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Bill > HB4080
WV HB4080
WV HB4080To provide for partisan races for mayoral and city council races, and provide for the election of mayors by citizens of a town or municipality.
summary
Introduced
01/14/2026
01/14/2026
In Committee
01/23/2026
01/23/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026 Regular Session
Bill Summary
The purpose of this bill is to require mayor and city council elections to be partisan.
AI Summary
This bill mandates that by July 1, 2032, all municipal elections for city council members and mayors must be conducted as partisan elections, meaning candidates will run under a political party affiliation. It also clarifies that mayors must be elected by popular vote and cannot be appointed, except as allowed by specific existing laws (referenced as §3-10-1 et seq. of this code). Any city, town, or village whose current charter conflicts with these new requirements will need to amend it by the same deadline to comply. Additionally, municipalities will share in the administrative costs of holding elections with county commissions, but their contribution will be limited to their proportional share of registered voters within the municipality compared to the total county registration.
Committee Categories
Justice
Sponsors (9)
Jimmy Willis (R)*,
Geno Chiarelli (R),
Joe Funkhouser (R),
Mike Hite (R),
Josh Holstein (R),
Mike Hornby (R),
Robbie Martin (R),
Chris Phillips (R),
Jeffrey Stephens (R),
Last Action
House Committee on the Judiciary Meeting (09:00:00 1/28/2026 House Judiciary Committee Room 410) (on 01/28/2026)
bill text
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4080&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill |
| Fiscal Note - Municipal League, WV | http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Fiscalnotes/FN(2)/fnsubmit_recordview1.cfm?RecordID=951238216 |
| BillText | http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4080%20intr.htm&yr=2026&sesstype=RS&i=4080 |
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