§47-20-26. County option election.
The county commission of any county is authorized to call a local option election for the purpose of determining the will of the voters as to whether the provisions of this article shall continue in effect in said county: Provided, That no local option election may be called to disapprove the playing of bingo games at the state fair in accordance with the provisions of this article.
A petition for local option election shall be in the form specified in this section and shall be signed by qualified voters residing within said county equal to at least 10 percent of the persons qualified to vote within said county at the last general election. The petition may be in any number of counterparts and is sufficient if substantially in the following form:
PETITION ON LOCAL OPTION ELECTION RESPECTING THE CONDUCT OF BINGO GAMES FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES IN ............ COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA
Each of the undersigned certifies that he or she is a person residing in ............. County, West Virginia, and is duly qualified to vote in that county under the laws of the state, and that his or her name, address, and the date of signing this petition are correctly set forth below.
The undersigned petition the county commission to call and hold a local option election at concurrent with the next primary or general election upon the following question: Shall the provisions of Article Twenty, Chapter Forty-Seven of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, continue in effect in ............ County, West Virginia?
Name Address Date
.......................................................
(Each person signing must specify either his or her post-office address or his or her street number.)
Upon the filing of a petition for a local option election in accordance with the provisions of this section, the county commission shall enter an order calling a local option election as specified in the petition. The county commission shall give notice of such local option election by publication thereof as a Class II-0 legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of §59-3-1 et seq. of this code, and the publication area for such publication is the county. The notice shall be so published within 14 consecutive days next preceding the election.
Each person qualified to vote in the county at any primary, general, or special election shall likewise be qualified to vote at the local option election. The election officers appointed and qualified to serve as such at any primary, general, or special election shall conduct the local option election. If the local option election is to be held at the same time as a primary or general election, it shall be held in connection with and as a part of that primary or general election. The ballots in the local option election shall be counted and returns made by the election officers and the results certified by the commissioners of election to said county commission which shall canvass the ballots, all in accordance with the laws of the State of West Virginia relating to primary and general elections insofar as the same are applicable. The county commission shall, without delay, canvass the ballots cast at said local option election and certify the result thereof.
The ballot to be used in said local option election shall have printed thereon substantially the following:
“Shall the playing of bingo to raise money for charitable or public service organizations continue in effect in .............. County of West Virginia?
/ / Yes / / No
(Place a cross mark in the square opposite your choice.)”
If a majority of the voters voting at any local option election vote no on the foregoing question, the provisions of §47-20-1 et seq. of this code, no longer continue in effect in said county.
No local option election may be called in a county to resubmit said question to the voters of that county, whether the question was approved or disapproved at the previous local option election, sooner than five years after the last local option election.
