By Steven Allen Adams, The Journal
CHARLESTON – A bill dealing with concerns raised by county clerks and making changes to West Virginia’s election laws received pushback Monday from progressive opponents who see the bill as voter disenfranchisement.
The House Judiciary Committee held a virtual public hearing Monday morning on Senate Bill 565, relating generally to elections.
SB 565 shifts the window for voting early, moving the start time up from 13 days before Election Day to 17 days. It also ends early voting on the seventh day before Election Day instead of the third, eliminating the Friday and Saturday early voting days immediately before the Tuesday Election Day. That gives county clerks more time to prepare for Election Day.
The bill would give county clerks two years instead of four to move voters to the inactive lists if they moved and failed to update their voter registration information every odd-numbered year after a federal election. County clerks mail confirmation notices to these voters who have not updated their voter registration and have not voted in any election during the preceding two calendar years…
