West Virginia legislation · 2026 Regular Session
West Virginia SB481: Relating to elections
Status: Signed into law, March 25, 2026
What the bill says
An act to amend and reenact §3-1-5 and §3-1-29 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to elections; requiring precincts to be reported independently; and amending definitions by changing "precinct" to "polling location". ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS AND DEFINITIONS. §3-1-5. Voting precincts and places established; number of voters in precincts; precinct map; municipal map. (a) The precinct is the basic territorial election unit. The county commission shall divide each magisterial district of the county into election precincts, shall number the precincts, shall determine, and.
From the enrolled text, March 12, 2026:
AN ACT to amend and reenact §3-1-5 and §3-1-29 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to elections; requiring precincts to be reported independently; and amending definitions by changing "precinct" to "polling location". ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS AND DEFINITIONS. §3-1-5. Voting precincts and places established; number of voters in precincts; precinct map; municipal map. (a) The precinct is the basic territorial election unit. The county commission shall divide each magisterial district of the county into election precincts, shall number the precincts, shall determine, and establish the boundaries thereof and shall designate one voting place in each precinct, which place shall be established as nearly as possible at the point most convenient for the voters of the precinct. Each magisterial district shall contain at least one voting precinct and each precinct shall have but one voting place therein. Each precinct within any urban center shall contain not less than 300, nor more than 1,500 registered voters. Each precinct in a rural or less thickly settled area shall contain not less than 200, nor more than 700 registered voters. A county commission may permit the establishment or retention of a precinct less than the minimum numbers allowed in this subsection upon making a written finding that to do otherwise would cause undue hardship to the voters. If, at any …