Government, News

37 vote in Westover City Council election, lowest ever voter turnout

MORGANTOWN — Westover saw its lowest voter turnout at the June 12 city council election.
Just 37 registered voters in that city went to the polls to vote for mayor and three council members — one from each of the three wards.
Initial information from Westover City Clerk Sandra Weis had 34 voters casting ballots.
The day after the election, The Dominion Post asked Weis several questions about the election, including the cost to hold it. Then, she said she’d need to get permission from Mayor Dave Johnson before providing such information.

The newspaper then filed a Freedom of Information request and received the following answers about a week later.

  • The election cost Westover taxpayers $4,632.45.
  • There are 2,919 registered voters in Westover, who were eligible to vote in the June 12 election. That’s a 1.27 percent turnout of voters.
  • Typically, 450 voters cast ballots in a Westover council election.
  • A dozen pollworkers, with three alternates, worked at three polling places — one in each ward.