ELKINS – Randolph County reports just over 1,500 people voted early in the 2026 Primary Election, a lower turn-out than the last two primaries.

On Monday, the Randolph County Clerk’s Office confirmed that 1,595 people participated in early voting for the 2026 Primary Election. The early voting period ran from April 29 through May 9 at the Randolph County Commission Annex (the former IGA building) in Elkins and the Russell Memorial Public Library in Mill Creek.

Randolph County Clerk Brenda Wiseman stated that while the early voting period ran smoothly, she felt that this election’s early voting had been “slower than it normally is.” Wiseman said, however, that it made sense considering this is not a presidential election year.

“Everything went well, everything went smooth,” Wiseman told The Inter-Mountain Monday. “We didn’t have any issues or problems. So I’m happy about that.”

When asked if there was any confusion with independent or unaffiliated voters no longer being allowed to use a Republican ballot, Wiseman said that, despite repeated efforts from her office to spread information regarding the change, they did encounter a few early voters who “hadn’t heard anything” about the new rule. In 2024, the West Virginia Republican Party closed its primary, meaning only voters registered as Republican could receive a Republican ballot.

“We put it in the newspaper. It was on the radio,” Wiseman said. “It was on the news channels. It was on Facebook. It was on everything, but still we had a few voters come in and say they hadn’t heard it anywhere. So a couple of them (voters) were upset about it, but everything worked out. Everything went fine.”

Wiseman said she did not expect a big turn out on Election Day given the lower numbers they saw during early voting. According to the Randolph County Clerk’s Office, 17,330 Randolph County residents are currently registered to vote. During the last primary election, May 2024, Randolph County saw 2,263 early voters come out, Wiseman said. Before that, during the May 2022 primary election, the total number of early voters was 1,736.

For more information or questions about the election, call the Randolph County Clerk’s Office at 304-636-0543.