Refer instances of election fraud to the attorney general for prosecution
HB 5561 would require West Virginia's Secretary of State to refer potential election fraud cases directly to the state Attorney General for prosecution, rather than to a county prosecuting attorney. Currently, the Secretary refers such cases to the Prosecuting Attorneys Institute, which appoints a county-level special prosecutor. This change would shift the primary responsibility for prosecuting election fraud from local county authorities to the state Attorney General's office. The bill affects how election fraud allegations are handled, moving the referral process from county to state level.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 16, 2026
Last action Feb 16, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
4
Key actions
0
Committee
2
Feb 16, 2026
Committee
To House Judiciary
lower
Feb 16, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
Feb 16, 2026
Committee
To Judiciary
lower
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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