West Virginia State and Local Government

The Green Papers: State and Local Government

West Virginia

Governor:	1	(Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms)
Senators:	2	(Electoral Classes 1 and 2)
2000 Representatives:	3	(0.69% of 435)
2002 Representatives:	3	(0.69% of 435)
2004 Electors:	5	(0.93% of 535)
1990 Census:	1,793,477	(0.72% of 248,765,170)
2000 Census:	1,813,077	(0.64% of 281,998,273)
Registered Voters (2000):	1,067,822
Estimated Voting age population (2000):	1,416,000
Capital:	Charleston

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States Alphabetically Current West Virginia Statewide Office Holders


Official Name/Status All States
	The STATE of West Virginia
	previously, a part of the Commonwealth of Virginia that had- unlike the rest of that State- remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War
	Admitted to the Union as a State: 20 June 1863 through Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln on 20 April 1863 that the conditions set forth in the Enabling Act had been satisfactorily met
	The 35th state.


Traditional Sections and Regions All States
	Section: SOUTH
	Region: Upper ["Border"] South
	Survey: Metes & Bounds

Constitutions All States Links to State Constitutions

Enabling Act (of the Congress of the United States): 31 December 1862 [12 Stat. 633: recognizing a State government already formed with Admission pending the meeting of specific conditions set by this Enabling Act]

• 1st (1863-1872) [Adopted: 18 February 1862 Convention convened, 26 November 1861, Ratified: 3 April 1862 ratified by vote of 28,321 to 572; effective upon Admission, 20 June 1863]

• 2nd (1872--) [Adopted: 9 April 1872 Convention convened, 16 January 1872, Ratified: 22 August 1872]

Executive Branch All States

Chief Executive
	• GOVERNOR
Successor to a Vacancy
	• President of the State Senate

Major Executive Officers Elected Statewide All States 2008 Office holders
	• Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2000, 2004. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
	• Secretary of State: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2000, 2004
	• Attorney General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2000, 2004
	• Treasurer: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2000, 2004
	• Auditor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2000, 2004
	• Commissioner of Agriculture: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2000, 2004

Legislative Branch All States

Legislature
	• LEGISLATURE

Upper House
	• Senate
Lower House
	• House of Delegates

Judicial Branch All States

Court of Last Resort
	• Supreme Court of Appeals

Local Government


PRIMARY CIVIL DIVISION All States
	• County [Type: Strong, Executive and Legislative: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS]
	MINOR CIVIL DIVISION All States
		• district [Type: None, Executive and Legislative: no associated governmental structure]

Incorporated Municipalities All States

Statutory Election Information All States

General Election All States
	• Tuesday next after the 1st Monday in November [WV Constitution: Article IV, Section 7]
Presidential Primary All States
	• at the same time as the State Primary [2d Tuesday in May of even-numbered years (WV Code 3-5-1)] in Presidential Election years [WV Code 3-5-3]
State Primary All States
	• 2d Tuesday in May of even-numbered years [WV Code 3-5-1]
Polling times All States
	• Polls shall be opened in each precinct on the day of such election at six-thirty o'clock in the forenoon and be closed at seven-thirty o'clock in the evening. [West Virginia Code �3-1-31. Days and hours of elections.]

Links Links to other web sites

Constitution
	• http://www.state.wv.us/const/default.htm
Election Authority
	• West Virginia Secretary of State
	• WV Votes
Legislature
	• West Virginia Legislature
Democratic
	• West Virginia Democratic Legislative Council
	• West Virginia Democratic Party
Republican
	• West Virginia Republican Party
Third Party
	• Constitution Party of West Virginia
	• Constitution Party of West Virginia
	• Libertarian Party of West Virginia
	• West Virginia Mountain Party
	• West Virginians for Life
Media & others
	• Bluefield Daily Telegraph
	• Braxton Citizens' News - Sutton
	• Change West Virginia - Vic Sprouse
	• Charleston Daily Mail
	• Charleston Newspapers
	• Clarksburg Exponent Telegram
	• DC's Political Report - West Virginia
	• Hampshire Review - Romney
	• Hinton News
	• Jefferson City News Tribute
	• Keyser Mineral Daily News-Tribune
	• Mountain Messenger - Lewisburg
	• Politics1.com - West Virginia
	• Rainelle Today
	• The Charleston Gazette
	• The Dominion Post - Morgantown
	• The Herald-Dispatch - Huntington
	• The Inter-Mountain - Elkins
	• The Lincoln Journal - Hamlin
	• The Logan Banner
	• The Morgan Messenger - Berkeley Springs
	• The Parkersburg News & Sentinel
	• The Register Herald - Beckley
	• The State Journal - Charleston
	• The Times - Fairmont
	• The Wayne County News
	• The Western Greenbrier Reporter
	• The Weston Democrat
	• WBOY TV - NBC - Clarksburg, Fairmont, Morgantown
	• WDTV TV - CBS - Bridgeport
	• Weirton Daily Times
	• West Virginia Blue
	• West Virginia Metro News - Charleston
	• Wheeling News-Register & Intelligencer
	• WSAZ TV - NBC - Charleston, Huntington