ELKINS — Mandy Weirich, the Democratic nominee for West Virginia State Senate District 11, said her name was left off the initial round of General Election ballots in Barbour County, but noted that officials are working to correct the oversight.

“This oversight, which affected over 100 ballots, was brought to our attention by a concerned citizen and our opponent (Republican nominee Robbie Morris),” Weirich said in a Friday press release.

“Upon receiving this information, our campaign immediately reached out to party leadership, who contacted the Secretary of State’s office to investigate and resolve the issue. The Secretary of State’s office confirmed that the situation can be corrected under Code 3-1-21(f), and Barbour County has already initiated the correction process with their ballot vendor,” she said.

“All ballots issued with the error will now be made provisional, meaning they will not be counted until the canvass. Voters who received the incorrect ballot will be notified and provided with a corrected version.”

Weirich said her campaign has “reached out to the election officials in all other counties within the district and confirmed that this was an isolated incident, limited to Barbour County. The Barbour County Board of Ballot Commissioners, consisting of one Democrat and one Republican, appears to have omitted (her) name during the ballot preparation and proofing stages. We believe this was an honest mistake and appreciate the swift action taken by Barbour County to remedy the situation.”

Weirich contrasted the Barbour County mistake with what she considers “real election tampering.”

“In a time when election integrity is central to public discourse, it’s critical to distinguish between genuine errors and intentional attempts to undermine our democratic process,” Weirich said. “The situation in Barbour County was an honest mistake made by diligent public servants, while the actions of the Republican presidential nominee, including President Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and his incitement of the January 6th insurrection, represent real election tampering. These dangerous narratives have led to an increased need for transparency, and election workers becoming targets of political violence.” 

Weirich said her campaign “remains committed to being transparent on the issues, ensuring every voter has the opportunity to cast their vote fairly and without obstruction, and every election worker a safe environment.”