By Alex Thomas, WV MetroNews
August 17, 2020
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — County clerks across West Virginia have begun accepting absentee ballot requests for the general election, a new option for many voters compared to previous election seasons.
Registered voters will not receive an application to receive a ballot like the June primary election, but they can cite the coronavirus pandemic as a reason for voting by mail.
According to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office, 225,000 West Virginians — around 50% of primary election voters — voted by mail in June. In Kanawha County, the state’s most populous county, around 52% of voters — 25,207 people — submitted absentee ballots.
“It was a lot of work,” Kanawha County Clerk Vera McCormick said of the primary election. “I think all of the 55 county clerks worked hard. We came up with procedures at the last minute, but I think it went well.”