CHARLESTON Ƶ Some registered voters in West Virginia may receive mail to confirm their addresses.
West Virginia registered voters who have changed addresses at a DMV office or post office or have not voted or updated their registration in the past four years will be mailed a postcard to confirm their address on file with county clerks.
Those who get a postcard can scan the QR code with a mobile device and follow the steps to keep their registration active by confirming or updating their information.
Voters can check and update their information online at or by mailing the completed prepaid postage postcard to their local county clerk. The postcard asks voters if they are still a resident of the state and county at the address on file.
Postcards that are not returned or are returned by the U.S. Postal Service will become Ƶinactive,Ƶ and those voters will be eligible to vote in the next two federal election cycles. After that timeframe, if the voter registration information is not updated and the voter does not vote in state or local elections, state law says the registration must be canceled.
Secretary of State Mac Warner said in a news release that 169,417 voters will be mailed postcards after they were identified following the November 2020 election.
ƵThe law requires election officials to send a postcard to each voter identified by the USPS as having signed up for mail forwarding service through the National Change of Address program and data obtained from other statesƵ Departments of Motor Vehicles showing voters may have moved to another state.
The law is in place to make sure voters on West Virginia rolls are still residents of West Virginia at the address on file with the County Clerk,Ƶ Warner said in the news release. ƵSince we have information from the voter that they may have moved or have had no contact with election officials by updating their registration or voting, many times we find that these voters moved and simply forgot to cancel their registration or are deceased.Ƶ
Registered voters do not have to vote in elections to stay registered. Election officials are required to attempt to confirm votersƵ residential status after not participating for four or more years. The National Voter Registration Act and West Virginia law require regular maintenance on voter registration lists. The mail notice is the first step in the process.
For more information, contact a county clerkƵs office or the Secretary of StateƵs Office at 304-558-8000.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
