Clay County voters will decide five races and one statewide constitutional amendment in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Early voting is already underway at the Clay County Courthouse and runs through Saturday, Oct. 31. This guide covers every contest on the Clay County ballot, gives a short profile of each candidate, and explains when, where and how to vote.
Every Clay County precinct has the same contests on its ballot, according to the official Clay County sample ballot from the West Virginia Secretary of State. Candidates are listed below in the order they appear on that ballot. The Clay Communicator does not endorse candidates.
Key dates at a glance
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Oct. 13 | Voter registration deadline (passed) |
| Oct. 21 – Oct. 31 | In-person early voting at the Clay County Courthouse |
| Oct. 27 – noon Nov. 3 | Emergency absentee voting for voters who qualify (for example, a voter who will be in the hospital on Election Day) |
| Wed., Oct. 28 | Deadline to apply for an absentee ballot |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Last day of early voting, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Mon., Nov. 2 | Last day to hand-deliver an absentee ballot to the County Clerk’s office |
| Tue., Nov. 3 | Election Day: polls open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 9 | Last day for absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive and be counted |
Where and when to vote
Early voting: Clay County Courthouse
- Location: Clay County Courthouse, 246 Main Street, Clay, WV 25043
- Dates: Oct. 21 through Oct. 31, 2026
- Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday
- Phone: (304) 587-4259
The courthouse is Clay County’s only early voting site this year, according to the Secretary of State’s statewide list of early voting locations. Any registered Clay County voter can vote there during early voting, whatever precinct they live in.
Election Day: your home precinct
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, you must vote at the polling place assigned to your precinct. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. To find your polling place, use the Secretary of State’s Find My Polling Place tool or call the Clay County Clerk at (304) 587-4259.
Bring a photo ID. This is new.
This is West Virginia’s first general election under its new photo ID law. The law was first used in the May 12 primary, and a utility bill or bank statement no longer counts as ID at the polls, according to the Associated Press. The rule applies both to early voting and to Election Day. The Secretary of State’s office lists the accepted IDs, and each one must be valid and unexpired:
- A West Virginia driver’s license or state-issued ID card
- A driver’s license from another state
- A U.S. passport or passport card
- A photo employee ID issued by a local, state or federal government
- A photo student ID from a West Virginia college, university or high school
- A U.S. military photo ID
- A photo voter registration card issued by a West Virginia county clerk or the Secretary of State
Voters 65 and older: an expired ID from the list above still counts if it had not yet expired on your 65th birthday.
No ID? You still have options. A poll worker who has known you for at least six months can vouch for you. You can also bring an adult who has known you for at least six months: that person shows their own photo ID and signs a sworn statement confirming who you are. If neither option works, you can cast a provisional ballot, which is counted if your signature matches your voter registration. Registered voters can get a free photo voter ID card from the Clay County Clerk’s office. (WV Secretary of State)
Absentee (mail) voting
West Virginia does not offer mail voting to everyone. Absentee ballots are only for voters who cannot vote in person, for reasons such as illness, work schedule, travel or incarceration (Mountain State Spotlight). Applications must reach the County Clerk by Wednesday, Oct. 28. A completed ballot can be hand-delivered to the Clerk’s office until Monday, Nov. 2. A mailed ballot counts if it is postmarked by Election Day and arrives by Nov. 9 (GoVoteWV). The Secretary of State’s absentee voting page has the full eligibility list and the application form.
What’s on the Clay County ballot
There is no presidential race this year. Clay County voters will choose a U.S. senator, a U.S. representative, a state senator, a member of the House of Delegates and a county commissioner, and will vote on Amendment 1. Nonpartisan offices, including the Board of Education and the state’s judicial seats, were decided in the May 12 primary and are not on the November ballot.
U.S. Senate (vote for one)
Six-year term. Salary: $174,000. Three candidates are running for the seat held by Republican Shelley Moore Capito, who is seeking a third term.
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Shelley Moore Capito (Republican, incumbent).
Capito has served in the U.S. Senate since 2015 and is the first woman West Virginia has sent to the Senate. Before that she represented the state’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2015, and served in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 1997 to 2001 (Ballotpedia). She holds degrees from Duke University and the University of Virginia. She chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the Senate Republican Policy Committee (Biographical Directory of Congress via Voteview). In May she won a six-way Republican primary with 66.5% of the vote. After the primary she said her focus is on growing the economy and good-paying jobs, infrastructure, West Virginia energy and natural resources, and community safety (Herald-Dispatch / West Virginia Watch). Campaign website
senate.com/press-kit)
Rachel Fetty Anderson (Democrat).
Fetty Anderson is a public-interest attorney in Morgantown who served two terms on Morgantown City Council. Her legal clients include people in the foster care system, survivors of domestic violence and people with disabilities (West Virginia Watch voter guide). She won a five-way Democratic primary with about 33% of the vote, ahead of former state Senate President Jeff Kessler (Parkersburg News and Sentinel). If elected, she has said she would support Medicare for All, restoring the right to abortion, codifying the Equal Rights Amendment and restoring checks on the executive branch (Herald-Dispatch / West Virginia Watch). Campaign website
S. Marshall Wilson (Constitution Party).
Wilson represented part of Berkeley County in the House of Delegates from 2016 to 2020, first as a Republican, before leaving the party in late 2019 (The Inter-Mountain). He is a retired U.S. Army infantry officer and combat veteran with a master’s degree in national security. His campaign site lists his priorities as cutting regulations and energy costs, opposing spending beyond constitutional limits, and defending the Bill of Rights (The Ballot Brief). Wilson ran for governor in 2020 as a write-in candidate and in 2024 as the Constitution Party nominee. His 2024 result earned the Constitution Party official ballot status in West Virginia (Weirton Daily Times). Campaign website
U.S. House of Representatives, 1st District (vote for one)
Two-year term. Salary: $174,000. Clay County is in the 1st Congressional District, which covers the southern part of the state.
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Carol Miller (Republican, incumbent).
Miller was first elected to Congress in 2018 and has represented the 1st District since it was redrawn in 2023. Before Congress she served more than 10 years in the state House of Delegates. In May she won the Republican primary with about 72% of the vote against Wyoming County business owner Larry Jackson. She has been a strong supporter of President Donald Trump’s agenda, including efforts to roll back environmental regulations on coal, oil and gas (West Virginia Watch). Campaign website
forcongress.com/)
Vince George (Democrat).
George is a retired public policy analyst (Wikipedia, 2026 West Virginia elections). He won a close Democratic primary against Brit Aguirre with about 53% of the vote (West Virginia Watch). After the primary he criticized Miller’s record, saying she voted in ways that would close rural hospitals and favored tax cuts for the wealthy (WV Daily News). Campaign website
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Belinda Fox-Spencer (Constitution Party).
Fox-Spencer is a small business owner from Monroe County who spent about 20 years in health care as a diagnostic medical sonographer. She ran for this seat as an independent in 2022 (WCHS). She attended Bluefield State and Mountain State University (iVoterGuide). Campaign website
West Virginia Senate, 8th District (vote for one)
Four-year term. Base salary: $25,652.25. The 8th District includes all of Clay and Roane counties and parts of Putnam, Kanawha and Jackson counties (State Navigate). This is an open seat: the appointed incumbent, Republican T. Kevan Bartlett, lost his bid for renomination in May (Wikipedia).
Lance Wheeler (Republican).
Wheeler is a St. Albans native who was elected to the Kanawha County Commission in 2020. He has said his focus is making life more affordable, including cutting and eventually eliminating the state income tax (MetroNews). He holds an economics degree from the University of Kentucky (BallotReady). He narrowly won a three-way Republican primary over Bartlett and Dr. Steven Eshenaur (WCHS). Campaign website
Kim Hundley (Democrat).
Hundley is a teacher and a first-time candidate. She has said the 2018 West Virginia teachers’ strike first inspired her to run. A breast cancer survivor, she says lowering health care costs for state employees is a priority (West Virginia Watch). She is endorsed by the West Virginia Education Association and the United Mine Workers of America (iVoterGuide). Campaign website
West Virginia House of Delegates, 62nd District (vote for one)
Two-year term. Base salary: $25,652.25. The 62nd District covers Clay, Calhoun and part of Gilmer counties.
Roger Hanshaw (Republican, incumbent), unopposed.
Hanshaw is a Clay County attorney who has been Speaker of the House of Delegates since 2018. He holds a law degree from West Virginia University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Notre Dame. The Democratic nominee, Samantha Tanner-Lester, withdrew after winning her primary, so Hanshaw is the only candidate on the ballot (WDTV). He was first elected to the House in 2014 (Parkersburg News and Sentinel) and practices law with Bowles Rice (BallotReady). Campaign website
Clay County Commission (vote for one)
Six-year term. The county commission oversees county tax dollars and the county election process, maintains the courthouse, and funds services such as libraries, ambulance and fire service, and trash pickup (Mountain State Spotlight). This year’s seat is the District B seat. Candidates must live in the magisterial district they would represent, but voters across the whole county vote in the race. The ballot notes that no more than one commissioner may live in any one magisterial district.
Trey Corwell (Republican).
Corwell manages the Elk River division of Rail Explorers, the railbike attraction that runs along the old Buffalo Creek & Gauley line in Clay County. Before that, he taught at Clay County High School (Charleston Gazette-Mail). He has publicly described tourism as a major opportunity for the county’s economy (Clay County Free Press).
Greg Fitzwater (Democrat).
Fitzwater was a member of the Clay County Commission in the recent past, listed alongside Jerry Linkinoggor and Fran King on the county’s official website. He was unopposed for the Democratic nomination in May (Clay County Free Press).
Amendment 1: Citizenship Requirement to Vote in West Virginia Elections (FOR or AGAINST)
What it says: The state’s official summary says the amendment provides that in all West Virginia elections, only people who are U.S. citizens and citizens of this state may vote (official public notice). The state constitution now says “citizens of the state” are entitled to vote. The amendment would add the words “citizens of the United States” (Ballotpedia).
Background: State law already bars non-citizens from voting in West Virginia, and federal law bars them from voting in federal elections. The Legislature sent the measure to voters unanimously, 97–0 in the House and 34–0 in the Senate. It needs a simple majority of votes cast to pass (Ballotpedia; West Virginia Watch).
Supporters’ case: The lead sponsor, Sen. Patricia Rucker (R-Jefferson), argues that a future Legislature could change the existing law with an ordinary bill, while a constitutional amendment would lock the requirement in place and make it easier to enforce (West Virginia Watch). The group Americans for Citizen Voting also supports it.
Opponents’ case: The League of Women Voters of West Virginia opposes the amendment and calls it unnecessary, since non-citizens are already barred from voting (Mountain State Spotlight).
Note: A separate proposal to raise the homestead property tax exemption for seniors did not make the ballot, even though some early reports said it would. Amendment 1 is the only statewide question (Ballotpedia).
Voter resources
- Clay County Clerk (early voting, absentee ballots, free voter ID cards, local questions): Clay County Courthouse, 246 Main Street, Clay · (304) 587-4259
- See your exact ballot: Sample Ballot Lookup · Clay County sample ballot
- Find your polling place: apps.sos.wv.gov/Elections/Voter/FindMyPollingPlace
- Check your registration: Am I Registered?
- Find your legislative districts: mapwv.gov/vote
- Photo ID rules: sos.wv.gov/be-registered-and-ready
- Absentee voting: sos.wv.gov/absentee-voting-information
- All dates and deadlines: GoVoteWV
- WV Secretary of State, Elections Division: (304) 558-6000 · toll-free (866) 767-8683 · elections@wvsos.gov
- Nonpartisan voter guides: Mountain State Spotlight (Clay County) · West Virginia Watch · BallotReady · Vote.gov
Sources
- West Virginia Secretary of State, Clay County 2026 General Election Sample Ballot
- West Virginia Secretary of State, GoVoteWV: General Election Dates and Deadlines
- West Virginia Secretary of State, 2026 General Election Early Voting Locations
- West Virginia Secretary of State, Voter Identification Information
- Mountain State Spotlight, Clay County, WV 2026 general election voter guide, Oct. 5, 2026
- Associated Press via WVTF, New West Virginia law requiring photo IDs at polling places greets voters in primary election, May 12, 2026
- West Virginia Watch, Miller to defend U.S. House seat against Democrat Vince George, May 12, 2026
- Herald-Dispatch / West Virginia Watch, Capito secures GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, will face Fetty Anderson, May 2026
- Parkersburg News and Sentinel, Capito wins overwhelmingly in GOP Senate primary, May 2026
- West Virginia Watch, 2026 voter guide: U.S. Senate
- MetroNews, Republican senate race in 8th district highlights hotly-contested primary season, Apr. 21, 2026
- West Virginia Watch, Why five first-time WV candidates decided to run for office, May 4, 2026
- WDTV, North Central West Virginia 2026 Election Guide, Oct. 20, 2026
- Charleston Gazette-Mail, Tourism on the right track: Clay County welcomes railbike attraction
- Clay County Commission, official county website
- Clay County Free Press, 2026 Primary Election Candidates Announced, Feb. 10, 2026
- Ballotpedia News, West Virginia becomes fourth state to place citizenship requirement amendment on 2026 ballot; West Virginia legislators place citizenship requirement for voting on the ballot
- West Virginia Watch, WV voters will decide on proposed citizen-only voting constitutional amendment, Sept. 15, 2026
- Voteview / Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, Capito, Shelley Moore
- State Navigate, State Senate District 8 overview
Spot an error? Email news@theclaycommunicator.com. Candidates who would like to share a headshot or a statement for our coverage can reach us at the same address.
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