KEYSER, W.Va. — Candidates have started filing for both Mineral County and state seats and have until midnight Jan. 28 to file in person or have their application postmarked.
Mineral County seats open in this year’s election include assessor, county commission, sheriff, prosecuting attorney, two magistrates and two board of education members, according to Lauren Ellifritz, county clerk.
Incumbents who have filed for re-election so far include Assessor Rose Ann Maine, R; County Commissioner Cindy Pyles, D; magistrates David C. Harman, R, and Sue Roby, D; and Sheriff Craig Fraley, D.
Challengers include Damon Tillman, R, for magistrate and William “Butch” Wahl, board of education.
Every constitutional office in West Virginia will be on the ballot — governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general and commissioner of agriculture, according to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office.
Every seat in the House of Delegates is up for election, as is half of the state Senate.
Candidates filling for the House of Delegates thus far are incumbent Allen V. Evans, R, for District 54, Grant County; Jim Maybury, D, for District 56, Mineral County; Terry L. Craver, R, and incumbent Ruth Rowan, R, District 57, Hampshire County. Steve Miller, D, of Fort Ashby has filed for commissioner of agriculture.
The House of Delegates Redistricting Plan, approved by the governor Sept. 2, contains 47 single-seat districts, up from the previous 36, while placing another 40 seats in two- and three-member districts, according to the West Virginia Legislature website.
District 53 includes Terra Alta, Thomas and Davis; District 54: Burlington, Petersburg and Elk Garden; District 55: Moorefield area; District 56: Ridgeley, Carpendale, Wiley Ford, Piedmont and Keyser; District 57: Fort Ashby, Green Spring, Springfield and Romney; and District 58: Paw Paw and Capon Bridge.
The Senate Redistricting Plan was approved by the governor Aug. 18 and keeps 42 counties intact within the Senate’s 17 two-seat districts. It divides the remaining 13 counties among two or three districts each.
District 11 includes part of Grant County and Pendleton County; District 14: part of Grant and Mineral and Hardy County; District 15: part of Mineral and Hampshire County; District 16: Morgan County.
Redistricting takes place every 10 years following the national census count.
The West Virginia primary election is May 8.
There is no minimum or maximum number of local candidate filings required for the primary election, according to Ellifritz.
The Secretary of State’s Office will provide a free live video stream of candidates filing. The link will appear at the top of the Secretary of State’s website at www.wvsos.com.
Federal offices on the ballot will include president of the United States, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.
More than 600 filings are expected to be received by the Secretary of State’s Office.
