On January 31, the West Virginia House Committee unanimously passed HB 2853, which sets up a primary for this year’s special gubernatorial election, and also sets rules for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties. Policy committees in both houses have now passed bills to hold primaries. If no bill passes, the three qualified parties will nominate by convention. The Senate bill is SB 261. The two versions differ, and one of the differences is that the House bill requires a smaller number of signatures for minor party and independent candidates.
Unfortunately this is not the same as their earlier bill and just mirrors the Senate bill which does not provide reduced petition signature requirements for independent and minor party candidates even though it does reduce the requirement for waiving the filing fee.
It is a DEFECTIVE BILL and will be subject to legal action.
The House just passed a committee substitute bill which DOES have the reduced petitioning language, but the senate passed their version without it. This is now heading for compromise since the House is calling for a May primary and September general election (changed from their August 6 original), and the Senate is calling for a June primary and October election. We may get a good bill after all. I’m personally pulling for the Senate’s June primary which gives Indy/minor parties until a full week after that to submit petitions. Don’t care what month the general takes place.