West Virginia GOP closes primary to registered Republicans starting in May

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.