The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.West Virginia Requires Election Law Complaint Respondents to Respond Within 10 Days
Last action · February 5, 2026: To House JudiciarySponsors: Joe Funkhouser and 4 others
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
West Virginia House Bill 5218 requires the Secretary of State to notify s of election law complaints and mandates that respondents submit a written response within 10 business days of receiving the notice.
s facing election law complaints must answer within a strict 10-business-day window once notified by the Secretary of State, formalizing the investigative timeline for alleged campaign or election infractions.
- The State Election Commission in West Virginia oversees election administration and investigates potential violations of election laws. context
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.
Respondents of election law complaints
Respondents are required to submit a written response within 10 business days after receiving notice of a potential election law violation.
Secretary of State
The Secretary of State is mandated to provide notice, a factual summary, and response instructions to respondents upon determining a potential violation.
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 long does a respondent have to reply to an election law complaint?
What information must the Secretary of State provide when notifying a respondent?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
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 5, 2026HouseCommitteeTo House Judiciary
- Feb 5, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
- Feb 5, 2026HouseCommitteeTo Judiciary
- Feb 5, 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.
Formalized Complaint Response Timeline
The bill introduces a mandatory 10-business-day turnaround for respondents facing state election law complaints.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.wvlegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 40)
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools