Early voting now open for West Virginia residents

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — May 1 officially marked the first day of early voting for West Virginians in the 2024 Primary Election, giving voters a chance to cast their ballot as early as possible.

Voters in Harrison County can now enter their vote early at two locations, one at Meadowbrook Mall and another at the Harrison County General Services Building in downtown Clarksburg.

According to Harrison County Clerk John Spires, there have already been a couple hundred voters split between both of the locations. He said he feels that early voting is important because it can alleviate pressure for people who may be unable to cast their vote on Election Day.

“Maybe they’re caretakers, maybe they’re watching children and it’s just not easy for them to go out and vote,” said Spires. “This is a ten-day period…before the official Tuesday, that you can go out and make sure you have your voice heard.”

Spires also shared a couple of tips with 12 News that voters should keep in mind as they’re planning to head out to the polls.

• Bring your Voter ID : West Virginia requires residents to present identification when going to vote. According to Spire, there are several different forms of ID accepted, but the safest option is to ensure that you at least have either your driver’s license or voter registration card.
• Look at the ballot before voting : Both Harrison County locations have sample ballots that are available for people to look at. “Not everybody does their homework ahead of time, so maybe they’re not sure who they’re gonna vote for or what all the races are,” said Spires. “Take a look at a sample ballot before you go, or look at it on the door before you go in.”

Spires said that the Harrison County Clerk’s office has been working for the past six months to begin preparing for early voting. “Early voting is basically Election Day on steroids,” he said. “We have that many more machines, we staff a lot of folks there. That way, there aren’t lines and we expect a lot of traffic for that day.”

Spires told 12 News that there are only 65 early voting locations in West Virginia and each requires many volunteers to keep everything running smoothly. “We have hundreds of machines that we need to test and make sure that they’re accurate, make sure they function properly and they’re gonna work when you go to vote,” said Spires.

“It’s a very, very large operation,” he continued. “We have hundreds of people that are involved. Most of them are in the community and they’re your neighbors and your friends, and we could not do it without them.”

If you’re interested in becoming a poll worker yourself, the Harrison County Clerk’s Office is always looking for new sign-ups. You can reach out to them at (304) 624-8613 for more information.

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