West Virginia Code § 3-6-4a

Filing requirements for write-in candidates
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Any eligible person who seeks to be elected by write-in votes to an office, except delegate to
national convention, which is to be filled in a primary, general or special election held under
the provisions of this chapter, shall file a write-in candidate's certificate of announcement as
provided in this section. No certificate of announcement may be accepted and no person may
be certified as a write-in candidate for a political party nomination for any oeffice or for
election as delegate to national convention.
(a) The write-in candidate's certificate of announcement shall be in a form prescribed by the
Secretary of State on which the candidate shall make a sworn stuatement before a notary
public or other officer authorized to give oaths containing the following information:
(1) The name of the office sought and the district and division, if any;
(2) The legal name of the candidate and the first and last name by which the candidate may
be identified in seeking the office; l
(3) The specific address designating the location at which the candidate resides at the time
of filing, including number and street or ruiral route and box number and city, state and zip
code;
(4) A statement that the person filing the certificate of announcement is a candidate for the
office in good faith; and
(5) The words "subscribed and sworn to before me this ______ day of _____________, ____" and
a space for the signature of the officer giving the oath.
(b) The certificate of announcement shall be filed with the filing officer for the political
division of the office as prescribed in section seven, article five of this chapter.
(c) WThe certificate of announcement shall be filed with and received by the proper filing
officer as follows:
(1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, the certificate of announcement
for any office shall be received no later than the close of business on the forty-ninth day
before the election at which the office is to be filled;
(2) When a vacancy occurs in the nomination of candidates for an office on the ballot
resulting from the death of the nominee or from the disqualification or removal of a nominee
from the ballot by a court of competent jurisdiction not earlier than the forty-eighth day nor
later than the fifth day before the general election, the certificate shall be received no later
than the close of business on the fifth day before the election or the close of business on the
day following the occurrence of the vacancy, whichever is later.
(d) Any eligible person who files a completed write-in candidate's certificate of
announcement with the proper filing officer within the required time shall be certified by
that filing officer as an official write-in candidate:
(1) The Secretary of State shall, immediately following the filing deadline, post the names of
all official write-in candidates for offices on the ballot in more than one county and certify
the name of each official write-in candidate to the clerks of the county commissions of the
appropriate counties. e
(2) The clerk of the county commission shall, immediately following the filing deadline, post
the names of all official write-in candidates for offices on the ballot in one county and certify
and deliver to the election officials of the appropriate precincts, uthe names of all official
write-in candidates and the office sought by each for statewide, district and county offices on
the ballot in the precinct for which valid write-in votes will bte counted and the names shall
be posted at the office where absentee voting is conducted and at the precincts in
accordance with section twenty, article one of this chapter.

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