# West Virginia SB 59: Relating to voter eligibility and residency requirements West Virginia SB 59, Relating to voter eligibility and residency requirements, is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Patricia Rucker (Republican); status signed, last action 2026-06-25 (Chapter 130, Acts, Regular Session, 2026) (as of 2026-11-04). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-SB59-2026rs - As of: 2026-11-04 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: West Virginia SB 59 - State: West Virginia - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: Relating to voter eligibility and residency requirements - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-01-14 - Last action: 2026-06-25, Chapter 130, Acts, Regular Session, 2026 - Sponsor: Patricia Rucker (Republican) - Cosponsors: 2 - Subjects: §3-1-3, §3-2-2, §3-2-2a - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 6 (319 yes, 5 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Regain voting rights after incompetence ruling: benefit, low. Beginning January 1, 2027, if a court once found you totally mentally incompetent, you regain voting rights when the circuit court clerk certifies a filed order showing you are no longer totally mentally incompetent. The clerk does not release that order unless another court orders it or you give w… - Who can vote and register in WV: cost, low. Beginning January 1, 2027, you must be registered to vote in West Virginia. You must be a U.S. citizen, a legal resident of the state and your county or city, and 18 or older. If you are 17 and will turn 18 by the next general election, you may register and vote in primaries. You cannot vote if a c… - New residency rules for voting and registration: mixed, low. Beginning January 1, 2027, your legal residence for voting and registration is where you live and intend to stay indefinitely. Officials may look at many things: the home’s setup and where you usually sleep, time spent there, job location, driver’s license state, vehicle or property registration, g… - Residency challenges and 30-day proof rule: mixed, low. Beginning January 1, 2027, the Secretary of State or a county clerk can challenge your residency when you apply to register. A challenger files a form, and the clerk sends you a certified letter. You have 30 days from mailing to appear in person during business hours with proof of residence. If you… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Patricia Rucker (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Chris Rose (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Darren Thorne (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-03-13 | Senate | Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 593) | pass | 33 | 0 | | | 2026-03-13 | Senate | Effective January 1, 2027 (Roll No. 594) | pass | 33 | 0 | | | 2026-03-12 | House | Passed House (Roll No. 413) | pass | 92 | 4 | | | 2026-03-12 | House | Effective January 1, 2027 (Roll No. 414) | pass | 95 | 1 | | | 2026-02-23 | Senate | Passed Senate (Roll No. 195) | pass | 33 | 0 | | | 2026-02-23 | Senate | Effective January 1, 2027 (Roll No. 196) | pass | 33 | 0 | | ## Actions (43) - 2026-06-25: Chapter 130, Acts, Regular Session, 2026 (Senate) - 2026-04-01: Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 (Senate) - 2026-03-18: To Governor 3/18/2026 (Senate) - 2026-03-14: To Governor 3/18/2026 - Senate Journal (Senate) - 2026-03-14: Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - Senate Journal (Senate) - 2026-03-14: Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 - House Journal (House) - 2026-03-13: House Message received (Senate) - 2026-03-13: Senate concurred in House amendments and passed bill (Roll No. 593) (Senate) - 2026-03-13: Effective January 1, 2027 (Roll No. 594) (Senate) - 2026-03-13: Communicated to House (Senate) - 2026-03-13: Completed legislative action (Senate) - 2026-03-12: On 3rd reading with right to amend, Special Calendar (House) - 2026-03-12: Reported by the Clerk (House) - 2026-03-12: Amendment reported by the Clerk (House) - 2026-03-12: Amendment rejected (Voice vote) (House) - 2026-03-12: Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote) (House) - 2026-03-12: Read 3rd time (House) - 2026-03-12: Passed House (Roll No. 413) (House) - 2026-03-12: Effective January 1, 2027 (Roll No. 414) (House) - 2026-03-12: Communicated to Senate (House) - 2026-03-11: On 2nd reading, Special Calendar (House) - 2026-03-10: With amendment, do pass (House) - 2026-03-10: Immediate consideration (House) - 2026-03-10: Read 1st time (House) - 2026-03-09: Markup Discussion (House) - 2026-02-23: On 3rd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-23: Read 3rd time (Senate) - 2026-02-23: Passed Senate (Roll No. 195) (Senate) - 2026-02-23: Effective January 1, 2027 (Roll No. 196) (Senate) - 2026-02-23: Ordered to House (Senate) - 2026-02-23: House received Senate message (House) - 2026-02-23: Introduced in House (House) - 2026-02-23: To Judiciary (House) - 2026-02-23: To House Judiciary (House) - 2026-02-21: On 2nd reading (Senate) - 2026-02-21: Read 2nd time (Senate) - 2026-02-20: On 1st reading (Senate) - 2026-02-20: Read 1st time (Senate) - 2026-02-19: Committee substitute reported (Senate) - 2026-01-14: Filed for introduction (Senate) - 2026-01-14: To Judiciary (Senate) - 2026-01-14: Introduced in Senate (Senate) - 2026-01-14: To Judiciary (Senate) ## Bill text - Committee Substitute: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/sb59 sub1.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/sb59 sub1.pdf) - Enrolled: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/sb59 sub1 enr.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/sb59 sub1 enr.pdf) - Introduced Version: [HTML](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/sb59 intr.htm), [PDF](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/sb59 intr.pdf) ## Related bills - HB 5694: Supplemental appropriation to Department of Education, fund 0313. (signed) - HB 5353: To bring virtual currency kiosks within the purview of money transmission licensure and create disclosure requirements and daily transaction limitations for ne… (signed) - HB 4452: To remove Mortmain restrictions on religious organizations (signed) - HB 4390: Relating to the temporary payment to a kinship parent of a subsidy equal to that of a foster parent (signed) - HB 4354: Relating to necessity allowance (signed) - HB 4191: Relating to providing child care generally (became law) ## Sources - [Committee Substitute (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/sb59 sub1.htm) - [Committee Substitute (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/sb59 sub1.pdf) - [Enrolled (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/sb59 sub1 enr.htm) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/sb59 sub1 enr.pdf) - [Introduced Version (HTML)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/sb59 intr.htm) - [Introduced Version (PDF)](https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Text_HTML/2026_SESSIONS/RS/bills/sb59 intr.pdf) ## Related - [HB 5694: Supplemental appropriation to Department of Education, fund 0313.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB5694-2026rs) - [HB 5353: To bring virtual currency kiosks within the purview of money transmission licen…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB5353-2026rs) - [HB 4452: To remove Mortmain restrictions on religious organizations](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4452-2026rs) - [HB 4390: Relating to the temporary payment to a kinship parent of a subsidy equal to tha…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4390-2026rs) - [HB 4354: Relating to necessity allowance](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4354-2026rs) - [HB 4191: Relating to providing child care generally](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-HB4191-2026rs) - [West Virginia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/west-virginia/bills) - [West Virginia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/west-virginia) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/WV-SB59-2026rs (as of 2026-11-04).