Pocahontas County had a 52.33 percent voter turnout for the 2018 mid-term election. Breaking it down to voters, 2,903 out of 5,547 registered voters did their civic duty, and no problems were reported.
Due to the heavy rain in the early morning, there was plenty of mud to contend with, and with the time change, some polling places without adequate outside lighting required an extra measure of caution on the part of voters entering and exiting.
Polls closed at 7:30 p.m. and the first results were in to the courthouse by 8:05 p.m. And all the votes were tallied by about 9:30 p.m.
In the race for U. S. Senate, Republican Patrick Morrisey carried Pocahontas County with 1,402 votes to Democrat incumbent Joe Manchin’s 1,262, but Manchin was declared the winner in the statewide race early in the evening. Libertarian candidate Rusty Hollen garnered 165 votes in the county, and about 4.5 percent statewide.
In the race for the U. S. House of Representatives 3rd Congressional District seat, Republican candidate Carol Miller carried Pocahontas County with 1,596 votes to Democrat challenger Richard Ojeda’s 1,193.
Miller was also winning district wide with a 12 percent margin.
The House and Senate races in West Virginia gained national attention leading up to this election.
In the race for State Senate, 11th Senatorial District, Republican Bill Hamilton carried Pocahontas County over Marlinton attorney and Democrat candidate Laura Finch. Hamilton garnered 1,536 votes to Finch’s 1,260, but early returns showed the margin much wider – Hamilton with 70 percent of the vote in the district to Finch’s 30 percent.
In the House of Delegates race in the 43rd Delegate District, Democrat incumbent Bill Hartman was top vote getter in Pocahontas County with 1,371 in the pool of four candidates. Republican William “Ty” Nestor received 1,306 votes, Republican Mike House, 1,028 and Democrat Cody Thompson 1,015.
District wide, the numbers showed that Democrats Hartman and Thompson would take the two delegate seats.
Democrat Walt Helmick was unopposed for the Pocahontas County Commission seat.
Joanna Tabit received 596 votes in the county for the unexpired term in Division 1 for Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals. Tim Armstead, who had been appointed to the court by Governor Jim Justice, received 564 votes. Early results showed Tabit and Armstead in a tight race.
There was a wider spread in race for the unexpired seat in Division 2. Evan Jenkins, whom Justice also appointed, received 934 votes in the county, while his nearest opponent, William Schwartz, had 636. Early results showed Jenkins would retain his seat on the court.
Two amendments were on the ballot.
County voters went against Amendment No. 1– Constitutional Right to Abortion – by a margin of 1,495 against to 1,308 votes for. Statewide, with more than half of the precincts reporting, there were 219,162 votes for the amendment and 201,012 against.
As for Amendment No. 2 – Judicial Budget Oversight – 1,654 voted for, and 913 voted against in the county. The amendment appeared ready to pass statewide with 73 percent voting for, and 27 percent against.
The Board of Ballot Commissioners will convene Tuesday, November 13, to canvass the election results.
