First day of candidate filing for 2022 primary elections kicks off in Fayette County

FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WOAY) – Potential candidates came out to the Fayette County Courthouse on the cold Jan. 10 morning to file their paperwork and run for a county-level office kicking off the 2022 primary elections on May 10.

Since this is the first day of the 19-day period you can file to run for office, a big, initial turnout was not anticipated.

“A lot of times people who are currently in office will file on that first day, because, you know, it’s pretty certain you’re going to run, but we should expect to have people all throughout the filing period, and then a larger group might wait until those last few days,” says County Clerk, Michelle Holly.

You can run for several offices in the county, including Circuit Clerk, County Clerk, one seat on the County Commission, all political executive committees, and three seats on the Board of Education.

Current Circuit Clerk Deborah Hendrick is one of the first to run for the office of Circuit Clerk again. After being appointed in 2021 and working in the office for over 22 years, she says re-running was just the next natural step.

“It’s an honor,” Hendrick says. “I’ve been a public servant for over 22 years and I would like to continue being a public servant for Fayette County.”

With the last campaign being quite a different process for the politicians since contact with the public was limited due to the pandemic, they are ready to get back out among the public again.

“I know this year we’re dealing with another variant of course and trying to stay safe again, but hopefully there will be more opportunity to get out and talk with voters and hear their concerns, hear what they would like to see out of the County Clerk’s office,” Holly says.

The candidacy filing process will conclude on Jan. 29. For those interested in running for one of the Fayette County offices, you can call (304) 574-4235 or stop by the courthouse during their normal business hours between now and the last day to file.

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