Published: October 11, 2008 07:43 pm      

W.Va.’s voter registration deadline approaching

PRINCETON — Eligible people who want to cast ballots in Mercer, McDowell or Monroe counties during the November election still have time to get themselves registered to vote. And for those citizens who cannot wait to vote until Election Day, early voting begins Wednesday, Oct. 15.

In West Virginia, the deadline for registering to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 14. The region’s county clerk’s offices have been seeing citizens signing up so they can vote in the presidential race as well as for state and local representatives. However, county offices will be closed Monday for Columbus Day.

Mercer County residents can register Tuesday at the Mercer County Courthouse from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., said Marie Hill, registrar. Early voting begins Wednesday, Oct. 15 and continues until Nov. 1. Early voters can also come to the courthouse on Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

People can get a voter registration form online by going to the West Virginia Secretary of State website at wvsos.com, Hill said. An application can be printed off the website, filled out and either mailed or faxed to the courthouse. The form will be accepted if it is postmarked by Oct. 14. The fax number is (304) 425-4851.

Voters who are already registered but wish to use an absentee ballot can call (304) 487-8338 or 8339 to get an application, Hill said.

People registering to vote at their county courthouse should bring a state-issued identification or driver’s license and proof of their physical address such as a check stub, a utility bill or credit card bill, said Election Clerk Frank Kapish of the McDowell County Clerk’s Office.

Citizens who use post office boxes can still register to vote, but their voter’s card is held for 10 days until the Post Office verifies their physical address, Kapish said. Post office box users will still be able to vote in the November election.

While the McDowell County Clerk’s Office has seen plenty of people coming in to register, the overall number of voters is remaining the same, Kapish said.

“We have 15,000 registered voters, about the same from last year,” Kapish said. “We’ve had an influx of voters this primary and presidential season, but once you pull out the non-voters, it stays around 15,500.”

Voters are removed from rolls if they miss two presidential elections, plus people who have passed away or have moved out of the county are taken off the record, Kapish said.

When early voting begins Oct. 15, voters can come to the McDowell County Courthouse. The county clerk’s office can be reached at (304) 436-8543.

“They will come to the clerk’s office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., our regular business hours, and it runs from Oct. 15 to Nov. 1,” Kapish said. “And two of those dates are a Saturday, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1. We’re also open on those days with regular business hours from 9 a.m .to 5 p.m.”

In Monroe County, early voting also begins Oct. 15 at the Monroe County Courthouse in Union. The hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., said County Clerk Donnie Evans.

On the mandated Saturdays for early voting, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, the county clerk’s office will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Evans said.

People who wish to cast absentee ballots can call the clerk’s office at (304) 772-3096 or go to the county’s website at www.monroecoutywv.net and click the link for printing off an absentee ballot form.