Morrisey signs bill requiring West Virginia cities to hold elections on same day as the state

West Virginia municipalities will be required to hold their elections on the same day as statewide general or primary elections under a bill Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed this week.  

Senate Bill 50 requires cities and towns to change their election dates by in 2032. Morrisey signed the bill into law on Friday.

Supporters of the bill say requiring municipalities to have their elections along with state elections will save cities and towns money on election costs and lead to higher voter turnout. 

According to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office, 113 municipalities across the state will have their elections in 2025, which is not a year for state elections. 

Both bodies of the Legislature overwhelmingly supported the measure. Different versions of  the bill passed 96 to 2 in the House and unanimously in the Senate. Lawmakers ultimately approved the Senate’s version of the bill, which sets a deadline of 2032 for the cities to change their election days. The House’s version would have set the deadline at 2028.