New changes to the West Virginia primary elections are set to shake up voting in 2026. Members of the West Virginia Republican Executive Committee sat down early in 2025 to discuss membership voting, leading to the closure of Republican primaries to Independent voters in the next election.
Historically, primaries in West Virginia have remained open for both parties, allowing Independents the choice between weighing in on either the Democratic or Republican candidates. Closure of the option means commitment to membership for Independents who wish to participate in the party’s primary.
The choice takes place amid both a mass exodus of democratic voters and the growth of an Independent voter block. Leaders on the Republican side claim this move could be a valuable step in the direction of a growing Republican base by forcing voters to commit to the Republican values.
Josh Holstein, the chairman of the WV Republican Party, supported the point in a quote from WV Public Broadcasting.
“The overwhelming majority of West Virginians believe in our values and believe in our platform, and that’s borne out in the results of every election. We just want folks that are willing to, or that believe in our values and believe in our platform, to join us by changing to Republican,” Holstein said.
Despite this stance, critics of the closure say it could disenfranchise Independents who feel strongly against commitment to either party. Marybeth Beller, Marshall political science professor, explained the move as a strategic funnel for Republicans.
“This decision by the Republican Party is a way to close avenues to nonparty members and thereby narrow choices for voters,” Beller said.
Beller, though, did not believe the disenfranchisement of Independents to be a concern amid most of the Republican Party in West Virginia. In her opinion, Republican leaders seem to worry more about the risk of opposing party members switching affiliations to garner votes.
“In the past couple of years, there were some key Democrats who had held office and switched parties in order to make it more successful for them to gain office,” Beller said. “This was of great concern to executive members of the Republican Party, so they wanted to make it more difficult.”
The threat not only allows opposing party candidates to run on a popular platform, but also invites true Republican candidates with more moderate values to “water down” the nomination pool. The candidates appeal to Independents who do not fully align with extremists of either party but may not represent the views of registered Republicans. The closing of primaries diminished both threats by eliminating the flexible independent voters that could support the nomination of a moderate or crossover candidate.
Eric Tarr, West Virginia senator and prominent supporter of the primary closure, expressed his view in a quote from The Real West Virginia.
“We went from a one-party system on the Democrat side, and now it’s nearly a one-party system nearly to the Republican side. One of the things that’s been clear in both circumstances is both parties tend to get water down a bit. One reason is because primary voters come in and water down primary elections,” Tarr said.
While the Republican Party closed their primaries, the Democratic Party has made no move to follow suit. When asked whether a mirrored response can be expected, Beller shook her head.
“Right now, voter registration has increased for the Republican Party to such an extent. … I think if the Democrats wanted to do tit for tat to avoid strategic voting, this might actually either come out neutral or ultimately hurt them,” Beller said.
As the shade of red increases across the state, Democrats will be desperate for votes, even those from a source outside the party. In West Virginia, the margin for outside votes is high, from Independents to small parties, like the Mountain State Party. With a growing Republican majority, it would be disadvantageous for the Democratic Party to close off potential voters from these groups.
Historically, closed primaries have been a positive for states with a clear margin between parties. West Virginia fits that description to a tee, reporting 42% majority Republican registration over 28% minority Democrat registration, according to WV Public Broadcasting.
Claire Johnson can be contacted at [email protected].
