On February 3, the West Virginia legislature passed HB 2853, which sets the details for the 2011 special gubernatorial election. The election will be October 4, 2011. The primary for the three ballot-qualified parties (Democratic, Republican, and Mountain) will be May 14. Nominees of unqualified parties, and independent candidates, need 1,766 signatures due by May 21. Anyone who wishes to avoid paying the filing fee needs a separate petition of 1,500 names.
West Virginia’s last gubernatorial election was in November 2008, when Joe Manchin, a Democrat, was elected. He resigned from the Governorship recently because he had been elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2010. That Senate election was also a special election, to fill the seat of Senator Robert Byrd, who died in office. Thanks to Jeff Becker for this news.
Move along. Nothing to see here.
H. B. 2853
“…providing that provisions relating to special general election do not affect political party creation;”
ARTICLE 10. FILLING VACANCIES.
§3-10-2. Vacancy in office of Governor.
(a) …Provided, That the special general election provided in this section may not apply to section eight, article one of this chapter.
WEST VIRGINIA CODE
§3-1-8. Political party defined; parties or groups that may participate in municipal primary elections.
Any affiliation of voters representing any principle or organization which, at the last preceding general election, polled for its candidate for governor at least one per cent of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for that office in the state, shall be a political party, within the meaning and for the purpose of this chapter..