BROOKE COUNTY, W.Va. — West Virginia voters heading to the polls for May’s primary will see a major change this year – the Republican Party’s primary will be closed.

Starting with this election, only voters registered as Republicans will be allowed to vote in the Republican primary. Independent and unaffiliated voters will no longer be able to participate in those primaries, a shift from previous elections.

With the deadline to change party affiliation approaching, officials are urging voters to check their registration status now. Jimmy Willis said voters who want to take part in the Republican primary should confirm their party affiliation and make changes if needed.

“They’ll have to look on the Secretary of State’s website or go to the county courthouse and get their party affiliation switched if they know they’re not a registered Republican and would like to vote in the Republican primaries, they can just go do that,” Willis said. “But, if they’re unsure, they can just look it up online and go from there. But, it’s just important that people know that they’re going to have to be Republicans to vote in the primary this year.”

The last day to change party affiliation is April 21. West Virginia’s primary is May 12. More information, click HERE.

OHIO COUNTY, W.Va. — New data from the West Virginia Public School District shows student enrollment continues to drop statewide, with noticeable losses in counties across the Northern Panhandle.

In Marshall County, enrollment is down by more than 2.5%, a loss of more than 100 students. Neighboring Ohio County is also seeing a decline, reporting a 3% drop that continues a trend of shrinking classrooms.

“But declining enrollment is happening statewide and, of course, that happens here as well so we just continue to work really hard to make sure that we continue to provide the best programs available for our kids,” Ohio County Schools Superintendent Dr. Kim Miller said.

Statewide, the declines are part of a larger trend that can affect school funding because enrollment numbers play a key role in how much money counties receive, and whether they receive money at all.

“We don’t get state aid formula because of the amount of tax revenue that we bring Marshall County and a few other counties do not. So we are independently funded in that manner,” Marshall County Superintendent Shelby Haines said.

The decline is often linked to factors such as population loss, lower birth rates and families moving out of state.

“When you have West Virginia dollars leaving our state, that is certainly a challenge,’ Miller said. “We want to be able to retain as many dollars as we can, so we can provide the best educational opportunities for our kids.”

Education leaders say they have noticed the decline but have not had to adapt yet and are still providing the highest quality education for the students they have now.