HB 5561 West Virginia House of Delegates · 2026 Regular Session

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
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Total actions
4
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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