Election contests have been filed in West Virginia over unaffiliated voters who were allowed to cast ballots in the state’s closed Republican primary, raising questions about whether the new primary system was properly implemented.
House of Delegates member Laura Kimble, R-Harrison, filed a formal election contest on June 5 after her narrow six-vote loss in the 71st district Republican primary, citing possible “voting irregularities.” According to her filing, there were 28 instances where the number of Republican ballots cast appeared to exceed the number of registered Republicans who voted in applicable precincts.
Kimble’s challenge was prompted by voting issues in Fayette County, where County Clerk Michelle Holly reported that approximately 90 non-affiliated or Democratic voters were able to cast ballots in the Republican primary held on May 12. Holly said her office received a report from a precinct about a non-affiliated voter who was allowed to vote on the Republican ballot. “It looked like approximately 90 people who were non-affiliated got to vote on a Republican ballot in some precincts in the county,” Holly said.
The West Virginia Republican Party voted in January 2024 to implement a closed primary beginning in 2026, meaning only registered Republicans could request a Republican ballot. This represented a significant change from prior years, when unaffiliated voters could choose to vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary.
Holly said two Republican executive committee races in Fayette County were decided by less than 90 votes and that one affected candidate was considering legal options. She emphasized that poll workers were not intentionally at fault, noting they worked “14-15 hour days” and had received extra training materials. “I absolutely hate that this happened. We worked really hard to train the pollworkers on this new information,” Holly said.
Kimble stressed she was not blaming poll workers for possible errors and suggested that paper ballots could have prevented potential distribution mistakes. “I understand that it’s a long shot that this is going to change my election, but I’m hopeful that the information that we have at least will help protect the integrity of the future Republican primaries,” Kimble said in a phone interview.
The state’s 2026 primary election was certified on June 11, with 252,008 of 1,198,934 registered voters casting ballots for a turnout of 21.02%. However, all elections were certified except those pending election contest proceedings, according to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office. Holly has called for the Fayette County Commission and West Virginia Legislature to fund electronic poll books to help prevent such issues in future elections.
Sources
- West Virginia Watch — Del. Kimble’s election contest filing and her statement about voting irregularities in the 71st district Republican primary
- WVVA News — Fayette County Clerk Michelle Holly’s report of approximately 90 non-affiliated voters casting ballots in the Republican primary
- WV Secretary of State — Certification of the 2026 primary election results and voter turnout figures
- West Virginia Public Broadcasting — Confirmation of primary election certification and pending election contests
