Espinosa

SHEPHERDSTOWN — According to Delegate Wayne Clark (R — Jefferson, 65) and Delegate Paul Espinosa (R — Jefferson, 66), a major part of their job as the West Virginia House of Delegates’ Assistant Majority Whip and Majority Whip, respectively, is listening to input from their constituents.

And they practiced doing just that on Jan. 5, during the League of Women Voters of Jefferson County’s annual legislative discussion, which is held every winter, prior to the beginning of the legislative session in the spring.

“We are proud to host this annual [event] once again,” said LWVJC President Carline Shaw. “We collect some questions from our league members, and hear from several elected officials regarding their plans for Jefferson County for the year to come.”

Shaw noted that the questions chosen for inclusion in the discussion are typically related to the League of Women Voter’s current legislative priorities. Those legislative priorities, according to the LWV national organization, are determined based on feedback from the local level. While those priorities are often relevant nationwide, one stood out during the Zoom discussion between the two delegates and moderator Susan Pipes, as being of little-to-no concern in West Virginia.

“Obviously, we know that in the last two election cycles West Virginia has had one of the highest-rated election processes. That’s [West Virginia Secretary of State] Mac Warner doing a great job, all the way through that process,” Clark said. “As to voter fraud, I don’t have a lot of information on that happening in West Virginia. I know there’s some talk of some bills that are coming through, in regards to the proving of residency for the candidates, things like that.

Clark

“I don’t see voter suppression or fraud [happening] here in the state of West Virginia,” Clark said, regarding whether voter fraud and suppression legislation will be re-introduced in the 2023 legislative session. “The bottom line is, we just got to get more people out here to vote. Have them come out and make their voices heard.”

Espinosa agreed with Clark, regarding the need for increased voter involvement in elections.

“Just because legislation is aimed at reforming our election laws or election procedures, I don’t necessarily believe that means there’s voter suppression [taking place in West Virginia],” Espinosa said, before bringing up what the American Civil Liberties Union calls “Georgia’s Anti-Voter Law,” SB 202. “Certainly, the legislation that was enacted in Georgia has been looked at very critically by some individuals as being voter suppression, but if you look at that law, it provides greater voting opportunities and flexibility than is available a lot of other areas.”

Espinosa noted he has previously introduced legislation related to voter suppression at Warner’s request, following issues with voter suppression, along with illegal voting, that took place during the June 2019 Harpers Ferry town council election.

“There was the denial of folks from having their votes counted [in that election],” Espinosa said. “There was legislation that was recommended by the Secretary of State’s office to help address that and prevent it from occurring in the future. I’m always looking for recommendations by our election officials, regarding legislation they believe will make our elections fair and less prone to improprieties. I would fully anticipate that there will be legislation [related to that subject in the upcoming session], but I can’t really say what that will comprise at this point.”

Other legislative priorities brought up throughout the course of the discussion, included concerns over gerrymandering, the need for redistricting legislation and the use of federal CARES Act funding allocated to the state.

The 2023 legislative session began on Wednesday. Both delegates encouraged local residents to reach out to them with any questions concerns they may have, regarding the session. Espinosa can be reached at paul.espinosa@wvhouse.gov. Clark can be reached at wayne.clark@wvhouse.gov.