We currently live in Arizona. We are closing on a home in West Virginia the beginning of June and then we will move and sell our home in AZ. This process is going to take several months so we will own homes in two different states during the primaries.
When do I have to change my voter registration for the primary?
It appears you need to register 21 days before the election you wish to vote in. In person, by postmark date, etc.
You can use an on line form on that site to register in West Virginia right now from the comfort of whatever chair you are sitting in at the moment in Arizona, although I’d be tempted to wait until new house deed and title had been signed, just to not tempt the fates.
And just because I’m an annoyingly enthusiastic voter/poll worker, here’s the drop dead dates for registering for upcoming WV elections:
PLEASE NOTE: The deadline to register to vote for the May 14, 2024 Primary Election has closed. The deadline to register to vote for June 4, 2024 town or city elections is May 14, 2024. The deadline to register for June 11, 2024 town or city elections is May 21, 2024.
In addition to the 21-day requirement, you must be a “resident” of West Virginia to be able to register to vote. How residency is determined varies by state and the WV voter website does a terrible job of stating what the requirements are to establish residency.
My practical advice having done a lot of moving is to not change anything until you’re settled in the new place. You don’t want to locked out voting at least someplace.
Get your WV drivers license and then pursue voter registration.
In some states, you can register at the DMV while getting the new license.
I just read the attached enrollment form. It includes a “Choice of party” field. Instructions say this is optional, but mandatory in some states.
This seems strange to nominate your vote at registration. Why should the government need to know? The voter wouldn’t even know who they were voting for at registration. Or is registration the same as voting??
Many states have party orientated primaries. Democrats can’t vote in the Republician primary and vice versa.
I’m still thinking about this. I want to vote in the Arizona primary, I want to vote against a couple of people running for the Senate. I will still own property in AZ and I could still have a valid AZ driver license.
However, my husband and cat will be in WV and home is where they are.
I’m on the permanent early voter list, so I’ll even have my mail-in AZ ballot before I move.
This is becoming a serious conundrum.
IMO as long as you only vote once, you’re not doing an evil thing no matter where you vote.
Nope. That’s where your heart is.
The government doesn’t give a shit about your heart. Your home (“domicile” actually) is a creature of statute. When you take overt steps to renounce your Arizona-ness, that’s when the WV government will claim you as their own. Arguably, until you’ve slept in WV for 6 months plus a day, you’re still an AZ resident. Typically states want you to pledge allegiance (and tax dollars) to the new state promptly, like 30 to 60 days after you start sleeping there and do overt things like get utilities and a driver’s license in the new state in your own name.
Truth is, ain’t nobody policing this stuff. I retained NV residency for 10 years while living in MO with zero then-current connection to NV. Avoided 10 years of MO income taxes that way. Voted in NV elections for a decade absentee. MO’s laws required I switch fully to them within 30 days. It took me more like 3650 days; I’m slow that way.
Many, many people own residences in multiple states for years and years. Some folks take advantage and vote in every state, not just whichever one they think of as their main state. Don’t do that and you’ll be fine.
The only conundrum is you worrying about picking your fly shit out of their pepper. Life is messy; eat dessert first.
That’s a dangerous assumption these days.
Yeah, I’m not assuming that here in AZ. I’m one of them godless librals, MAGAs would love to find just one of us voting illegally.
However, this is a very valid point. What AZ cares about is my tax dollars, so as long as I don’t tell the retirement system I’m not a resident, state taxes will still be withheld and I will be filing and paying state income taxes for this year. Plus, AZ will have been my primary residence for over 6 months when I move.
I don’t really care that much about where I vote for the general, but I’ve been leading a little grass roots effort to get a couple of local folks voted out and I think the County Recorder needs to go, so the primaries in my county are important to me.
Plus, worrying about stoopid shit is my specialty LOL!