Charleston, W.Va. – A postcard to West Virginia citizens who are eligible to register to vote is set to be mailed out by Friday, according to West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner.
A postcard will be mailed to 44,939 West Virginia residents who have been identified as eligible but not registered to vote. Citizens who receive a postcard have been issued a driver’s license from the WV Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) since 2016, but are not registered to vote. The mailing is part of the Secretary of State’s voter registration list maintenance efforts conducted in West Virginia and other states who are members of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).
The timing of the mailing is to encourage voter registration leading up to a federal general election. The upcoming General Election is scheduled for November 6th. A similar mailing was sent out to West Virginians in the fall of 2016. The postcards are simply a request to register to vote or to update one’s registration.
Warner acknowledges that it is possible some currently registered voters may inadvertently receive the postcard. No voter registration will be deactivated or affected because of the postcard. Notices sent to citizens already registered may indicate that the voter registration data on file with the Secretary of State’s Office does not match the data from the DMV. In addition, despite best efforts and several precautionary steps taken, some citizens who may have passed away since 2016 could receive the postcard notice.
“I offer my sincerest apologies in advance if a notice is sent to someone in error or who has passed away,” Warner said. “Despite our best efforts, some errors are unavoidable when working with multiple databases managed by separate agencies. We have done our very best to ensure that these postcards will be sent to the right people.”
Those who do receive a postcard are encouraged to register either online, by mail-in application or by visiting their local county clerk. To register online, a citizen can visit this link on the Secretary of State’s website: https://ovr.sos.wv.
Any additional questions regarding the postcards can be addressed by calling the WVSOS Elections Division at(304) 558-6000.