Beaver, West Virginia Public Records

The voter registration deadline is 21 days before any election. To register, applicants must be U.S. Citizens, residents of West Virginia and Raleigh County, at least 17 years old (must be 18 by the next general election), and not currently serving a sentence or on parole or probation for a felony conviction, though voting rights are automatically restored upon completion of sentence. As an unincorporated community, Beaver does not hold municipal elections for mayor or city council since it has no incorporated municipal government. Residents participate in county, state, and federal elections instead. Raleigh County elections include races for county commission, sheriff, county clerk, circuit clerk, prosecuting attorney, assessor, and board of education members. These county offices are typically elected in partisan elections held in May (primary) and November (general election) of even-numbered years on a staggered schedule. To find their assigned polling place, residents can use the polling place lookup tool on the West Virginia Secretary of State's website at https://services.sos.wv.gov/Elections/Voter/FindMyPollingPlace or contact the Raleigh County Clerk's office. Polling places in the area are typically located at community centers, schools, or fire departments, with assignments based on precinct boundaries. West Virginia election records that are publicly accessible include voter registration lists (available for purchase by political parties, candidates, and certain organizations), campaign finance reports filed by candidates and political committees (searchable at https://cfrs.wvsos.gov/), candidate filings and ballot information, and precinct-level election results. The Raleigh County Clerk maintains historical election results, while statewide results are published by the Secretary of State's Elections Division. West Virginia voters will elect a U.S. Senator (the state's Class II Senate seat is up in 2026), all three U.S. House Representatives (West Virginia has two congressional districts following the 2020 census redistricting), and potentially the Governor if the state holds gubernatorial elections in midterm years (West Virginia governors serve four-year terms with elections in presidential years, so 2026 will not include a gubernatorial race). State legislative races will include all 100 seats in the West Virginia House of Delegates and approximately half of the 34 seats in the West Virginia Senate, which serves staggered four-year terms. Raleigh County voters will also decide several county offices depending on the election cycle schedule, potentially including sheriff, county commission seats, and other constitutional offices. Local ballot measures, if any are proposed, will be determined closer to the election date. West Virginia offers absentee voting for registered voters who meet certain criteria or through the state's early voting program. Any registered voter can vote early in-person at designated locations, typically including Raleigh County Clerk's office, during the period beginning 13 days before Election Day and ending three days before Election Day. Absentee ballots by mail are available to voters who will be absent from the county on Election Day, those with physical disabilities or illness, those whose employment prevents them from voting in person, those in active military service, and first responders working on Election Day. Absentee ballot applications can be downloaded from the Secretary of State's website or obtained from the Raleigh County Clerk's office, and must be submitted by the Wednesday before the election. Completed absentee ballots must be received by Raleigh County Clerk by the close of polls on Election Day to be counted.