By Patrick Hurston
Early voting for the May 12 primary election begins Wed., Apr. 29 and runs through May 9.
Registered voters wishing to vote early can do so at two locations this year: the County Courthouse, at 204 Washington St., in Moorefield, and the Hardy County Emergency Ambulance Authority (HCEAA) building on State Route 55 in Baker. Early voting will take place 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday May 2 and May 9. On election day, polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Prior to the start of early voting, County Clerk Loretta Humbertson held a public testing of the county’s electronic voting machines, on Mon., April 20. The testing was led by Humbertson, with public participation and observation from Ballot Commissioners Derek Howard and Ralph Dean, representing the Democrat and Republican party, respectively.
The test took about three hours and included every possible combination of candidates that will appear on each precinct’s ballots. It also tested the machine’s ability to allow a voter to go back and make a change, start completely over, and review final selections prior to the ballot being printed.
In races where more than one candidate can be selected, such as Board of Education, the machines will allow for an undervote. An undervote occurs when a voter either skips a race entirely, casting no vote, or when they are prompted to select more than one candidate, and they choose to only select one, or fewer than prompted.
The machine does not allow for an overvote – voting for more than one candidate in a race where it is not allowed.
Humbertson stressed that the machines are simply sophisticated printers. None of them are connected to the internet, and none of them are connected to each other, she said, emphasizing that no information or data is stored or collected in the machines.
After a voter completes their ballot, they will have a chance to review their selections on screen. They then print their ballot and have a second opportunity to verify selections before the ballot is scanned and placed in the ballot box. Optical, or paper ballots, will be available. The system will not be new to most voters. Hardy County has used electronic voting machines for several elections now.
However, as previously reported by the Examiner, voters will encounter two notable changes. Beginning with this primary, voters will be required to show a valid photo ID, including a driver’s license, passport, military ID, or student ID, among a few others.
The May 12 primary also marks the first in several decades in which the Republican primary is closed, meaning Non-Partisan/Independent voters cannot vote in the Republican primary. They may still vote in the Democratic primary, but they must request the Democratic ballot, otherwise they will be given a Non-Partisan ballot. That ballot will not include races for County Commissioner, County Clerk, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, State Senator, or WV House of Delegates, among others.
Sample ballots were published in the Examiner on Apr. 22 and will be published again on Apr. 29 and May 6, according to the County Clerk’s office. They are also available on the County Clerk’s web site at www.hardycounty.com/county-clerk; the County Clerk’s Facebook page; and the Secretary of State’s election website at www.GoVoteWv.com.
Humbertson said she’s seen a “significant” number of new Republican registrations since the party closed its primary. Data from the Secretary of State’s web site show that from Mar. 31, 2025, to Mar. 31, 2026, Republican registrations increased by 226, while Democrat registrations declined by 46. In that same period, Non-Partisan or No Party registrations increased by 63.
All ballots will include non partisan races as well as the Hardy County Schools levy. Voters will have two clear choices on that: for the levy, or against the levy.
Humbertson said she is still in need of poll workers for the Nov. general election. Registered voters interested in helping should call the County Clerk’s office at 304-530-0250. Training will be provided.
