Candidates certified for May primary

566 candidates on various ballots for West Virginia's May 8, 2018 primary election have been certified according to the state Secretary of State's Office.

This Secretary of States Office certifies candidates seeking federal and legislative offices, as well as vacant judicial seats covering more than one county, the Greater Huntington Park & Recreation District, and candidates for political party executive committees.You can view a list of those candidates at the Related Link.

County clerks will certify candidates for county offices.

Six Republicans, which include U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, and former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship will face off in the primary for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Joe Manchin whose primary opposition comes from Paula Swearingin.

Seven state Republicans and four Democrats are seeking Jenkins' 3rd District U.S. House seat. U.S. Representatives David McKinley and Alex Mooney are unopposed in their respective Republican primaries. Three Democrats filed for the 1st District race and two Democrats are running in the 2nd District.

Half of the 34-member state Senate and all 100 House of Delegates seats are up this year.

The candidate filing period began on January 8th and ended at midnight on January 27th. The last day to withdraw from the ballot was Tuesday, and the deadline for write-in candidates is the close of business on March 20th.

"...Now, it's up to the voters to use their voices and make a choice in May," Secretary of State Mac Warner stated Wednesday.

The last day to register to vote in the primary is April 17th. Early voting will begin on April 25th and end on May 5th.

If you wish to register to vote, you can do so at your county clerk's office or by going to ovr.sos.wv.gov.

As of January, voters must show a valid form of identification for both early and election day voting, with a few exceptions. To learn more about the new law, you can visit the Related Link.