Hillsboro, West Virginia Public Records

Residents register to vote through the Pocahontas County Clerk's office or online via the West Virginia Secretary of State's voter registration portal at https://ovr.sos.wv.gov/Register. The state requires voters to register at least 21 days before an election. To register, applicants must be U.S. Citizens, West Virginia residents, at least 17 years old (must be 18 by the general election), and not currently serving a felony sentence or adjudicated mentally incompetent. Acceptable identification for registration includes a West Virginia driver's license or ID number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number. As an unincorporated community, Hillsboro does not hold municipal elections for mayor or town council since there is no city government. Residents vote in Pocahontas County and state elections, as well as federal elections for President, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives (West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District). County offices on the ballot typically include Pocahontas County Commission seats, County Clerk, Sheriff, Prosecuting Attorney, Assessor, and Board of Education members, with terms and election cycles varying by office. West Virginia holds partisan primary elections in May and general elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years. To find their assigned polling place, residents can use the West Virginia Secretary of State's polling place lookup tool at https://services.sos.wv.gov/Elections/Voter/FindMyPollingPlace or contact the Pocahontas County Clerk's office. Polling places are assigned based on voter registration address and precinct boundaries. On Election Day, polls are open from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM. West Virginia election records that are publicly accessible include voter registration lists (available for purchase by qualified requesters), campaign finance reports filed by candidates and committees (searchable at https://cfrs.sos.wv.gov/), candidate filings and petitions, and precinct-level election results. The County Clerk maintains these records and election results are also published by the West Virginia Secretary of State at https://sos.wv.gov/elections/. In the November 2024 presidential election, Pocahontas County reported approximately 4,200 registered voters with turnout estimated around 65-70%, consistent with Pocahontas County's strong participation in presidential elections. The county has historically leaned Republican in recent federal elections, though local races can be competitive. For the November 3, 2026 general election (West Virginia holds elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November), voters will decide several important races. West Virginia's U.S. Senate seat currently held by Senator Shelley Moore Capito is not up for election in 2026 (next election 2026 is for the seat currently held by Joe Manchin, whose term expires in 2025). There are no statewide executive offices on the 2026 ballot; the next gubernatorial election in West Virginia is in 2024. Voters will elect members of the West Virginia House of Delegates (all 100 seats elected every two years) and half of the West Virginia Senate (17 of 34 seats on a staggered basis). Pocahontas County voters participate in elections for Delegate District and Senate District covering Pocahontas County. County offices up for election in 2026 may include County Commission seats and other constitutional offices depending on term expirations; check with the Pocahontas County Clerk for the specific local ballot. West Virginia offers absentee voting for voters who qualify under specific circumstances including: military and overseas voters, voters with an illness or physical disability, voters who will be working during all hours polls are open, voters absent from the county on Election Day for business, personal business, or educational reasons, and voters who cannot vote due to religious beliefs or tenets. Absentee ballot applications are available from the Pocahontas County Clerk or online at https://sos.wv.gov/elections/. Completed applications must be submitted to the Pocahontas County Clerk, and voted absentee ballots must be received by the close of polls on Election Day to be counted. West Virginia also offers early in-person voting at the Pocahontas County Clerk's office and designated early voting locations beginning 13 days before Election Day and ending three days before Election Day, with extended hours including evenings and weekends. For questions about voter registration, polling locations, absentee voting, or candidate information for the 2026 election, residents should contact the Pocahontas County Clerk at (304) 799-4549 or visit https://sos.wv.gov/elections/.