This year, West Virginia has 19 minor party candidates for the legislature on the ballot. That is the most since at least 1936, and possibly earlier. The number of minor party legislative nominees in 1936 is unknown. The only minor parties on the ballot in 1936 were Socialist and Prohibition. The West Virginia ballot access laws became extremely difficult in 1937, and again in 1941. They were eased in 2009, after years of struggle.

This year there are nine Constitution Party legislative nominees, five Libertarians, and five Greens. The West Virginia Green Party has the name “Mountain Party.”

The previous highest number of legislative minor party nominees was in 1998, when there were ten Libertarians.