West Virginia Delegate Mike Manypenny (D-Grafton) has introduced HB 2032, to make it easier for a party to become or remain ballot-qualified. Current law requires a party to have polled 1% for Governor to be a qualified party. The bill would say a party is a group that has polled at least 1% for any statewide office.

If this bill had been law in 1996, the Reform Party would have attained party status in West Virginia after the November 1996 election. The Reform Party never had qualified status in West Virginia, even though it was a qualified party immediately after the 1996 election in 32 states. Thanks to Jeff Becker for this news.