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CHARLESTON -- West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner said his election staff and the state's 55 county clerks and hundreds of polls workers are ready for the heavy turnout expected when voters head to the polls Tuesday.
"The enthusiasm of this election is being reflected in the people getting out to vote," Warner said. "I think what it portends is that we're going to have a busy Tuesday election day."
Polling locations across the state open at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7:30 p.m. According to Warner, West Virginia is on track for breaking the record for voter turnout.
West Virginians numbering in the thousands have already cast their ballots in the 2020 general election for president, U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, the state Board of Public Works, the Legislature, and numerous local races. Saturday was the last day for early voting and Wednesday was the last day to request an absentee ballot.
"Early voting went extremely well, as did absentee voting," Warner said. "It's just been a great election so far. I think what it signifies is that the preparation county clerks did and the elections team did was superb and it's paid off."
Voters can go to GoVoteWV.com to find their polling place, track absentee ballots, look at sample ballots, review frequently asked questions, and learn what kinds of photo and non-photo identification are acceptable at polling places.
Voters are required to wear face masks or coverings at polling locations. Poll workers will also be wearing masks and disinfecting voting machines and other surfaces frequently.
Many polling locations will have pens for voters to use as styluses to make selections on the touchscreen voting machines. Election officials want voters to be prepared for lines due to heavy turnout and social distancing requirements. Voters will be spaced out by 6 feet if lines begin to form.
State and county election officials had a dry run to prepare for this election during the June 9 primary. The Secretary of State's Office worked with county clerks the last three years preparing for all kinds of election problems, using tabletop exercises to anticipate worst-case scenarios. Warner said county election officials and poll workers are ready for Tuesday.
"They are prepared for that turnout," Warner said. "We've been practicing, rehearsing, in addition to a superb poll worker training so the poll workers are ready for this as well with all the personal protective equipment and the social distancing. The voting machines are out in place and have been tested. All of all the preparations are in place for a great general election."
Voters that received absentee ballots can drop them in the mail Monday, but the ballot must be postmarked by Tuesday in order to be accepted. County clerks can keep accepting absentee ballots postmarked for Tuesday until Monday, Nov. 9. Voters can also hand deliver their ballots to their local county clerk until the close of business today.
According to preliminary numbers from the Secretary of State's Office, 252,776 people early voted statewide between the start of early voting Oct. 21 and Saturday, with more than 32,000 votes cast Saturday alone. As of Saturday, 135,969 people cast their absentee ballots with 89 percent of requested absentee ballots already cast.
Of 1.2 million registered voters, 388,745 West Virginians have already voted in the 2020 general election — nearly 31 percent of all registered voters. The numbers so far amount to 65 percent of the 597,149 voters that turned out for the 2018 midterm elections and more than half of the 732,362 voters that turned out in the record-breaking 2016 presidential election.
Republican voters account for 145,728 early and absentee ballots, Democratic voters account for 161,317 ballots, and 81,700 ballots were cast by voters registered with third parties or unaffiliated voters.
Broken down by method, 111,700 Republicans have early voted in person compared to 85,033 Democrats. Third party and unaffiliated voters also mostly voted in person with 56,043 votes cast in person. But Democrats have cast 76,284 absentee ballots compared to 34,028 Republicans and 25,657 in the third party/unaffiliated category.
Warner doesn't anticipate West Virginia having similar issues as other states when it comes to counting incoming absentee ballots. In many cases, the absentee ballots received by county clerks have already had their signatures and addresses verified and are already sorted and awaiting tabulation once the polls close at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night. Warner urged patience and caution, however, for close races where mailed in absentee votes properly postmarked and received by Nov. 9 could change an outcome.
"We obviously have to wait until any of the absentee ballots come in, as well as the provisional ballots," Warner said.
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Early and Absentee Voting Numbers
How did early voting go?
West Virginia has 1.2 million registered voters.
* A total of 388,745 have already voted in the 2020 general electio, nearly 31 percent of all registered voters.
* That number is 65 percent of the 597,149 voters that turned out for the 2018 midterm elections and more than half of the 732,362 voters that turned out in the record-breaking 2016 presidential election.
* Republican voters account for 145,728 early and absentee ballots, Democratic voters account for 161,317 ballots, and 81,700 ballots were cast by voters registered with third parties or unaffiliated voters.