This bill creates a new West Virginia Task Force on Election Integrity within the Secretary of State's office to study and recommend improvements for election security and management. The task force will include members from the State Election Commission, state legislators, cybersecurity experts, citizens, and county clerks, with a designated chair appointed by the Governor. Its main duties involve researching secure voting technologies, reviewing federal security reports, assessing equipment for foreign ownership risks, and evaluating current laws against threats like cyberattacks and ballot manipulation. The group will also examine whether existing election standards adequately prevent vote tampering and determine if its work overlaps with the State Election Commission.
SB 1050 proposes creating the West Virginia Task Force on Election Integrity to study election security and technology. The task force, composed of officials, cybersecurity experts, county clerks, and citizen members, will research secure and transparent vote tabulation systems - including hand-counting paper ballots - and assess election infrastructure technologies. It must align with federal cybersecurity guidelines and recommend specific changes to West Virginia law for adoption. The bill does not change current election procedures but establishes a process to evaluate and propose improvements to election management systems. (Note: This bill is proposed but not yet enacted.)
HB 5638 establishes the West Virginia Cybersecurity Office within the Office of Technology, led by a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), to manage the state's cybersecurity program. It requires most state agencies (excluding higher education, the State Police, constitutional officers, the Legislature, and Judiciary) to follow standardized cybersecurity practices, conduct risk assessments, and implement security controls for protecting information systems. The CISO is tasked with developing agency-wide cybersecurity policies, creating a risk management service to clarify agency responsibilities, and setting cyber risk standards based on federal and industry best practices. The bill aims to strengthen the state's ability to prevent, detect, and respond to cyber threats across government operations.
HB 5656 would provide West Virginia county clerks with an annual $15,000 supplement for expanded election-related duties. The bill requires clerks to perform specific new responsibilities, including administering municipal elections (since 2024), maintaining voter registration rolls, meeting cybersecurity standards for voting systems, and fulfilling federal HAVA grant reporting requirements. County commissions must pay this supplement only after the Secretary of State verifies clerks met all performance benchmarks annually. This applies to clerks handling duties transferred from circuit clerks in 2002 and expanded under recent state laws. The bill does not change existing compensation structures but adds this specific supplement for defined election administration responsibilities.
This bill authorizes the Office of Technology to implement a legislative rule about cyber reporting requirements, specifically referencing the rule filed as "163 CSR 03" in the State Register. The rule was previously modified to address legislative committee feedback and refiled on August 14, 2025. It directly affects entities required to report cyber incidents under this rule, such as state agencies or technology providers. The bill itself does not create new requirements but formally approves the existing rule for implementation.
