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The Constitution Party of West Virginia (CPWVa) is an affiliate party of the right wing national Constitution Party,  although it claims that it has been mischaracterized by groups such as the SPLC,   ADL, and MIAC. It believes that America has a Christian character and heritage, relies upon the Bible as the basis of morality and legitimacy of laws, and supports what it views as strict original intent adherence to the Declaration of Independence and the Federal and State Constitutions. The party takes very conservative stances on social and fiscal issues.

History
The origins of the current state party can be traced to October 2000 when founding member Brenda Donnellan and activists from the Wood County Tea Party served as plaintiffs in Phillips v Hechler, civ 6:00-894. This litigation resulted in a November 3, 2000, ruling against then Secretary of State Ken Hechler forcing him to allow Constitution Party presidential nominee Howard Phillips to run as a declared write-in (WI) candidate without paying a filing fee. The party was officially organized three and a half years later on June 12, 2004 at its first formal meeting in Morgantown. It ratified its ByLaws at its Clarksburg meeting on November 12, 2005.

The 1964 Constitution Party presidential nominee, Joseph B. Lightburn, was a neighbor of Donnellan in Jane Lew where he owned the local general store. Lightburn served as National Committeeman for the Constitution Party of West Virginia, but the original party has long been defunct and there are no connections between the two.

Federal candidates
Combined Election Results References:
 * 2000 - U.S. President - Howard Phillips - 23 votes (WI)
 * 2004 - U.S. President - Michael Peroutka - 82 votes (WI)
 * 2008 - U.S. President - Chuck Baldwin - 2,465 votes (0.35%)
 * 2008 - U.S. Senate - John R. "Rick" Bartlett - 83 votes (WI)
 * 2008 - U.S. House of Representatives, District 1 - Ted Osgood - 69 votes (WI)
 * 2008 - U.S. House of Representatives, District 2 - Aaron Mills - 16 votes (WI)
 * 2010 - U.S. Senate - Jeff Becker   - 6,425 votes (1.21%)
 * 2010 - U.S. House of Representatives, District 2 - Phil Hudok - 3,431 votes (1.85%)
 * 2010 - U.S. House of Representatives, District 3 - Butch Paugh - (WI)
 * 2012 - U.S. President - Virgil Goode - 119 votes (WI)
 * 2012 - U.S. Senate - Jeff Becker - 52 votes (WI)
 * 2012 - U.S. House of Representatives, District 1 - Lou Manley - 35 votes (WI)
 * 2012 - U.S. House of Representatives, District 2 - Jerry Franklin - 36 votes (WI)
 * 2014 - U.S. Senate - Phil Hudok  - 2566 votes (0.56%)
 * 2016 - U.S. President -

State candidates
Combined Election Results References:
 * 2008 - Governor - Butch Paugh  - 234 votes (WI)
 * 2008 - Secretary of State - Phil Hudok - 172 votes (WI)
 * 2008 - State Treasurer - Lou Manley - 324 votes (WI)
 * 2008 - State Auditor - Robert Ingargiola - 295 votes (WI)
 * 2008 - Commissioner of Agriculture - Jerry Franklin - 180 votes (WI)
 * 2011 - Governor - Phil Hudok - 76 votes (WI)
 * 2012 - Governor - Phil Hudok - 72 votes (WI)
 * 2012 - State Auditor - John Miller - 71 votes (WI)
 * 2012 - Commissioner of Agriculture - Betty Quintana - 83 votes (WI)
 * 2016 - Governor - Phil Hudok -
 * 2016 - Secretary of State - Jeff Becker -
 * 2016 - Treasurer -
 * 2016 - Auditor -
 * 2016 - Commissioner of Agriculture -
 * 2016 - Attorney General -

Legislative candidates

 * 2008 - House of Delegates, District 5 - Denzil Sloan - 917 votes (15.43%)
 * 2008 - House of Delegates, District 27 - Gene Stalnaker - 14 votes (WI)
 * 2012 - State Senate, District 15 - Dan Litten  - 6,847 votes (19.23%)
 * 2012 - House of Delegates, District 5 - Denzil Sloan - 335 votes (5.89%)
 * 2012 - House of Delegates, District 52 - John R. "Rick" Bartlett - 965 votes (19.57%)
 * 2014 - State Senate, District 2 - Jeffrey-Frank..Jarrell - 681 votes (2.61%)
 * 2014 - State Senate, District 8 - Mike Fisher - 1041 votes (3.91%)
 * 2014 - House of Delegates, District 59 - Jeff Becker   - 347 votes (6.93%)

Local candidates

 * 2004 - Grant County Surveyor of Lands - Robert Miller - 10 votes (WI) *** ELECTED ***
 * 2008 - Sheriff of Wetzel County - Jeffrey-Frank..Jarrell - 711 votes
 * 2008 - Berkeley County Surveyor of Lands - Jeff Becker - 2,888 votes (9.0%)
 * 2012 - Sheriff of Wetzel County - Jeffrey-Frank..Jarrell  - 771 votes (15%)
 * 2012 - Preston County Commissioner - Richard N. Swecker - 943 votes (8.91%)
 * 2014 - Preston County Board of Education - John R "Rick" Bartlett - 1030 votes (13.46%) -
 * 2014 - Preston County Commission - John R "Rick" Bartlett - 184 votes (2.58%)

Ballot access
West Virginia election law currently requires that a candidate for governor win at least 1% of the entire gubernatorial vote to secure his or her nominating party's future ballot access. Until such time as that occurs, the affiliation of voters is not even formally recognized as a political party in the Mountain State and must submit petitions containing voter signatures amounting to at least 1% of the previous vote total for each individual political office where ballot access is sought. The 1% petition signature figure was longstanding West Virginia law from 1932 until 1999 when the state legislature doubled it. The percentage was not cut back to its original figure until ten years later in 2009 when the filing deadline for minor parties was also pushed back. In 2008, by the May 13 primary and then minor party deadline, the CPWVa had collected over 12,000 ballot access signatures for its gubernatorial candidate, Pastor Butch Paugh, which was several thousand short of the 14,889 needed but would have been more than enough under the 1% rule. However, because those forms also included the name of their presidential nominee, the party continued to circulate petitions and ultimately submitted over 22,000 voter signatures by the August 1 deadline thus putting Chuck Baldwin on the ballot for U.S. President.

Executives
The present Chairman is Phil Hudok; Vice-Chair Jeffrey-Frank Jarrell; Secretary Jeff Becker; and the Treasurer is Brenda Donnellan. Past Chairs are Denzil Sloan, Becker, Donnellan, and Jarrell.

County organization
For purposes of county party development and communication, the CPWVa is currently organized into eight geographic County Councils. These are based on the state's Department of Tourism regions with their "Hatfield-McCoy Mountains" region combined with the "Metro Valley" until such time as the party is active in the southwestern part of the state.

County]], and Wyoming counties
 * Northern Panhandle Council: Brooke County, Hancock County, Marshall County, Ohio County, Tyler County, and Wetzel counties
 * Mountaineer Council: Barbour County, Doddridge County, Harrison County, Marion County, Monongalia County, Preston County, and Taylor counties
 * Eastern Panhandle Council: Berkeley County, Hampshire County, Hardy County, Jefferson County, Mineral County, and Morgan counties
 * Mid-Ohio Council: Calhoun County, Jackson County, Pleasants County, Ritchie County, Roane County, Wirt County, and Wood counties
 * Mountain Lakes Council: Braxton County, Clay County, Gilmer County, Lewis County, Nicholas County, Upshur County, and Webster counties
 * Potomac Highlands Council: Grant County, Pendleton County, Pocahontas County, Randolph County, and Tucker counties
 * Metro Valley Council:Boone County, Cabell County, Kanawha County, Lincoln County, Logan County, Mason County, Mingo County, Putnam County, and Wayne counties
 * New River/Greenbrier Valley Council: Fayette County, Greenbrier County, McDowell County, Mercer County, Monroe County, Raleigh County, [[Summers County, West Virginia|Summers

Voter registration
The CPWVa has 144 registered voters in thirty-three counties. Because the party has not yet attained ballot qualification status, voters registering into it must check the "Other Party" box on the West Virginia voter registration form and write the word "Constitution" on the line. Voter registration status can be checked on the Secretary of State's website. Because the Constitution Party is not a major party in the state, its voters are permitted to vote in the primary but must take the initiative to ask for either a Republican or Democrat party ballot in lieu of the standard non-partisan ballot.

Activism

 * 2000 - Founding members of the CPWVa successfully sue Secretary of State Ken Hechler to allow their presidential candidate, Howard Phillips, to run as a last minute official write-in candidate.
 * 2007 - Constitution Party activists petitioning for ballot access in Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park are wrongly impeded by uniformed park officials and file a federal lawsuit eventually securing their freedom of speech there with a legal victory two years later in 2009.
 * 2008 - Despite a failed attempt by the more experienced Libertarian Party, the CPWVa succeeds in collecting over 22,000 voter signatures to secure ballot access for presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin.
 * 2008 - CPWVa Treasurer Gene Stalnaker demands the State pay his tax refund in gold and silver coin.
 * 2009 - Constitution Party members give a presentation on Project E.V.E.R.E.S.T. and urge the Raleigh County Commission to stop using electronic voting machines.
 * 2010 - By a margin of just eleven voter signatures, the party succeeds in securing ballot access for U.S. House of Representatives candidate Phil Hudok. The party then spends the rest of the summer petitioning to gain access for U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Becker to run in the special election for the late Robert C. Byrd's seat, despite looming challenges by the GOP to stop or delay the election.
 * 2011 - The CPWVa passes a resolution urging a special election for governor.
 * 2011 - The party passes a resolution detailing the presidential ineligibility of Barack Obama and calls for an investigation and his removal from office. The resolution is updated and reaffirmed two years later.
 * 2013 - U.S. Senate candidate Phil Hudok gives a presentation to the Randolph County Commission inspiring them to pass a resolution in support of the 2nd Amendment.
 * 2013 - The Constitution Party raises issue awareness and creates a stir with its Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival parade float entry.