House Bill 2919 would require the State Election Commission to create an online voters’ guide and direct the Secretary of State to post it on the agency website. The guide would be built from information already required in a candidate’s certificate of announcement, and the bill expands that filing form to include additional contact information such as telephone number, email address, and website or social media accounts if available. It also allows candidates for statewide office to submit a personal statement for inclusion in the guide.
The bill keeps the existing filing framework for candidates running for office in West Virginia primary and general elections, but it reorganizes and expands the information candidates must provide when filing. The guide is intended to make candidate information more accessible to the public, while the bill also preserves existing rules about party affiliation, candidate eligibility, and penalties for false statements on the certificate of announcement.
Impact
HB2919 would amend West Virginia Code §3-5-7 governing certificates of announcement for candidates. It would add a new public-facing election resource by requiring the State Election Commission to compile a voters’ guide from candidate filing information and requiring the Secretary of State to publish it online. The bill would also broaden the required filing information for candidates, especially by adding contact and online presence fields, and would permit statewide candidates to include a personal statement. Existing certification, challenge, and false-swearing provisions would remain in place.
Sentiment
The bill appears generally favorable and administrative in nature, with no recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials. Its stated purpose is to improve voter access to candidate information and make election filings more transparent and accessible. Because there are no transcripts or vote records included, there is no evidence of formal opposition or support beyond the bill’s stated intent.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are privacy and administrative burden. Requiring candidates to provide more contact information and allowing publication of a voters’ guide could raise concerns among candidates about disclosure of personal information, while election officials may need to manage the added responsibility of compiling and maintaining the guide. Another possible issue is the scope of personal statements, since the bill specifically extends that option to statewide candidates rather than all candidates, which could be viewed as uneven treatment. No specific objections are documented in the provided materials.