West Virginia Code § 3-8-9

Lawful and unlawful election expenses; public opinion polls and limiting
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their purposes; limitation upon expenses; use of advertising agencies and reporting
requirements; delegation of expenditures.
(a) No financial agent or treasurer of a political committee may pay, give, or lend, either
directly or indirectly, any money or other thing of value for any election expenses, except for
the following purposes: e
(1) For rent, maintenance, office equipment, and other furnishing of offices to be used as
political headquarters and for the payment of necessary employees;
(2) In the case of a candidate who does not maintain a headquarters, for reasonable office
expenses, including, but not limited to, filing cabinets and other office equipment, and
furnishings, computers, computer hardware and software, scanners, typewriters,
calculators, audio visual equipment, the rental of the use of the same, or for the payment for
the shared use of same with the candidate's business and for the payment of necessary
employees; l
(3) For printing and distributing books, pamphlets, circulars, and other printed matter, radio
and television broadcasting, and painting, iprinting, and posting signs, banners, and other
advertisements, including contributigons to charitable, educational, or cultural events, for the
promotion of the candidate or the candidate's name, or an issue on the ballot;
(4) For renting and decorating halls for public meetings and political conventions, for
advertising public meetings, and for the payment of traveling expenses of speakers and
musicians at such meetings;
(5) For the necessary traveling and hotel expenses of candidates, political agents, and
committees anVd for stationery, postage, telegrams, telephone, express, freight, and public
messenger service;
(6) For preparing, circulating, and filing petitions for nomination of candidates;
(7) For examining the lists of registered voters, securing copies thereof, investigating the
right to vote of the persons listed therein, and conducting proceedings to prevent unlawful
registration or voting;
(8) For conveying voters to and from the polls;
(9) For securing publication in newspapers and by radio and television broadcasting of
documents, articles, speeches, arguments, and any information relating to any political
issue, candidate, or question or proposition submitted to a vote;
(10) For conducting public opinion poll or polls. For the purpose of this section, the phrase
"conducting of public opinion poll or polls" shall mean and be limited to the gathering,
collection, collation, and evaluation of information reflecting public opinion, needs, and
preferences as to any candidate, group of candidates, party, issue, or issues. No such poll
may be deceptively designed or intentionally conducted in a manner calculated to advocate
the election or defeat of any candidate or group of candidates or calculated to influence any
person or persons so polled to vote for or against any candidate, group of candidates,
proposition, or other matter to be voted on by the public at any election: Provided, That
nothing herein may prevent the use of the results of any such poll or polls to further,
promote or enhance the election of any candidate or group of candidates ore the approval or
defeat of any proposition or other matter to be voted on by the public at any election;
(11) For legitimate advertising agency services, including commissions, in connection with
any campaign activity for which payment is authorized by subdivisions (3), (4), (5), (6), (7),
(9), and (10) of this subsection;
(12) For the purchase of memorials, flowers, or citations by political party executive
committees or political action committees representing a political party;
(13) For the purchase of nominal noncash expressilons of appreciation following the close of
the polls of an election or within 30 days theresafter;
(14) For the payment of dues or subscriptiions to any national, state, or local committee of
any political party; g
(15) For contributions to a county party executive committee, state party executive
committee, or a caucus campaign committee;
(16) For transfers to any national, state, or local committee of any political party when that
committee is acting in the role of a vendor: Provided, That no such transfer may involve any
coordination between the candidate and the political party committee without being
considered asV a contribution;
(17) For payment for legal and accounting services rendered to a candidate or candidate
committee if the services are solely related to the candidacy or campaign;
(18) For payment for food and drink for campaign-related purposes;
(19) For the payment of any required filing fees associated with the campaign, except that a
candidate may not pay any fines assessed against the candidate or the candidate's
committee pursuant to this article;
(20) For contributions to a candidate committee: Provided, That a candidate committee may
not contribute to another candidate committee except as otherwise provided by §3-8-10 of
this code; and
(21) For expenses related to caregiving services.
(b) A political action committee may not contribute to another political action committee or
receive contributions from another political action committee: Provided, That a political
action committee may receive contributions from its national affiliate, if any.
(c) Every liability incurred, and payment made shall be for the fair market value of the
services rendered.
(d) Every advertising agency subject to the provisions of this article shall file, in the manner
and form required by §3-8-5a of this code, the financial statements required by §3-8-5 of this
code at the times required therein and include therein, in itemized detail, all receipts from
and expenditures made on behalf of a candidate, financial agent, or treasurer of a political
party committee. u
(e) Any candidate may designate a financial agent by a writing duly subscribed by the
candidate which shall be in such form and filed in accordance with §3-8-4 of this code.

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