How West Virginia’s Primary Election System Works

West Virginia uses a closed primary system, meaning voters must be registered with a political party in order to vote in that party’s primary election. At the polling place, voters receive the ballot for the party they are registered with and can only vote in that party’s primary races for that election.

Voters who are not affiliated with a party may be restricted from participating in partisan primary contests unless a party allows unaffiliated voters to take part. Primary elections determine each party’s nominees for offices such as U.S. House, statewide positions, and state and local offices.