HB 5228 West Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

Relating to clarifying the definition of electioneering

HB 5228 clarifies West Virginia's definition of "electioneering" to prohibit campaign-related activities near polling places. It bans displaying candidate logos, campaign materials, or verbally advocating for/against candidates or ballot questions within 100 feet of polling entrances on election day. The bill exempts news media conducting exit polls and vehicle bumper stickers parked within 100 feet while voters are entering. Violations carry fines of $100-$1,000 or up to one year in jail, and election officials or law enforcement may enforce these rules.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 5, 2026 Last action Feb 21, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Committee Substitute Engrossed Committee Substitute · 3 edits · Feb 20, 2026
MINOR
The bill was transitioned from a 'Committee Substitute' to an 'Engrossed' version, indicating it has passed a legislative vote and is ready for final passage. The substantive text of the bill, which clarifies electioneering definitions and enforcement powers, remains unchanged from the previous version.
TECHNICAL

The bill status label was updated to 'Engrossed' to reflect its current legislative stage.

The previous 'Committee Substitute' label and related history links were removed.

Minor formatting adjustments were made to the header section, including changing the origin note from square brackets to parentheses and adding a blank line.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Feb 20, 2026

How they voted

8013
Passed · 7 other
Total votes 100
Feb 20, 2026
D Democratic9
9 Nay
100% Nay
R Republican91
80 Yea 4 Nay 7
87% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
19
Key actions
2
Committee
6
Feb 21, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
upper
Feb 21, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
Feb 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed House (Roll No. 151)
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
By substitute, do pass
lower
Feb 12, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Committee
To House Legal Services
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
lower
1 primary · 5 co-sponsors

Sponsors