Skip to main content

West Virginia Statutes § 3-2-13 Agencies to provide voter registration services; designation of responsible employees; forms; prohibitions; confidentiality

⤴ Up to Article 2: Registration of Voters

Statute Text

(a) For the purposes of this article, "agency" means a department, division or office of state or local government, or a program supported by state funds, which is designated under this section to provide voter registration services, but does not include departments, divisions or offices required by other sections of this article to provide voter registration services.
(b) The following agencies shall provide voter registration services pursuant to the provisions of this article:
(1) Those state agencies which administer or provide services under the food stamp program, the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program and the Medicaid program;
(2) Those state-funded agencies primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities;
(3) County marriage license offices;
(4) Armed services recruitment offices, as required by federal law; and
(5) The Department of Revenue, if it provides a check box on any form provided to the general public authorizing the Department of Revenue to request a voter registration application by mail from the Secretary of State on behalf of the applicant.
(c) No later than the first day of October, one thousand nine hundred ninety-four, the Secretary of State shall, in conjunction with a designated representative of each of the appropriate state agencies, review those programs and offices established and operating with state funds which administer or provide public assistance or services to persons with disabilities and shall promulgate an emergency rule pursuant to the provisions of chapter twenty-nine-a of this code designating the specific programs and offices required to provide voter registration services in order to comply with the requirements of this section and the requirements of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 ( 42 U.S.C. § 1973gg , et seq .). The offices and programs so designated shall begin providing voter registration services on the first day of January, one thousand nine hundred ninety-five.
(d) In each even-numbered year, the Secretary of State shall, in conjunction with the designated representatives of the appropriate state agencies, perform the review as required by the provisions of subsection (c) of this section. The Secretary of State shall periodically review and revise, if necessary, the legislative rule designating the specific agencies required to provide voter registration services.
(e) Each state agency required to provide services pursuant to the provisions of this article shall designate a current employee of that agency to serve as a state supervisor to administer voter registration services required in all programs under the agency's jurisdiction. Each state supervisor is responsible for coordination with the Secretary of State, overall operation of the program in conjunction with services within the agency, designation and supervision of local coordinators and for the review of any complaints filed against employees relating to voter registration as provided in this chapter.
(f) The state supervisor shall designate a current employee as a local coordinator for voter registration services for each office or program delivery center who shall be responsible for the proper conduct of voter registration services, timely return of completed voter registration applications, proper handling of declinations and reporting requirements. Notice of the designation of these persons shall be made upon request of the Secretary of State and within five days following any change of designation. Each local coordinator shall receive biannual training provided by the Secretary of State.
(g) The registration application forms used for agency registration shall be issued pursuant to the provisions of section five of this article.
(h) The Secretary of State, in conjunction with those agencies designated to provide voter registration services pursuant to the provisions of this section, shall prescribe the form or portion of the appropriate agency form required by the provisions of 42 U.S.C. § 1973gg , et seq ., section 7(a)(6)(B) of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, containing the required notices and providing boxes for the applicant to check to indicate whether the applicant would like to register or decline to register to vote. The form or portion of the form is designated the "declination form".
(i) A person who provides voter registration services may not:
(1) Seek to influence an applicant's political preference or party registration;
(2) Display to any applicant any political preference or party allegiance;
(3) Make any statement to an applicant or take any action the purpose or effect of which is to discourage the applicant from registering to vote; or
(4) Make any statement to an applicant or take any action the purpose or effect of which is to lead the applicant to believe that a decision to register or not to register has any bearing on the availability of services or benefits.
(j) No information relating to the identity of a voter registration agency through which any particular voter is registered or to a declination to register to vote in connection with an application made at any designated agency may be used for any purpose other than voter registration.

Explore Related Documents

This section contains links to related documents with the same tags to allow you quickly access other relevant legal materials. These links include document types and counts, enabling you to explore similar content efficiently.