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County Clerks in the Northern Panhandle Support Voting Delay

WHEELING — Elections officials in the Northern Panhandle expressed relief Wednesday after learning West Virginia’s primary election has been delayed until June 9.

They had been anticipating many extra hours in their offices processing absentee ballot applications, mailing out the ballots and recording the ballots after the were returned. Now they won’t be as rushed.

“We didn’t get our wish. We wanted it all absentee, but extending it was our original plan,” Marshall County Clerk Jan Pest said. “This will give us more time.”

She and other clerks anticipate many absentee ballots will be cast in the election.

“There will be a lot of people who won’t want to go vote, and a lot of the polling locations are in the schools,” Pest said. “This is a lot safer. There will be no voting in schools at the height of epidemic.

“Hopefully, we will be on the mend by the time June rolls around. We’re happy with the extension.”

County clerks across the state were scheduled to have a conference call with the Gov. Jim Justice and the Secretary of State’s Office late Wednesday afternoon.

At that time, officials were to start to decide deadlines and other details for a June 9 election.

“The change is good,” Wetzel County Clerk Carol Haught said. “It would have been problematic to have the election on May 12.

“We have a couple more conference calls scheduled. We will know the nuts and bolts and details then.”

She advises voters to just “be patient.”

“Stay informed and stay tuned,” Haught said. “This is a very fluid situation. The election will proceed, but there will be a lot of changes. We will do our best to keep the public informed.”

Ohio County is the only county in West Virginia where county commissioners oversee elections, and not county clerks.

Commission President Tim McCormick said the only thing officials know for certain at this time is that the mailing out of absentee ballot application letters next week is on hold.

He isn’t surprised the election is being delayed.

“I’m a little disappointed that we’re procrastinating the election a whole month, but I understand why they are doing it,” McCormick said. “There are costs in making sure everyone is safe. Obviously, it is way out of our hands.”

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