West Virginia: West Liberty Recount Canceled | Wheeling News-Register

A scheduled recount in the mayor’s race was canceled Thursday in West Liberty, where just one vote presently separates the incumbent mayor and her challenger.

Mayor Rosie Miller said town officials learned they must first conduct an official canvass of ballots before any recounting of votes can occur. That canvass is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Once the canvass is complete, candidates have 48 hours in which to call for a recount, she said.

West Virginia: Voting by mail costs Morgantown WV twice as much; debate begins on whether it was worth it | Greenfield Reporter

Officials in Morgantown are debating whether the higher than expected cost of West Virginia’s first vote-by-mail election was worth it. Finance Director J.R. Sabatelli tells the Dominion Post the total tally was $33,386, more than twice what the city anticipated.

Councilman Ron Bane says money was wasted on people who didn’t vote. But City Clerk Linda Little says the experiment more than doubled voter turnout and reduced per-voter costs.

West Virginia: Commission president demands proof of fraud in Kanawha County election challenge | Charleston Daily Mail

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper is asking that failed Democratic mayoral candidate Janet “J.T” Thompson bring evidence to the commission regarding her allegations of voter fraud by the county clerk.

Carper had a strongly worded letter hand-delivered to Thompson Wednesday. In the letter, Carper asks Thompson to publicly present evidence of her claims.

“If you do not have proof of these allegations through evidence, I would recommend you withdraw your contestation and apologize,” he wrote in the letter. “I’ll call a special meeting for her to come in if I have to,” he said when reached by phone Wednesday.

West Virginia: Charleston’s new council to hear election challenge | The Charleston Gazette

The eight newly elected members of Charleston City Council will face an unusual task almost as soon as they’re sworn in June 21: deciding whether the recent election was held properly.

Janet “JT” Thompson, the Democrat challenger whom Danny Jones soundly defeated in winning his third term as mayor, filed a “notice of election contest” late Friday, alleging a number of irregularities in the May 17 municipal election. As far as City Attorney Paul Ellis can figure out, the new council will preside over Thompson’s protest.

West Virginia: Candidate alleges election fraud in Charleston West Virginia Mayoral contest | Charleston Daily Mail

Janet “J.T.” Thompson, who waged an unsuccessful bid for mayor of Charleston, has alleged that officials tampered with election equipment to guarantee incumbent Danny Jones’ victory. Thompson filed a complaint with the city clerk’s office Friday. She didn’t return calls Monday seeking comment.

Thompson alleges that officials in the Kanawha County Clerk’s office allowed “certain persons to manipulate the Electronic Voting System in the general election of May 17, 2011,” according to the complaint on file at the city clerk’s office.

West Virginia: West Virginia negotiating maintenance contract for voting machines | West Virginia Gazette

West Virginia election officials are negotiating a maintenance contract for the state’s electronic voting machines. In 2005, under the direction of Secretary of State Betty Ireland, election officials entered a single-source contract with Omaha, Neb.-based Election Systems & Software to provide touch-screen and optical-scan voting machines. The deal gave ES&S a virtual monopoly on voting…