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W.Va. Democratic, Republican parties spar over GOP mailer ahead of registration deadline

The West Virginia Republican Party defended a mailer that went out to voters last week that state Democratic Party officials said was misleading for its wording stating that “Only Registered Republicans Can Vote on May 12!” (Photo Courtesy/West Virginia Republican Party)

CHARLESTON – With less than 23 days left before the May 12 party primary election and today the deadline to register to vote, the West Virginia Republican Party is defending a recent mailer that state Democratic Party officials called “misleading.”

The state Republican Party sent out a mailer to voters last week reminding them that only registered Republicans can vote in the May GOP primary.

The front side of the mailer states that “Your Vote in the Republican Primary Starts with Registration.” The headline of the back side of the mailer states, “Join the Party of Your Values,” with the sub-headline reading, “Only Registered Republicans Can Vote on May 12th!”

Today is the last day for residents to register to vote or update their voter registration information to participate in the May primaries. Voters can either visit their local county clerk’s office today during business hours to register or update registration, or update their registration by midnight by visiting the Secretary of State’s election website at GoVoteWV.com.

More than two years ago, 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.

“West Virginia’s Republican Primary is now closed,” according to the text of the mailer. “That means independents, unaffiliated voters, and voters registered with other parties can no longer participate. If you’ve always considered yourself a conservative but never officially registered Republican, this is the year it matters most.”

“The West Virginia Republican Party has been clear and consistent since the 2024 decision to close the primary: If you want to participate in the Republican primary, we want you to and here’s how to do it,” said Del. Josh Holstein, chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party, in a statement Monday afternoon.

“That message has been communicated through earned media, text outreach, social media and direct mail,” said Holstein, R-Boone. “Some efforts are broad, reaching all voters, while others are more targeted, focusing on individuals our data shows have participated in Republican primaries but are not currently registered as Republicans.”

However, voters unaffiliated with any political party can still request a Democratic primary ballot or vote in nonpartisan races during the May primary. Del. Mike Pushkin, the chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party, said in a statement Monday that the party is filing an election complaint over the GOP mailer with the Secretary of State’s Office.

“This mailer is deliberately deceptive,” said Pushkin, D-Kanawha. “That headline is designed to trick voters, particularly independents, into believing they cannot vote at all in the May 12 primary. That is simply not true.

“The Republican Party made a conscious decision to shut independents out of their primary,” he continued. “Now they’re compounding that by sending out mailers designed to suppress voter participation.”

Holstein said any accusations that the Republican Party was trying to engage in voter suppression ahead of the state primary voter registration deadline are “ridiculous.”

“Claims of voter suppression are ridiculous and unserious, particularly when the purpose of this effort is to ensure that every voter who wants to participate in the Republican primary understands the process and has the opportunity to do so,” Holstein said. “The mailer specifically and boldly refers to the Republican Primary election on both the front and back of the mail piece, and any attempt to extrapolate otherwise is just embarrassing. Democrats, once again, are trying to blame everyone but their own failed leadership for their downward spiral.”

Donald “Deak” Kersey, the chief of staff to Secretary of State Kris Warner, could not confirm nor deny whether any election complaints had been filed regarding the mailer. He encouraged the public to get their election information from local county clerks or through the Secretary of State’s Office at GoVoteWV.com.

“State law is mostly silent on the Secretary of State’s authority to weigh in or regulate speech by political parties and candidates except where the speech expressly advocates for or against a candidate,” Kersey said. “Where a political message has the correct information, but it’s a matter of reading the entire message for material context, the law does not give the Secretary of State’s Office any direction or discretion to seek remedial action.”

Early voting for the May 12 primary runs April 29 through May 9, excluding Sundays, at county courthouses or designated voting locations.

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

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