CCSJ is a 501 (c) (3) organization, so we do not promote or endorse candidates. We do promote voting!
Monongalia County Clerk Carye Blaney is publicizing the need for everyone to be informed voters when they go to the polling place. You may use your phone while waiting to check in, but, once you check in, you cannot use your phone. You may take the sample ballot from the county website (cited below) or the sample ballot printed on May 5th and 12th in the Dominion Post . This is a long ballot because of the requirement to post the language of the levies and bond issue. The machines where you mark your ballots will time out after five minutes of no activity, and you will have to start over, so please read about those items in advance to make your decisions.
The League of Women Voters of Morgantown and Monongalia County has posted two videos from its forum for the Monongalia County Board of Education candidates on April 24th. Here is a link for the video of the discussion with the candidates. In addition, Justin Hershberger presented valuable information about the responsibilities of magistrates to prepare us to vote for candidates for those positions. You can see Mr. Hershberger’s presentation here.
Here are the important dates for the primary election:
May 1 – May 11- Early Voting 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily (except Sunday). There are three early voting sites in Monongalia County: Mountaineer Mall, 5000 Greenbag Road, Morgantown, WV 26505, (Front side of Mall next to Mylan); Mason Dixon Park, 79 Buckeye Road, Core, WV 26541 (In the red barn); Suncrest Towne Centre, 525 Suncrest Towne Centre Dr., Ste. 101, Morgantown, WV 26505
May 8 - Last Day to request an Absentee Ballot for Primary
May 14 - PRIMARY ELECTION DAY . Polls are open from 6: 30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. If you are in line at 7:30 p.m., you may still vote. If you appear at the polls at 7:31 p.m., you will not be permitted to vote.
Monongalia County voters will be voting on the renewal of four levies that must be approved by 60 percent of the voters to pass and a school bond issue that must be approved by 50 percent of the voters to pass. All of the levies have social justice implications as they would continue support for the Morgantown Public Library System, Mountain Line bus system, volunteer fire departments and Morgantown Fire Department, and parks, trails, and recreation (county parks, West Virginia Botanic Garden, rail trails, etc. The bond issue is for the proposed Renaissance Academy focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) for the county high school students.
Monongalia County voters will also be electing members of the Board of Education, judges, and magistrates. These are the final elections for these positions, while voters will be choosing candidates for the November election for members of the state legislature, members of Congress, governor, etc. Residents of Star City and Westover will be voting for local officials and, for Westover, a proposed charter amendment.
Voters who are registered as Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, or Mountain Party members MUST vote the ballot of that party. Voters who are registered with no party affiliation, may choose any of the above four ballots but must tell the poll workers their choice. If not, they will be given a ballot that only includes races and issues with no party affiliation: levies, bond issue, Board of Education, and judicial officers in Monongalia County. Everyone will have the same ballot in November.
Mountain Line offers rides to the polling places on Election Day that are serviced by its bus routes. Go here for information.
