2026 Regular Session
Link to Bill History on Legacy Website (Click Here)Summary: Prohibiting release of certain personal information of contributors to political elections
PDF: sb640 sub1.pdf
DOCX: SB640 INTR.docx
WEST virginia legislature
2026 regular session
Committee Substitute
for
Senate Bill 640
By Senators Azinger, Charnock, Helton, and Z. Maynard
[Reported February 11, 2026, from the Committee on the Judiciary]
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
ARTICLE 8. REGULATION AND CONTROL OF ELECTIONS.
§3-8-1a. Definitions.
As used in this article, the following terms have the following definitions:
(1) "Ballot issue" means a constitutional amendment, special levy, bond issue, local option referendum, municipal charter or revision, an increase or decrease of corporate limits, or any other question that is placed before the voters for a binding decision.
(2) "Billboard advertisement" means a commercially available outdoor advertisement, sign, or similar display regularly available for lease or rental to advertise a person, place, or product.
(3) "Broadcast, cable, or satellite communication" means a communication that is publicly distributed by a television station, radio station, cable television system, or satellite system.
(4) "Candidate" means an individual who:
(A) Has filed a certificate of announcement under §3-5-7 of this code or a municipal charter;
(B) Has filed a declaration of candidacy under §3-5-23 of this code;
(C) Has been named to fill a vacancy on a ballot; or
(D) Has declared a write-in candidacy or otherwise publicly declared his or her intention to seek nomination or election for any state, district, county, municipal, or party office to be filled at any primary, general, or special election.
(5) "Candidate’s committee" means a political committee established with the approval of, or in cooperation with, a candidate or a prospective candidate to explore the possibilities of seeking a particular office or to support or aid his or her nomination or election to an office in an election cycle. If a candidate directs or influences the activities of more than one active committee in a current campaign, those committees shall be are considered one committee for the purpose of contribution limits.
(6) "Caregiving services" means direct care, protection, and supervision of a child, or other person with a disability or a medical condition, for which a candidate has direct caregiving responsibility. For the purposes of this article, the caregiving service expense incurred shall be in direct connection with the candidate’s campaign activities during the current election cycle.
(7) "Caucus campaign committee" means a West Virginia House of Delegates or Senate political party caucus campaign committee that receives contributions and makes expenditures to support or oppose one or more specific candidates or slates of candidates for nomination, election, or committee membership.
(8) "Clearly identified" means that the name, nickname, photograph, drawing, or other depiction of the candidate appears, or the identity of the candidate is otherwise apparent through an unambiguous reference, such as "the Governor", "your Senator", or "the incumbent", or through an unambiguous reference to his or her status as a candidate, such as "the Democratic candidate for Governor" or "the Republican candidate for Supreme Court of Appeals".
(9) "Contribution" means a gift, subscription, loan, assessment, payment for services, dues, advance, donation, pledge, contract, agreement, forbearance, promise of money, or other tangible thing of value, whether conditional or legally enforceable, or a transfer of money or other tangible thing of value to a person, made for the purpose of influencing the nomination, election, or defeat of a candidate.
(A) A coordinated expenditure is a contribution for the purposes of this article.
(B) An offer or tender of a contribution is not a contribution if expressly and unconditionally rejected or returned. A contribution does not include volunteer personal services provided without compensation: Provided, That a non-monetary contribution is to be considered at fair market value for reporting requirements and contribution limitations.
(10) "Coordinated expenditure" is an expenditure made in concert with, in cooperation with, or at the request or suggestion of a candidate or candidate’s committee and meeting the criteria provided in §3-8-9a of this code.
(11) "Corporate political action committee" means a political action committee that is a separate segregated fund of a corporation that may only accept contributions from its restricted group as outlined by the rules of the State Election Commission.
(12) "Direct costs of purchasing, producing, or disseminating electioneering communications" means:
(A) Costs charged by a vendor, including, but not limited to, studio rental time, compensation of staff and employees, costs of video or audio recording media and talent, material and printing costs, and postage; or
(B) The cost of airtime on broadcast, cable, or satellite radio and television stations, the costs of disseminating printed materials, studio time, use of facilities, and the charges for a broker to purchase airtime.
(13) "Disclosure date" means either of the following:
(A) The first date during any calendar year on which any electioneering communication is disseminated after the person paying for the communication has spent a total of $5,000 or more for the direct costs of purchasing, producing, or disseminating electioneering communications; or
(B) Any other date during that calendar year after any previous disclosure date on which the person has made additional expenditures totaling $5,000 or more for the direct costs of purchasing, producing, or disseminating electioneering communications.
(14) "Election" means any primary, general, or special election conducted under the provisions of this code or under the charter of any municipality at which the voters nominate or elect candidates for public office. For purposes of this article, each primary, general, special, or local election constitutes a separate election. This definition is not intended to modify or abrogate the definition of the term "nomination" as used in this article.
(15)(A) "Electioneering communication" means any paid communication made by broadcast, cable or satellite signal, mass mailing, telephone bank, billboard advertisement, or publication in any newspaper, magazine, or other periodical that:
(i) Refers to a clearly identified candidate for Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Auditor, Commissioner of Agriculture, Supreme Court of Appeals, or the Legislature;
(ii) Is publicly disseminated within:
(I) Thirty days before a primary election in which the nomination for office sought by the candidate is to be determined; or
(II) Sixty days before a general or special election in which the office sought by the candidate is to be filled; and
(iii) Is targeted to the relevant electorate.
(B) "Electioneering communication" does not include:
(i) A news story, commentary, or editorial disseminated through the facilities of any broadcast, cable or satellite television, radio station, newspaper, magazine, or other periodical publication not owned or controlled by a political party, political committee, or candidate: Provided, That a news story disseminated through a medium owned or controlled by a political party, political committee, or candidate is nevertheless exempt if the news is:
(I) A bona fide news account communicated in a publication of general circulation or through a licensed broadcasting facility; and
(II) Is part of a general pattern of campaign-related news that gives reasonably equal coverage to all opposing candidates in the circulation, viewing, or listening area;
(ii) Activity by a candidate committee, party executive committee, a caucus campaign committee, or a political action committee that is required to be reported to the State Election Commission or the Secretary of State as an expenditure pursuant to §3-8-5 of this code or the rules of the State Election Commission or the Secretary of State promulgated pursuant to such provision: Provided, That independent expenditures by a party executive committee, caucus committee, or a political action committee required to be reported pursuant to §3-8-2 of this code are not exempt from the reporting requirements of this section;
(iii) A candidate debate or forum conducted pursuant to rules adopted by the State Election Commission or the Secretary of State or a communication promoting that debate or forum made by or on behalf of its sponsor;
(iv) A communication paid for by any organization operating under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
(v) A communication made while the Legislature is in session which, incidental to promoting or opposing a specific piece of legislation pending before the Legislature, urges the audience to communicate with a member or members of the Legislature concerning that piece of legislation;
(vi) A statement or depiction by a membership organization in existence prior to the date on which the individual named or depicted became a candidate, made in a newsletter or other communication distributed only to bona fide members of that organization;
(vii) A communication made solely for the purpose of attracting public attention to a product or service offered for sale by a candidate or by a business owned or operated by a candidate which does not mention an election, the office sought by the candidate, or his or her status as a candidate; or
(viii) A communication, such as a voter’s guide, which refers to all of the candidates for one or more offices, which contains no appearance of endorsement for, or opposition to, the nomination or election of any candidate and which is intended as nonpartisan public education focused on issues and voting history.
(16) "Expressly advocating" means any communication that:
(A) Uses phrases such as "vote for the Governor", "re-elect your Senator", "support the incumbent nominee for Supreme Court", "cast your ballot for the Republican challenger for House of Delegates", "Smith for House", "Bob Smith in ‘04", "vote Pro-Life", or "vote Pro-Choice" accompanied by a listing of clearly identified candidates described as Pro-Life or Pro-Choice, "vote against Old Hickory", "defeat" accompanied by a picture of one or more candidates, "reject the incumbent";
(B) Communicates campaign slogans or individual words that can have no other reasonable meaning than to urge the election or defeat of one or more clearly identified candidates, such as posters, bumper stickers, advertisements, etc., which say "Smith’s the One", "Jones ‘06", "Baker", etc.; or
(C) Is susceptible of no reasonable interpretation other than as an appeal to vote for or against a specific candidate.
(17) "Financial agent" means any individual acting for and by himself or herself, or any two or more individuals acting together or cooperating in a financial way to aid or take part in the nomination or election of any candidate for public office, or to aid or promote the success or defeat of any political party at any election.
(18) "Financial transactions" means all contributions or loans received and all repayments of loans or expenditures made to promote the candidacy of any person by any candidate or any organization advocating or opposing the nomination, election, or defeat of any candidate to be voted on.
(19) "Firewall" means a policy designed and implemented to prohibit the flow of information between employees or consultants providing services for the person paying for a communication and those employees or consultants currently or previously providing services to a candidate, or to a committee supporting or opposing a candidate clearly identified in the communication.
(20) "Foreign national" means the following:
(A) A foreign principal, as such term is defined in 22 U.S.C. § 611(b), which includes:
(i) A government of a foreign country;
(ii) A foreign political party;
(iii) A person outside of the United States, unless it is established that such person:
(I) Is an individual and a citizen of the United States; or
(II) That such person is not an individual and is organized under or created by the laws of the United States or of any state or other place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and has its principal place of business within the United States; and
(iv) A partnership, association, corporation, organization, or other combination of persons organized under the laws of, or having its principal place of business in, a foreign country.
(B) An individual who is not a citizen of the United States or a national of the United States, as defined in 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(22), and who is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence, as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(20).
(21) "Fund-raising event" or "fundraiser" means an event such as a dinner, reception, testimonial, cocktail party, auction, or similar affair through which contributions are solicited or received.
(22) "In concert or cooperation with or at the request or suggestion of" means that a candidate or his or her agent consulted with:
(A) The sender regarding the content, timing, place, nature, or volume of a particular communication or communication to be made; or
(B) A person making an expenditure that would otherwise offset the necessity for an expenditure of the candidate or candidate’s committee.
(23) "Independent expenditure" means an expenditure by a person:
(A) Expressly advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, including supporting or opposing the candidates of a political party; and
(B) That is not made in concert or cooperation with or at the request or suggestion of such candidate, his or her agents, the candidate’s authorized political committee, or a political party committee or its agents.
An expenditure which does not meet the criteria for an independent expenditure is considered a contribution.
(24) "Local" refers to the election of candidates to a city, county, or municipal office and any issue to be voted on by only the residents of a particular political subdivision.
(25) “Major business affiliation” means a person’s employer or, if the individual is not an employee, the entity from which a person derives the majority of his or her income.
(25) (26) "Mass mailing" means a mailing by United States mail, facsimile, or electronic mail of more than 500 pieces of mail matter of an identical or substantially similar nature within any 30-day period. For purposes of this subdivision, "substantially similar" includes communications that contain substantially the same template or language, but vary in nonmaterial respects such as communications customized by the recipient’s name, occupation, or geographic location.
(26) (27) "Membership organization" means a group that grants bona fide rights and privileges, such as the right to vote, to elect officers or directors, and the ability to hold office to its members and which uses a majority of its membership dues for purposes other than political purposes. "Membership organization" does not include organizations that grant membership upon receiving a contribution.
(27) (28) "Membership organization political action committee" means a labor organization or a trade association, cooperative, or other incorporated membership organization that: Is composed of members; expressly states the qualifications for membership in its articles and by-laws; makes its articles, by-laws, and other organizational documents available to its members; expressly seeks members; acknowledges acceptance of membership, such as by sending membership cards to new members or including them on a membership newsletter list; and is organized such that it operates a subsidiary entity or segregated fund within the membership organization primarily for the purpose of influencing any election on the ballot in the State of West Virginia.
(28) (29) "Name" means the full first name, middle name, or initial, if any, and full legal last name of an individual and the full name of any association, corporation, committee, or other organization of individuals, making the identity of any person who makes a contribution apparent by unambiguous reference.
(30) “Occupation” means an individual’s trade, profession, or vocation in which the individual is engaged for the purpose of earning income or other economic benefit.
(29) (31) "Person" means an individual, corporation, partnership, committee, association, and any other organization or group of individuals.
(30) (32) "Political action committee" means a committee organized by one or more persons, the primary purpose of which is to support or oppose the nomination or election of one or more candidates. The following are types of political action committees:
(A) A corporate political action committee, as that term is defined in this section;
(B) A membership organization political action committee, as that term is defined in this section; and
(C) An unaffiliated political action committee, as that term is defined in this section.
(31) (33) "Political committee" means any candidate committee, political action committee, or political party committee.
(32) (34) "Political party" means a political party as that term is defined by §3-1-8 of this code or any committee established, financed, maintained, or controlled by the party, including any subsidiary, branch, or local unit thereof, and including national or regional affiliates of the party.
(33) (35) "Political party committee" means a committee established by a political party or political party caucus for the purposes of engaging in the influencing of the election, nomination, or defeat of a candidate in any election.
(34) (36) "Political purposes" means supporting or opposing the nomination, election, or defeat of one or more candidates or the passage or defeat of a ballot issue, supporting the retirement of the debt of a candidate or political committee or the administration or activities of an established political party or an organization which has declared itself a political party, and determining the advisability of becoming a candidate under the pre-candidacy financing provisions of this chapter.
(35) (37) "Targeted to the relevant electorate" means a communication which refers to a clearly identified candidate for statewide office or the Legislature and which can be received by 140,000 or more individuals in the state in the case of a candidacy for statewide office, 8,220 or more individuals in the district in the case of a candidacy for the State Senate, and 2,410 or more individuals in the district in the case of a candidacy for the House of Delegates.
(36) (38) "Telephone bank" means telephone calls that are targeted to the relevant electorate, other than telephone calls made by volunteer workers, regardless of whether paid professionals designed the telephone bank system, developed calling instructions, or trained volunteers.
(37) (39) "Unaffiliated political action committee" means a political action committee that is not affiliated with a corporation or a membership organization.
§3-8-5a. Information required in financial statement.
(a) Each financial statement required by the provisions of this article, other than a disclosure of electioneering communications pursuant to §3-8-2b of this article, shall contain only the following information:
(1) The name, residence and mailing address and telephone number of each candidate, financial agent, treasurer, or person and the name, address, and telephone number of each association, organization, or committee filing a financial statement.
(2) The balance of cash and any other sum of money on hand at the beginning and the end of the period covered by the financial statement.
(3) The name of any person making a contribution and the amount of the contribution. If the total contributions of any one person in any one election cycle amount to more than $250, the residence and mailing address of the contributor and, if the contributor is an individual, his or her major business affiliation and occupation shall also be reported. A contribution totaling more than $50 of currency of the United States or currency of any foreign country by any one contributor is prohibited and a violation of §3-8-5d of this article. The statement on which contributions are required to be reported by this subdivision may not distinguish between contributions made by individuals and contributions made by partnerships, firms, associations, committees, organizations or groups.
(4) The total amount of contributions received during the period covered by the financial statement.
(5) The name, residence and mailing address of any individual or the name and mailing address of each lending institution making a loan or of the spouse cosigning a loan, as appropriate, the amount of any loan received, the date and terms of the loan, including the interest and repayment schedule, and a copy of the loan agreement.
(6) The name, residence, and mailing address of any individual or the name and mailing address of each partnership, firm, association, committee, organization, or group having previously made or cosigned a loan for which payment is made or a balance is outstanding at the end of the period, together with the amount of repayment on the loan made during the period and the balance at the end of the period.
(7) The total outstanding balance of all loans at the end of the period.
(8) The name, residence, and mailing address of any person to whom each expenditure was made or liability incurred, including expenditures made on behalf of a candidate or political committee that otherwise are not made directly by the candidate or political committee, together with the amount and purpose of each expenditure or liability incurred and the date of each transaction.
(9) The total expenditure for the nomination, election, or defeat of a candidate or any person supporting, aiding, or opposing the nomination, election, or defeat of any candidate in whose behalf an expenditure was made or a contribution was given for the primary or other election.
(10) The total amount of expenditures made during the period covered by the financial statement.
(b) Any unexpended balance at the time of making the financial statements herein provided for shall be properly accounted for in that financial statement and shall appear as a beginning balance in the next financial statement.
(c) Each financial statement required by this section shall contain a separate section setting forth the following information for each fund-raising event held during the period covered by the financial statement:
(1) The type of event, date held, and address and name, if any, of the place where the event was held.
(2) All of the information required by subdivision (3), subsection (a) of this section.
(3) The total of all moneys received at the fund-raising event.
(4) The expenditures incident to the fund-raising event.
(5) The net receipts of the fund-raising event.
(d) When any lump sum payment is made to any advertising agency or other disbursing person who does not file a report of detailed accounts and verified financial statements as required in this section, such lump sum expenditures shall be accounted for in the same manner as provided for herein.
(e) Any contribution or expenditure made by or on behalf of a candidate for public office, to any other candidate or committee for a candidate for any public office in the same election shall be accounted for in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(f) No person may make any contribution except from his, her, or its own funds, unless such person discloses in writing to the person required to report under this section the name, residence, mailing address, major business affiliation, and occupation of the person which furnished the funds to the contributor. All such disclosures shall be included in the statement required by this section.
(g) Any firm, association, committee, or fund permitted by §3-8-8 of this code to be a political committee shall disclose on the financial statement its corporate or other affiliation.
(h) No contribution may be made, directly or indirectly, in a fictitious name, anonymously or by one person through an agent, relative, or other person so as to conceal the identity of the source of the contribution or in any other manner so as to effect concealment of the contributor's identity.
(i) No person may accept any contribution for the purpose of influencing the nomination, election, or defeat of a candidate or for the passage or defeat of any ballot issue unless the identity of the donor and the amount of the contribution is known and reported.
(j) When any person receives an anonymous contribution which cannot be returned because the donor cannot be identified, that contribution shall be donated to the General Revenue Fund of the state. Any anonymous contribution shall be recorded as such on the candidate's financial statement but may not be expended for election expenses. At the time of filing, the financial statement shall include a statement of distribution of anonymous contributions, which total amount shall equal the total of all anonymous contributions received during the period.
(k) Any membership organization which raises funds for political purposes by payroll deduction, assessing them as part of its membership dues or as a separate assessment, may report the amount raised as follows:
(1) If the portion of dues or assessments designated for political purposes equals $25 or less per member over the course of a calendar year, the total amount raised for political purposes through membership dues or assessments during the period is reported by showing the amount required to be paid by each member and the number of members.
(2) If the total payroll deduction for political purposes of each participating member equals $25 or less over the course of a calendar or fiscal year, as specified by the organization, the organization shall report the total amount received for political purposes through payroll deductions during the reporting period and, to the maximum extent possible, the amount of each yearly payroll deduction contribution level and the number of members contributing at each such specified level. The membership organization shall maintain records of the name and yearly payroll deduction amounts of each participating member.
(3) If any member contributes to the membership organization through individual voluntary contributions by means other than payroll deduction, membership dues, or assessments as provided in this subsection, the reporting requirements of subdivision (3), subsection (a) of this section shall apply. Funds raised for political purposes must be segregated from the funds for other purposes and listed in its report.
(l) Notwithstanding the provisions of §3-8-5 of this code or of the provisions of this section to the contrary, an alternative reporting procedure may be followed by a political party committee in filing financial reports for fund-raising events if the total profit does not exceed $5,000 per year. A political party committee may report gross receipts for the sale of food, beverages, services, novelty items, raffle tickets, or memorabilia, except that any receipt of more than $50 from an individual or organization shall be reported as a contribution. A political party committee using this alternative method of reporting shall report:
(i) The name of the committee;
(ii) The type of fund-raising activity undertaken;
(iii) The location where the activity occurred;
(iv) The date of the fundraiser;
(v) The name of any individual who contributed more than $50 worth of items to be sold;
(vi) The name and amount received from any person or organization purchasing more than $50 worth of food, beverages, services, novelty items, raffle tickets, or memorabilia;
(vii) The gross receipts of the fundraiser; and
(viii) The date, amount, purpose, and name and address of each person or organization from whom items with a fair market value of more than $50 were purchased for resale.
(m) All financial statements filed after January 1, 2027, in any municipal, county, or other non-statewide election shall be filed with Secretary of State’s Office.
§3-8-6a. Financial statement forms; filing; disposition.
(a) For each financial statement required by the provisions of this article, the following information may not be made publicly available in any manner, including, but not limited to, disclosure on any governmental websites or in response to public records requests under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act, §29B-1-1 et. seq. of this code:
(1) The street number and street name in the residence and mailing address of any individual who makes a contribution, or who makes or cosigns a loan; and
(2) The major business affiliation of that individual.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the information protected from disclosure by subsection (a) of this section may be disclosed or released to a government entity for any purposes authorized by federal law, a provision of this code, or a legislative rule promulgated pursuant to the provisions of §29A-1-1 et seq. of this code.
(c) The effective date of the requirements of subsection (a) of this section is January 1, 2027, and the requirements of subsection (a) of this section do not apply to financial statements submitted before January 1, 2027.
§3-8-11. Specific acts forbidden; penalties.
(a) Any person who shall, directly or indirectly, by himself, or by any other person on his or her behalf, make makes use of, or threaten threatens to make use of, any force, violence or restraint, or inflict, or threaten threatens to inflict, any damage, harm, or loss, upon or against any person, or by any other means attempt to intimidate or exert any undue influence, in order to induce such that person to vote or refrain from voting, or on account of such that person having voted or refrained from voting, at any election, or who shall, by abduction, duress or any fraudulent device or contrivance, impede or prevent impedes or prevents the free exercise of the suffrage by any elector, or shall thereby compel, induce or prevail compels, induces, or prevails upon any elector either to vote or refrain from voting for or against any particular candidate or measure; or
(b) Any person who, being an employer, or acting for or on behalf of any employer, shall give gives any notice or information to his or her employees, containing any threat, either express or implied, intended or calculated to influence the political view or actions of the workmen or employees; or
(c) Any person who shall, knowingly, make or publish, or cause makes or publishes, or causes to be made or published, any false statement in regard to any candidate, which statement is intended or tends to affect any voting at any election whatever; or
(d) Any person who shall pay pays any owner, publisher, editor or employee or any newspaper or other periodical, to advocate or oppose editorially, any candidate for nomination or election, or any political party, or any measure to be submitted to the vote of the people; or any owner, publisher, editor or employee, who shall solicit or accept solicits or accepts such the payment: Is is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $10,000, or confined in jail for not more than one year, or, in the discretion of the court, shall be subject to both such fine and imprisonment.
(e) Any individual whose street number and street name or major business affiliation is disclosed to the public in violation of §3-8-6a of this code shall provide notice of the violation to the government agency or government entity responsible for the disclosure via certified mail addressed to the lead employee for the government agency or government entity. If the governmental agency or government entity fails to remove or redact the information within 10 business days of the receipt of the notice, the aggrieved individual may recover a civil penalty in the amount of $1,000 from the government agency or government entity responsible for each report on which that information is publicly disclosed.
(f) Any state or local officer or employee who knowingly and willfully discloses to the public an individual’s street number and street name or major business affiliation in violation of §3-8-6a of this code is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $1,000, or confined in jail for not more than one year, or, in the discretion of the court, both fined and imprisoned.