By Lori Kersey | Deputy editor
“Election administration is one of the most important responsibilities of my office, and my team works closely with all 55 county clerks to ensure every eligible voter has the opportunity to participate and that every ballot is secured and counted accurately.”
— Kris Warner, West Virginia secretary of state
A sign marks a Kanawha County polling place during an election. (Photo by Lori Kersey| West Virginia Watch)
Data shows big jump in WV voters choosing no-party ballot in closed Republican May primary
By Amelia Ferrell Knisely
In a stress test for West Virginia Republicans’ return to a closed primary, new data shows fewer Republicans came out to vote in the May primary election compared to the 2022 primary.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey (center) speaks during an announcement that the state will give $2.4 million in federal Rural Health Transformation funds to expand Ascend West Virginia to recruit healthcare professionals. Beside Morrisey are Alys Smith, wife of Marshall University Pres. Brad Smith, and Michael Benson, president of WVU. (Photo courtesy Morrisey’s Office via Flickr)
WV to give $2.4M in Rural Health funds to expand Ascend to healthcare professionals
By Lori Kersey
HURRICANE, W.Va. – The state of West Virginia will allocate $2.4 million in federal Rural Health Transformation Program funds to expand the Ascend program to recruit healthcare workers throughout the state, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Wednesday.
NATIONAL
President Donald Trump shakes hands with newly sworn in Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin during a ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House on March 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Salvadorans await word on protected status as midnight deadline approaches
By Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — Temporary protected status for 170,000 Salvadorans is set to expire at midnight Wednesday, but the Department of Homeland Security said protections will remain in place until the Trump administration makes a decision to extend or terminate El Salvador’s designation, in place since 2001.
Trump doesn’t have the power to limit mail-in voting, lawmakers tell US Supreme Court
By Jacob Fischler
The hotly contested U.S. Postal Service rule restricting mail-in voting usurps Congress’ authority, as well as states’ power to administer elections, more than 250 current and former members of Congress said in a filing to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Trump administration aims to exclude many noncitizens from the census
By Ariana Figueroa
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration wants to overhaul the U.S. census to exclude noncitizens who don’t have a green card from the country’s next population count in 2030, according to a Wednesday notice in the Federal Register.
COMMENTARY
(Photo by Simone Hogan/Getty Images)
What just happened to mail balloting?
By Neal Barkus
We can all be forgiven for not keeping up with the rapidly changing legal activity surrounding mail balloting. There has been so much. Complex changes have been proposed by the Trump Administration so near to the midterm elections that the changes themselves don’t seem to be the point. Instead, confusion and disenfranchisement are so predictable that election chaos must be the true intended objective. Voters in West Virginia need to be prepared.
ICYMI
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