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By JOSELYN KING
Staff Writer
WHEELING -- The first ballots for the May 8 primary election will be cast today across the Mountain State, and voters must remember to bring their identification.
Early voting starts today at courthouses in the Northern Panhandle -- with voters in local communities being asked to decide races and issues ranging from nominees for U.S. Senate, a school bond issue in Ohio County and a contested race for police chief in Benwood.
Early voting extends through May 5, and polls are open during normal business hours at each county courthouse in the state:
– Ohio and Brooke counties -- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
– Hancock County -- 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
– Marshall County -- 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The office will stay open until 5:30 p.m. Fridays.
– Tyler County -- 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
– Wetzel County -- 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and Friday. The office closes at 4 p.m. on Thursdays.
All offices will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for voting on Saturdays, and will be closed on Sundays.
Voters are now required to bring identification with them when they come to the polls. Accepted forms of identification include drivers licenses, voter registration cards, Medicare or Social Security cards, birth certificates or valid West Virginia hunting and fishing licenses. Utility bills issued within the past six months also are an accepted form of identification.
"It's a quiet ballot, but a couple of the races won't be quiet," said Marshall County Clerk Jan Pest.
All Marshall County voters will see a contested race for board of education, while county Democrats will select a nominee for county commission from between current Delegate Mike Ferro and former commissioner Jake Padlow.
In addition, Benwood voters will see a rare contested race for police chief between longtime Chief Frank J. Longwell and Donald A. Grinage Sr. Glen Dale, McMechen and Cameron also are holding municipal elections.
In Ohio County, a school board race and $42.2 million school bond issue should bring out voters, according to Toni Chieffalo, county coordinator of elections. Voters in the city of Wheeling will decide an issue to raise the salaries of council members and the mayor by 3 percent.
Contests for commission and board of education also are on the ballot in Brooke, Hancock, Tyler and Wetzel counties.
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin faces competition on the Democrat ballot from Paul Jean Swearengen, and there are six candidates on the Republican ticket seeking the office he holds -- Don Blankenship, Bo Copley, Evan Jenkins, Patrick Morrisey, Jack Newbrough and Thomas (Tom) Willis.
There also is a contested Democrat race for the U.S. House District 1 seat between Ralph Baxter, Kendra Fershee and Tom Payne.
Among West Virginia Legislature races, Democrats Carla J. Jones and Denny Longwell are vying for the party's nomination to the District 2 House of Delegates seat.
In District 3, there are two Republicans to be nominated from among Dalton Haas, Delegate Erikka Storch and Larry Tighe.
And in District 6, Republicans David Kelly and Alex King are seeking their party's nomination.