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Absentee voting is available if you meet any of the criteria below. The last day to request an absentee ballot is 6 days before the election. Voted ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received no later than 5 days after Election Day in order to be counted. You can return your absentee ballot request form through the mail, in person, or scanned as an attachment to an email. Just be sure to include your proof of ID no matter how you return the request form.  You can sign up to track your absentee ballot on your Secretary of State website. Absentee ballots begin being counted on Election Day. For more information contact your local election officials.

Requesting and Returning your Absentee Ballot

You may submit an absentee ballot application beginning 84 days before the General Election if you meet any of the following criteria: 

  • Attending school
  • Illness, injury or other medical reason
  • Traveling outside the county for business or personal reasons
  • Incarcerated or serving home confinement for misdemeanor, and legally registered to vote
  • Work hours and distance from county seat
  • Work assignment requires living temporarily outside the county (4 years or less)
  • Service as election or appointed or federal official requires living temporarily outside country
  • If the early voting, or Election Day polling locations are inaccessible
  • If you are attending college or another place of education or training

To download the absentee ballot application, use your state's resource.

Your request for an absentee ballot must be received no later than the 6th day before the election. Unless you are voting absentee by mail because of illness or disability, the ballot must be mailed to an out-of-county address. You may apply as early as eighty-four days before the election, but the ballots are not ready for mailing to you until six weeks before the election.

Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received no later than five days after Election Day in order to be counted. You can hand-deliver your ballot, but those must be received no later than the day before Election Day. You can track your ballot to see where it is in the process.

Voting in Person if Absentee Ballot was Requested

Those who requested an absentee ballot but end up voting in person:  Voters must surrender their absentee ballots before receiving a regular ballot, otherwise they must vote by a provisional ballot. Do not mail a ballot and vote in person. For specifics, you can find your local county clerk contact info here.

Permanent Absentee Voting 

If you are a participant in the West Virginia Secretary of State's Address Confidentiality Program or you have a permanent, physical disability that prevents you from going to a polling place, you can apply for permanent absentee voting.

Emergency Absentee Voting

If you're in a hospital or other health care facility on Election Day or are a poll worker appointed to a precinct other than your own after Early Voting you can apply for emergency absentee voting. Some counties allow for emergency absentee voting in other situations, so be sure to check with your County Clerk for more information.

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