CHARLESTON – The official who oversees elections in West Virginia says there was a significant increase in ballots cast in the last two days of early voting for the state Primary Election.

The two-day push – taking place last Friday and Saturday – helped this year’s early voting totals to be 8% higher than the last midterm Primary Election in May 2022, West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner announced.

“That tells me that West Virginia voters have confidence in our election process,” Warner said. “Even with the high volume of campaign materials we saw this cycle, voters still want to participate in electing state, county and local leaders.”

Warner said that, as of Monday morning, county clerks reported that a total of 67,356 West Virginia voters had cast ballots during the early voting period, which ran from April 29 to May 9. In the 2022 Primary Election, 62,283 early voter ballots were cast.

Warner said county clerks throughout the state reported a substantial increase in voter interest over the last two days of the early voting period.

This year’s Primary Election will be the first West Virginia election in 25 years in which only registered Republicans can vote a Republican Party ballot.

“The closed Republican Primary does not appear to have had a negative impact on early voter turnout,” Warner said. “We expect that will be the case with voter turnout on election day.”

Warner said his office worked with the county clerks and the state’s newspaper, TV, radio, and online media outlets to educate the public on the change. He also credited the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, the candidates, and political action committees throughout the state for helping raise awareness.

In 2025, the 154-member WV Republican State Executive Committee voted to close their Primary Election to unaffiliated voters. Unaffiliated voters can choose a nonpartisan race ballot or Democratic Party ballot at the polls by giving their preference to the poll workers.

Given the higher turnout, Secretary Warner said the state’s new “Photo ID to Vote” did not have a negative impact on the early voting participation rate.

Warner also highlighted the dedicated work of the state’s 55 county clerks, their elections staff, and the WVSOS Elections Division to keep voter registration lists up to date and accurate.

He noted that 50,473 new voters have been registered since he took office in January 2025, which includes more than 17,000 eligible high school students. Warner personally visited 38 high schools in the last 16 months, and the WVSOS Field Team has visited a total of 57 high schools, promoting voter education, registration and the importance of participation.