Technology (Elections)

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 4935 requires all West Virginia elections to use paper ballots that must be hand-counted, banning electronic voting systems entirely. It also mandates that voters present a government-issued photo ID to be eligible to vote. The bill repeals all existing provisions related to electronic voting systems (sections §3-4A-1 through §3-4A-34) and amends voting standards to enforce these changes. This directly affects all voters in West Virginia elections by changing the voting method and adding an identification requirement.