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Bill

HB 4470

Relating to requiring election officials to capture and publish ballot images, and provide voters with the ability to affix a unique mark on their ballot to identify and verify their ballot cast in a statewide election in West Virginia

2026 Regular Session

West Virginia would photograph all statewide election ballots, publish images publicly, and let voters mark ballots to verify their own vote was counted correctly.

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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 4470

Legislative bill overview

HB 4470 requires West Virginia election officials to photograph and publicly publish images of all ballots cast in statewide elections. The bill also allows voters to place a unique personal mark on their ballot that they can later use to identify and verify their specific ballot in the published images.

Why is this important

This directly affects ballot secrecy and election transparency—two principles that have historically been in tension. The bill aims to give voters a way to personally verify their vote was counted as cast, while simultaneously making all ballot images public records, raising questions about voter privacy and coercion prevention.

Potential points of contention

  • Voter privacy concerns: Publishing ballot images could enable voter coercion or intimidation if someone can trace a specific ballot back to an individual, contradicting the secret ballot principle that protects democratic integrity
  • Ballot secrecy law conflicts: Federal and most state laws explicitly prohibit marking ballots in ways that could identify voters; this bill's personal mark requirement may violate existing legal frameworks
  • Implementation costs and logistics: Capturing, storing, and publishing thousands of high-quality ballot images statewide involves significant technological infrastructure, security protocols, and ongoing operational expenses
  • Verification system security: A personal marking system creates new vulnerabilities—stolen marks, duplicate marks, or system hacking could undermine voter confidence rather than enhance it

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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