Voter Fraud
A message from Secretary of State Betty Ireland
As Secretary of State, I am very serious about ensuring to the best of my ability clean and fair elections in West Virginia. As the state’s chief elections official, I have empowered the Election Fraud Unit, the strongest, most highly trained team imaginable to enforce the election laws. We are taking a proactive approach to a problem that undermines our most basic, yet powerful, exercise of democracy—the right to vote and have our vote count.
My staff, and more specifically our newly created Election Fraud Unit, will ensure a level playing field for all candidates running for public office, and put an end to the deception of the public by any unlawful or technical tactics aimed at skewing the results of an election. Those who commit or conspire to commit election fraud undermine our right to vote, deceive the public and corrupt our democracy. This office will not turn a blind eye to election fraud.
Please help us in this endeavor and report any election law violations you may witness by utilizing the complaint process outlined on this website. Together, we can protect the integrity of our democratic privilege to vote.
- Betty Ireland, West Virginia Secretary of State
Election Fraud Unit
Authorization — West Virginia State Code §3-1A-8 provides authority for the Secretary of State to employ investigators who have successfully completed basic law enforcement training. These investigators are empowered with the authority to investigate all election law violations as well as criminal law violations.
Staff — The Election Fraud Unit consists of the following staff:
- Legal Counsel
- Paralegal
- Investigators
- Senior Citizen Outreach Coordinator
Complaint Process — Citizens who believe a violation of election laws has occurred may call our Election Fraud Hotline toll free at 1-877-FRAUD-WV and speak with one of our staff.
This staff member will verify information for our records and assist you with the filing of your complaint. You may also download the election complaint form below, fill it out, print the form, have it notarized and mail it to our office.
Once this form is received it will be reviewed by our Chief Counsel for validity to determine the most appropriate course of action to be taken on your complaint. Once assigned to the Election Fraud Unit the election complaint will be subjected to a very thorough and professional investigation. This investigation will, at a minimum, consist of interviewing witnesses, collecting evidence and submitting a written investigative report giving specific details of the entire investigation.
West Virginia State Code §3-8-8 strictly prohibits anyone employed by the Office of the Secretary of State from disclosing information of any complaint, investigation or report. You will be notified that your complaint was received and is being reviewed. Periodically you will be apprised of its status by our legal section.
Download Election Complaint Form