2005 West Virginia Code - §3-1-9. — Political party committees; how composed; organization.

§3-1-9. Political party committees; how composed; organization.
(a) Every fourth year at the primary election, the voters of each political party in each senatorial district shall elect four members consisting of two male members and two female members of the state executive committee of the party. In senatorial districts containing two or more counties, not more than two elected committee members shall be residents of the same county: Provided, That at each election the votes shall be tallied from highest to lowest without regard to gender or county of residence. The two candidates with the highest votes shall be elected first and the other candidates shall be qualified based on vote tallies, gender and county of residence. The committee, when convened and organized as herein provided, shall appoint three additional members of the committee from the state at large which shall constitute the entire voting membership of the state executive committee: Provided, however, That if it chooses to do so, the committee may by motion or resolution, and in accordance with party rules, may expand the voting membership of the committee. When senatorial districts are realigned following a decennial census, members of the state executive committee previously elected or appointed shall continue in office until the expiration of their terms. Appointments made to fill vacancies on the committee until the next election of executive committee members shall be selected from the previously established districts. At the first election of executive committee members following the realignment of senatorial districts, members shall be elected from the newly established districts.
(b) At the primary election, the voters of each political party in each county shall elect one male and one female member of the party's executive committee of the congressional district, of the senatorial district and of the delegate district in which the county is situated, if the county is situated in a multicounty senatorial or delegate district. When districts are realigned following a decennial census, members of an executive committee previously elected in a county to represent that county in a congressional or multicounty senatorial or delegate district executive committee shall continue to represent that county in the appropriate newly constituted multicounty district until the expiration of their terms: Provided, That the county executive committee of the political party shall determine which previously elected members will represent the county if the number of multicounty senatorial or delegate districts in the county is decreased; and shall appoint members to complete the remainder of the term if the number of districts is increased.
(c) At the same time the voters of the county in each magisterial district or executive committee district, as the case may be, shall elect one male and one female member of the party's county executive committee except that in counties having three executive committee districts, there shall be elected two male and two female members of the party's executive committee from each magisterial or executive committee district.
(d) For the purpose of complying with the provisions of this section, the county commission shall create the executive committee districts. The districts shall not be fewer than the number of magisterial districts in the counties, nor shall they exceed in number the following: Forty for counties having a population of one hundred thousand persons or more; thirty for counties having a population of fifty thousand to one hundred thousand; twenty for counties having a population of twenty thousand to fifty thousand; and the districts in counties having a population of less than twenty thousand persons shall be coextensive with the magisterial districts.
(e) The executive committee districts shall be as nearly equal in population as practicable and shall each be composed of compact, contiguous territory. The county commissions shall change the territorial boundaries of the districts as required by the increase or decrease in the population of the districts as determined by a decennial census. The changes must be made within two years following the census.
(f) All members of executive committees, selected for each political division as herein provided, shall reside within the county or district from which chosen. The term of office of all members of executive committees elected at the primary election in the year one thousand nine hundred ninety-four will begin on the first day of July, following the primary and continue for four years thereafter until their successors are elected and qualified. Vacancies in the state executive committee shall be filled by the members of the committee for the unexpired term. Vacancies in the party's executive committee of a congressional district, senatorial district, delegate district or county shall be filled by the party's executive committee of the county in which the vacancy exists for the unexpired term.
(g) As soon as possible after the certification of the election of the new executive committees, as herein provided, they shall convene an organizational meeting within their respective political divisions, on the call of the chairman of corresponding outgoing executive committees or by any member of the new executive committee in the event there is no corresponding outgoing executive committee. During the first meeting the new executive committee must select a chairman, a treasurer and a secretary and other officers as they may desire. Each of the officers shall, for their respective committees, perform the duties that usually appertain to his or her office. The organizational meeting may be conducted prior to the beginning of the term, but no official action other than the election of officers and the appointment to fill vacancies on the committee may be made before the first day of July. A current listing of all executive committees' members shall be filed with the secretary of state by the end of July of each year. Vacancies in any executive committee shall be filled no later than four months after the vacancy occurs. The chairman of each executive committee shall submit an updated committee list as changes occur. Executive committee membership lists shall include at least the member's name, full address, employer, telephone number and term information. If a vacancy on an executive committee is not filled within the four-month period prescribed by the provisions of this section, the chair of the executive committee shall name someone to fill the vacancy within ten days of the expiration of the four-month period.
(h) Any meeting of any political party executive committee shall be held only after public notice and notice to each member is given according to party rules and shall be open to all members affiliated with the party. Meetings shall be conducted according to party rules, all official actions shall be made by voice vote and minutes shall be maintained and shall be open to inspection by members affiliated with the party.