CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Political candidates in West Virginia can throw their hats in the ring as the official Candidate Filing Period is open for the May 2026 primary election.

Candidates can file to run for office now through the end of January, and that means things are about to get even busier for Secretary of State Kris Warner. He wants any prospective candidates to know that they’re ready for the task.

“We are here to help and assist in any way we can, but the first thing if someone’s considering running for office is know where they should file for office,” he said.

Anyone running for legislative or statewide offices, judgeships (excluding magistrates), or an office that covers more than one county is required to file their certificate of candidacy with the Secretary of State. Candidates for county or district offices, as well as magistrate positions, must file with their local county clerk’s office.

Warner recommends office seekers go to his office’s website to verify that they live in the district they want to run in.

‘Whether you’re in District 78 in Monongalia County or District 80, it’s really important, and you can tell that. You can tell that. You can tell what state senate district you’re in, judgeship districts. It’s just really important to know that you’re filing in the correct district,” he said.

The filing period is the start of a fast-moving series of milestones during an election year in the Secretary of State’s office. Warner noted he’s been out for several months getting West Virginians ready to vote.

“I’ve been personally in 34 of the high schools in West Virginia registering high school students so that they know their vote matters just as much as the President of the United States or Taylor Swift or any other influencer, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the second half of this last year,” he said.

There are some changes coming to West Virginia elections in 2026, the most significant of which is the closure of the Republican primary to unaffiliated voters. Warner said they’ve been working hard to make sure election officials are prepared.

“My job is to make sure that we educate the 55 county clerks and all 8,255 poll workers to make sure that they understand that unaffiliated voters will not be able to pull a Republican ballot in the May primary,” he said.

The 2026 West Virginia primary election is scheduled for May 12.