Constitution Party of West Virginia | |
---|---|
Chairperson | Phil Hudok |
Founded | June 12, 2004 |
Headquarters | Martinsburg, WV |
Ideology | Constitutionalism, Social conservatism, National Conservatism, Paleoconservatism, Christianity, American Nationalism, Economic Nationalism Sovereignty, Popular Sovereignty |
National affiliation | Constitution Party |
Colors |
Maroon and
Wythe
Gold
![]() |
Website | |
http://cpwva.org |
The Constitution Party of West Virginia (CPWVa) is an affiliate party of the right wing national Constitution Party, [1] [2] [3] although it claims that it has been mischaracterized by groups such as the SPLC, [4] [5] [6] ADL, and MIAC. [7] [8] It believes that America has a Christian character and heritage, [9] 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. [10] [11] The party takes very conservative stances on social and fiscal issues. [12]
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. [13] 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. [14] The party was officially organized three and a half years later on June 12, 2004 at its first formal meeting in Morgantown. [15] It ratified its ByLaws at its Clarksburg meeting on November 12, 2005. [16]
The 1964 Constitution Party presidential nominee, Joseph B. Lightburn, was a neighbor of Donnellan in Jane Lew where he owned the local general store. [17] Lightburn served as National Committeeman for the Constitution Party of West Virginia, [18] but the original party has long been defunct and there are no connections between the two. [19]
Combined Election Results References: [20]
Combined Election Results References: [36] [37]
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. [69] 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. [70] The 1% petition signature figure was longstanding West Virginia law from 1932 until 1999 when the state legislature doubled it. [71] 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. [72] 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. [73] 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.
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.
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 [74] 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.
The CPWVa has 144 registered voters in thirty-three counties. [75] 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 [76] and write the word "Constitution" on the line. Voter registration status can be checked on the Secretary of State's website. [77]
Because the Constitution Party is not a major party in the state, [78] 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. [79]
Constitution Party of West Virginia | |
---|---|
Chairperson | Phil Hudok |
Founded | June 12, 2004 |
Headquarters | Martinsburg, WV |
Ideology | Constitutionalism, Social conservatism, National Conservatism, Paleoconservatism, Christianity, American Nationalism, Economic Nationalism Sovereignty, Popular Sovereignty |
National affiliation | Constitution Party |
Colors |
Maroon and
Wythe
Gold
![]() |
Website | |
http://cpwva.org |
The Constitution Party of West Virginia (CPWVa) is an affiliate party of the right wing national Constitution Party, [1] [2] [3] although it claims that it has been mischaracterized by groups such as the SPLC, [4] [5] [6] ADL, and MIAC. [7] [8] It believes that America has a Christian character and heritage, [9] 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. [10] [11] The party takes very conservative stances on social and fiscal issues. [12]
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. [13] 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. [14] The party was officially organized three and a half years later on June 12, 2004 at its first formal meeting in Morgantown. [15] It ratified its ByLaws at its Clarksburg meeting on November 12, 2005. [16]
The 1964 Constitution Party presidential nominee, Joseph B. Lightburn, was a neighbor of Donnellan in Jane Lew where he owned the local general store. [17] Lightburn served as National Committeeman for the Constitution Party of West Virginia, [18] but the original party has long been defunct and there are no connections between the two. [19]
Combined Election Results References: [20]
Combined Election Results References: [36] [37]
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. [69] 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. [70] The 1% petition signature figure was longstanding West Virginia law from 1932 until 1999 when the state legislature doubled it. [71] 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. [72] 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. [73] 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.
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.
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 [74] 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.
The CPWVa has 144 registered voters in thirty-three counties. [75] 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 [76] and write the word "Constitution" on the line. Voter registration status can be checked on the Secretary of State's website. [77]
Because the Constitution Party is not a major party in the state, [78] 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. [79]