W.Va. candidate filing to begin Monday; many county offices on the ballot

Jan. 3—Those seeking to become elected officials at the state, county, or municipal level will have the chance to make their intentions known next week when the filing period begins for West Virginia's 2024 election.

Candidate registration will begin Monday and continue through Jan. 27.

Coinciding with the presidential election year, most county offices in West Virginia, including commission, prosecuting attorney, sheriff, judges and more, are up for election in 2024.

All 100 seats in the West Virginia House of Delegates are also up for election along with 17 of the 34 seats in the West Virginia Senate.

For federal, statewide, state Senate, state House of Delegates and judicial officers (excluding magistrate judges) and those running for office spanning more than one county, candidates should file with the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office.

Candidates running for county offices, including magistrate judges, should file with the county clerks.

Across the state, county offices appearing on local ballots include magistrate, county commission, prosecuting attorney, sheriff, assessor, surveyor, board of education and conservation district supervisor.

Those running for municipal offices should file with their city's clerk/recorder.

For a more in-depth look at filing requirements, the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office has compiled a "2024 Running for Office Guide," which is available at GoVoteWV.com.

Raleigh County

In Raleigh County, candidates can file for one of the three seats on the Raleigh County Commission. The one up for election is Magisterial District 2, held by Commissioner Linda K. Epling.

County commissioners serve six-year terms.

Raleigh residents will also elect their next sheriff.

Raleigh County Sheriff J.C. Canaday was appointed at the end of 2022 when Sheriff Scott Van Meter was elected Raleigh County clerk.

County sheriffs serve four-year terms.

Two of the five board members for the Raleigh County Board of Education are up for election.

Jack "Gordie" Roop from District 2 and Richard V. Snuffer II from District 1 hold those two seats.

The Raleigh County Board of Education comprises three districts, and board members are elected to serve four-year terms.

Only two people from the same district can serve on the five-member board at a time.

Incumbents not up for reelection are Charlotte Hutchens, District 2; Larry Ford, District 3; and Marie Walker Hambrick, District 3.

Board of education races are nonpartisan, so they will be decided during the primary election set for May 14.

Candidates can also file to become a circuit, family or magistrate judge in Raleigh County.

Magistrate judges are elected to four-year terms and are not required to be lawyers, unlike circuit and family court judges.

Raleigh County has five magistrate judges but will be adding a sixth judge for the 2024 election. Last year, Raleigh County Magistrate Judge Rick Jones said he would not be seeking reelection.

Two Raleigh County Circuit Court judges, Robert Burnside and H.L. Kirkpatrick, have also announced that they will not seek reelection in 2024.

There are four judges in the Tenth Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Raleigh County. Circuit judges are elected to eight-year terms.

Family court judges are also on the ballot. Raleigh County is part of the Thirteenth Family Court Circuit, which also includes Summers and Wyoming counties.

The Thirteenth Family Court Circuit has three judges who serve eight-year terms.

All judicial races are nonpartisan.

Residents can also file for Raleigh County prosecuting attorney. This position is held by Ben Hatfield, who is in his first term. Prosecuting attorneys serve four-year terms.

The remaining county offices up for election are assessor, surveyor and conservation district supervisor. These positions all have a term of four years.

At the state level, one of the two seats for West Virginia Senate District 9 is up for election.

The seat is now held by Republican Sen. David Stover, who announced he would not seek reelection, citing health problems.

West Virginia Senate District 9 encompasses all of Raleigh and Wyoming counties, as well as a portion of Fayette County.

State senators are elected to four-year terms.

Candidates can also choose to run for one of five West Virginia House of Delegates seats that cover various portions of Raleigh County.

Raleigh County residents can run for House Districts 41-45, depending on where they reside.

State delegates serve two-year terms.

In Beckley, voters will also be tasked with selecting their next mayor and filling the seven seats for the Beckley Common Council.

In the coming week, Beckley Council will decide whether these elected officials will serve under the city's current form of government, which is strong mayor, or a city manager form of government, where the mayor's position is more ceremonial.

If Beckley Council votes down the change in government, it's possible the decision could be sent to the voters in the upcoming election.

Beckley mayor and Beckley Council races are non-partisan and serve four-year terms.