Any voter who shall spoil, deface or mutilate the ballot delivered to him, on returning the same to the poll clerks, shall receive another in place thereof. Every person who does not vote any ballot delivered to him shall, before leaving the election room, return such ballot to the poll clerks. When a spoiled or defaced ballot is returned, the poll, clerks shall make a minute of the fact on the pollbooks, at the time, and the word "spoiled" shall be written across the face of the ballot and such ballot shall be placed in an envelope for spoiled ballots.
Immediately on closing the polls, the commissioners of election shall ascertain the number of ballots spoiled during the election and the number of ballots remaining not voted. The commissioners of election shall also ascertain from the pollbooks the number of persons who voted and shall report, over their signatures, to the clerk of the county commission, the number of votes case, the number of ballots spoiled during the election and the number of ballots not voted. All unused ballots shall at the same time be returned to the clerk of the county commission, who shall separately package the unused ballots from each precinct, mark the name and number of the precinct on the package and retain them securely along with other election materials.
Each commissioner who is a member of an election board which fails to account for every ballot delivered to it is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or confined in the county jail for not more than one year, or both fined and imprisoned.
The board of ballot commissioners of each county, or the chairman thereof, shall preserve the ballots that are left over in their hands, after supplying the precincts as provided, until twenty-two months after the election.
Structure West Virginia Code
Article 1. General Provisions and Definitions
§3-1-2. Scope of Chapter; Definitions
§3-1-3. Persons Entitled to Vote
§3-1-6. Municipal Voting Precincts
§3-1-7. Precinct Changes; Procedure; Precinct Record
§3-1-9. Political Party Committees; How Composed; Organization
§3-1-10. Party Committees in Office
§3-1-11. Powers of State Executive Committee; Central or Subcommittees; Party Emblems
§3-1-12. Members of National Party Committee
§3-1-13. Other Party or Group Committees
§3-1-14. Presidential Electors; How Chosen; Duties; Vacancies; Compensation
§3-1-15. Election of United States Senators and Congressmen
§3-1-16. Election of State Officers
§3-1-17. Election of Circuit Judges; County and District Officers; Magistrates
§3-1-18. Election to Fill Other Offices
§3-1-19. Ballot Commissioners; Selection; Duties Generally; Vacancies
§3-1-20. Cards of Instructions to Voters; Sample Ballots; Posting
§3-1-23. County Commission to Arrange Polling Places and Equipment; Requirements
§3-1-24. Obtaining and Delivering Election Supplies
§3-1-25. Supplies by Special Messenger
§3-1-26. Election Supplies in Emergencies
§3-1-27. Municipal Precinct Registration Records
§3-1-28. Election Officials; Eligibility, Suspension of Eligibility
§3-1-30a. Oaths of Election Commissioners and Poll Clerks, Substitution of Persons
§3-1-32. Opening and Closing Polls; Procedure
§3-1-33. How Elections Conducted by Double Boards
§3-1-35. Ballots to Be Furnished Voters
§3-1-36. Report on and Disposition of Ballots Spoiled or Not Used
§3-1-37. Restrictions on Presence and Conduct at Polls
§3-1-38. Disorder at Polls; Procedure
§3-1-39. Illegal Voting; Affidavit; Procedure
§3-1-43. Disposition of Miscellaneous Election Papers
§3-1-44. Compensation of Election Officials; Expenses
§3-1-45. Court Proceedings to Compel Performance of Duties, etc.
§3-1-46. Training Program for Election Officials
§3-1-49. Voting System Standards
§3-1-50. Establishment of State-Based Administrative Complaint Procedures
§3-1-51. Identity Verification of Voters Executing Voter Identity Affidavit