How to Run for Office in West Virginia
Getting on the Ballot
West Virginia candidates file a Certificate of Announcement during a January filing window - the second Monday in January through the last Saturday in January before the May primary - paying the filing fee at the same time (no certificate is accepted without it). Fees follow a formula: generally 1% of the office's annual salary (half a percent for House of Delegates, a flat $25 for county board of education), which keeps legislative filings around $120-$240.
Where you file follows the district: the Secretary of State for statewide offices, the legislature, judicial offices, and any office spanning multiple counties; the county clerk for single-county offices including magistrate; and the city clerk or town recorder for municipal offices. On the final day, the Secretary of State accepts filings until 11:59 p.m.
Within 10 days of filing, candidates file a financial disclosure with the West Virginia Ethics Commission, and party candidates must have been affiliated with their party for at least 60 days before filing.
Where Local Candidates File
The county clerk handles county-office filings, board of education candidacies, and local election questions. Campaign finance reports are filed with the Secretary of State (or county clerk for some single-county offices) on the state's reporting calendar, and ballot positions for the primary are set by random drawing at each county clerk's office a few weeks after filing closes.
Worth Knowing
- The January window means West Virginia campaigns, like Kentucky's, organize over the holidays - and board of education races (nonpartisan, decided at the May primary) share the same window.
- The 10-day Ethics Commission disclosure is the follow-up filing people forget after the adrenaline of announcement day.
- Board of education members are elected at the primary, not in November - a genuinely different calendar for school-board candidates.
Official West Virginia Resources
Filing deadlines, fees, and signature requirements change from cycle to cycle. Always confirm current details with the official sources below.
This page was last reviewed on August 4, 2026. Process details above are believed current as of that date; deadlines and fees should always be verified with your election office.