×

Monongalia County Republican Executive Committee calls for independents to be allowed to vote in GOP primary

Graphic by Steven Allen Adams

CHARLESTON – West Virginia’s 2026 Republican primary next year will be closed to independent and unaffiliated voters for the first time in decades, but party leaders in one county are urging the state GOP to reverse course.

In a Thursday press release, the Monongalia County Republican Executive Committee called on the West Virginia Republican Executive Committee to reverse a decision made nearly two years ago to close the 2026 GOP primary to unaffiliated voters. The MCREC adopted a resolution in a majority vote on Dec. 9.

In a statement, MCREC Chairman Dale Sparks said closing the GOP primary to unaffiliated voters creates barriers for conservative-leaning voters to participate in future elections, encourage greater voter turnout and legitimize Republican nominees in the November 2026 general election.

Dale said the resolution was borne out of a 2020 “Pledge to the People of Monongalia County” made by the MCREC, where the committee pledged to support “free and fair elections, local control, individual rights, and expanded opportunity for citizens and businesses.”

“Faithful to our 2020 Pledge to the People of Monongalia County, this committee believes that local dilemmas deserve local solutions, that elections must remain free and fair, and that every conservative in our community deserves a voice in choosing Republican candidates,” Sparks said. “Restoring open Republican primaries is essential to honoring individual rights, encouraging civic participation, and electing strong Republican nominees who reflect the full spectrum of conservative voters in Monongalia County.”

In an email Thursday afternoon, West Virginia Republican Party Chairman Del. Josh Holstein, R-Boone, said the state party has no comment on the MCREC resolution at this time. But in a newsletter issued Wednesday, the party stressed the need for unaffiliated voters to register as Republican to participate in the GOP primary.

“If you’re currently registered as ‘Independent’ or ‘Unaffiliated’ and believe in the values of the Republican Party, we want you on our team,” the email stated. “By switching to Republican, you’ll guarantee your voice is heard in the most important elections of our generation.”

In its annual winter meeting in Charleston in January 2024, members of the West Virginia Republican Executive committee voted for an amended resolution to close the Republican primary to unaffiliated voters beginning in 2026 after an attempt to close the 2024 GOP primary failed.

State Code 3-2-31 and 3-4A-20 allows political parties to determine whether unaffiliated voters can participate in primaries. Unaffiliated voters have been able to participate in Republican primary contests since 1986 and Democratic primaries since 2017. At primary polling locations, poll workers are required to give unaffiliated voters a nonpartisan ballot unless they request a specific political party’s primary ballot.

In West Virginia, county clerks can begin accepting absentee ballot applications for the 2026 primaries as early as Jan. 1. Voters wishing to register to vote for the 2026 primary or update their voter registration to register as a Republican to participate in the GOP primary have until April 12 to do so, otherwise unaffiliated voters will be given a nonpartisan ballot or they can vote in the Democratic Party primary.

The earliest the West Virginia Republican Executive Committee would be able to vote to allow unaffiliated voters to participate in the 2026 primary is at its winter meeting scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 10.

“As we close out the year, the Party is actively preparing for our upcoming Winter Meeting on January 10, 2026,” said West Virginia Republican Party Executive Director Ryan Jacinto in a newsletter Wednesday. “This meeting will help set priorities for the year ahead as we continue strengthening our organization and positioning ourselves for success in the upcoming midterm election cycle.”

According to the most recent voter registration report from the Secretary of State’s Office, Republicans continue to grow their voter registration numbers, with 507,844 West Virginians registered as Republicans, or 42.4% of all registered voters in the state. The number of registered Democratic Party voters continues to shrink, with only 27.8% of the electorate registered with the previous majority party, or 332,390 voters. Voters registered as “no party” made up 25.4% of the electorate, or 304,173 registered voters, and is on pace to exceed the number of registered Democrats in the state.

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today