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Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Bill Establishes Recall Election Processes for County Commissioners and Board of Education Members
Last action · February 10, 2026: To House JudiciarySponsor: Corby Dillon
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 5394 establishes a formal recall process for elected county commissioners and county board of education officials through voter petitions or resolutions. The measure requires signed petitions from at least 10% of qualified voters to initiate a recall and 20% to place the question on a special, primary, or general election ballot. Officials face a limit of no more than one recall election during a single term in office.
Local voters gain a direct legal mechanism to remove county-level elected officials before their terms expire, subject to strict signature thresholds and ballot limitations.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
County Commissioners
Elected county commissioners are subject to potential recall elections and removal from office via voter petition and referendum.
County Board of Education Officials
Elected school board members are subject to potential recall elections and removal from office via voter petition and referendum.
Qualified Voters in West Virginia
Voters gain the legal right to petition for, initiate, and vote on recall referendums for local elected officials.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many voter signatures are required to initiate a recall election under this bill?
Can an official face multiple recall elections during a single term?
What percentage of signatures is required to place a recall question on a ballot?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Bias ratings based on AllSides / Media Bias/Fact Check
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
4 actions- Feb 10, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Judiciary
- Feb 10, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Feb 10, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Judiciary
- Feb 10, 2026HouseIntroducedFiled for introduction
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Uniform Recall Framework for Local Offices
The bill simultaneously amends three distinct chapters of the West Virginia Code (Elections, County Commissions, and Education) to apply standardized recall procedures across multiple types of local offices.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment20Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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