Avondale, West Virginia Public Records

To qualify, applicants must be U.S. Citizens, West Virginia residents, at least 17 years old (and 18 by the next general election), and not currently under conviction of a felony, treason, or election bribery unless civil rights have been restored. Valid identification is required, including a West Virginia driver's license or ID number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number. Since the community is unincorporated without its own municipal government, there are no local city council or mayoral elections. Instead, residents vote in federal, state, and county elections. McDowell County voters elect county commissioners, county clerk, sheriff, assessor, prosecuting attorney, circuit clerk, and other county officials in partisan elections. West Virginia State Legislature elections include representatives for the House of Delegates and State Senate districts covering Mc Dowell County. Voters can find their assigned polling place using the West Virginia Secretary of State's polling place lookup tool at https://services.sos.wv.gov/Elections/Voter/FindMyPollingPlace or by contacting the Mc Dowell County Clerk. In the November 2024 presidential election, McDowell County had voter turnout of approximately 5,800 voters out of roughly 11,000 registered voters, with overwhelming support for Republican candidates consistent with Mc Dowell County's strong conservative voting pattern. Looking ahead to the November 3, 2026 election, Avondale and McDowell County voters will decide several significant races. One of West Virginia's U.S. Senate seats will be on the ballot, as Senator Shelley Moore Capito's term expires; she will seek re-election or the seat will be open. West Virginia does not have a gubernatorial election in 2026, as the Governor serves a four-year term with the next election in 2028. However, all three of West Virginia's U.S. House seats will be on the ballot; McDowell County is in the 1st Congressional District currently represented by Carol Miller. All 100 seats in the West Virginia House of Delegates and 17 of the 34 West Virginia State Senate seats will be on the ballot in 2026. County voters will also elect various county offices that are up for election on the regular cycle, potentially including County Clerk, Sheriff, and County Commission seats depending on term expirations. West Virginia election records that are public include voter registration lists (available for purchase for political purposes under West Virginia Code §3-2-30), campaign finance reports filed by candidates and political committees (searchable at https://cfrs.wvsos.gov/index.html), candidate filings and ballot information, and precinct-level election results (available through the Secretary of State's office at https://sos.wv.gov/elections/). West Virginia allows absentee voting for voters who will be absent from the county on election day, are unable to vote in person due to illness or disability, are confined to jail awaiting trial, or work during polling hours that would prevent voting. Absentee ballot applications must be submitted to the McDowell County Clerk by six days before the election. The County Clerk will mail ballots to approved applicants, and voted ballots must be received by the Mc Dowell County Clerk by the close of polls on election day to be counted. West Virginia also offers early in-person voting beginning 13 days before the election and ending three days before election day at locations designated by the Mc Dowell County Clerk.