain 55.72% |
Romney 62.30% |
Trump 68.63% |
and
the details...
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| Voting Eligible
Population*:
1,430,308. VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 49.9%. Voter Registration Deadline: Oct. 18, 2016. Early Voting: Oct. 26-Nov. 5, 2016. In county courthouses; begins thirteen days before the election and continues until three days before the election. |
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Overview:
Hillary Clinton obtained
just 35.84% of the vote in West Virginia's May 10
presidential primary, and she fared even worse in
the general election, garnering just 26.48%.
Meanwhile Donald Trump achieved the best showing
ever by a Republican presidential candidate as the
Trump-Pence ticket carried all 55 counties, amassing
a plurality of 300,577 votes (42.15 percentage
points). Clinton's remarks in March about putting "coal miners and coal companies out of business," while taken out of context (+), fit right into the "war on coal" narrative that Republicans have used to such effect in recent years. The West Virginia Coal Association endorsed Trump over Clinton shortly before the primary. Democratic nominee for governor Jim Justice stated in an Aug. 22 interview that, “I cannot be a supporter of Hillary Clinton.” In addition to Clinton's weakness here, Democratic voter registration in West Virginia has declined steadily since 2000. Trump attended a fundraising dinner hosted by Robert Murray, founder and chairman of Murray Energy Corp., at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling on June 28, and Eric Trump and RNC chairman Priebus did a Victory fundraiser at a private home in Charleston on Sept. 14. The VEP (voting eligible population) highest office turnout rate, although higher than in 2012, was the lowest of any state except for Hawaii. BALLOT [PDF] |
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| Voting Eligible
Population*: 1,447,153. VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 46.3%. Voter Registration: Dem. 640,532 (51.38%) Rep. 358,655 (28.77%) Mtn. 1,358 (0.11%) No Party 222,016 (17.81%) Other 23,971 (1.92%) ...Total: 1,246,559 Voter Registration Deadline: October 16, 2012. Early Voting: In county courthouses; begins thirteen days before the election and continues until three days before the election. Early In-Person and Absentee By-Mail Voting: 163,206. ballot access note |
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2012 Overview The Romney/Ryan ticket easily carried West Virginia, gaining a plurality of 179,386 votes (26.76 percentage points). Coal was a big issue. There were a handful of visits. Mitt Romney attended a fundraiser in Wheeling on May 3 and Ann Romney attended a fundraiser in Charleston on July 19. Green VP nominee Cheri Honkala visited on Oct. 14. President Obama has never fared well in this state. In the May 8 Democratic primary he ceded over 40% of the vote to a Texas prison inmate. In the 2008 general election he lost to John McCain by 55.7% to 42.6%, and in the May 13, 2008 Democratic primary he lost to Hillary Clinton by a margin of 66.9% to 25.8%. Obama | (Romney) BALLOT [PDF] |
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| Voting Eligible
Population*: 1,409,823. VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 50.6%. Voter Registration: Dem. 675,305 (55.71%) Rep. 353,437 (29.16%) Mtn. 973 (0.08%) Nonpart. 167,111 (13.79%) Other 15,291 (1.26%) ...Total: 1,212,117. Early voting in person at county clerk's office Oct. 15-Nov. 1, 2008. "Approximately 154,000 voters took advantage of no-excuse early voting." + Deadline to register: Oct. 14, 2008. |
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2008
Overview Despite the drubbing Obama received in the May 13 primary, his campaign did make an effort here. However, when the votes were counted the McCain-Palin ticket prevailed by a plurality of 93,609 votes (13.12 percentage points), carrying 48 counties to seven for Obama-Biden. General Election Details Obama/Allies | McCain/Allies | Nader | More |
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| Voting Eligible
Population*: 1,396,545. VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 54.1%. Voter Registration: Dem. 680,464 (58.22%), Rep. 349,193 (29.88%), Mtn 637 (0.05%), Non-Part. 128,994 (11.04%), Other 9,406 (0.80%) ...Total: 1,168,694. Early in-person voting began Oct. 13, 2004. Deadline to register: Oct. 13, 2004. |
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2004 Overview Both campaigns put significant resources into West Virginia. September saw considerable activity by the candidates, but in October visits dwindled markedly. Bush carried 46 counties to Kerry's 9 and ended up more than doubling his 2000 plurality to 97,237 votes (12.86 percentage points). Over 107,000 more people voted in the presidential race in 2004 as compared to 2000; registration in 2004 was a bit over 100,000 more than in 2000. General Election Details Kerry/Allies | Bush-Cheney '04 |
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| Voting
Eligible Population*: 1,390,365. VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 46.6%. Voter Registration: Dem. 658,945 (61.79%), Rep. 309,528 (29.03%), Lib 964, Indep. and Other 96,912 (9.09%) Total: 1,066,349. |
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2000
Overview Bush carried this reliably Democratic state despite a two-to-one registration advantage for Democrats. The Bush-Cheney ticket won with a plurality of 40,978 votes (6.33 percentage points). Bush carried 42 counties to Gore's 13. Concerns among coal miners about Gore's environmental positions, among steel workers about foreign dumping, and among gun owners hurt the Vice President. In the open second congressional district race, Republican Shelley Moore Capito picked up a seat despite running against the top spending House candidate in the country, Jim Humphries ($6.9 million). General Election Activity |
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| Notes: West Virginia has three official parties: the Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians. On April 7, 1999 Gov. Underwood signed SB 591 into law, making ballot access markedly more difficult for minor party and independent candidates by increasing the required number of signatures from one percent of votes cast in the last election to two percent. 6,365 signatures were required before June 11, 1999 and 12, 730 after. The Natural Law Party successfully petitioned to get on the ballot in 1999. The Reform Party submitted petitions on August 1, 2000 containing 14,871 valid signatures, 2,141 more than required. Nader supporters turned in 7,111 valid signatures, short of the number required, but the Nader campaign went to court, and the Green Party made the ballot as a result of a Sept. 15, 2000 decision by Judge Charles H. Haden, II of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia. |
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