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2016 Op. W. Va. Att'y Gen. 1 (2016)

handle is hein.sag/sagwv0059 and id is 1 raw text is: 










                                     State of West Virginia
                                 Office of the Attorney General

      Patrick Morrisey                                                   (304) 558-2021
      Attorney General                  January 5, 2016              Fax (304) 558-0140


The Honorable William P. Cole III
President of the Senate
Building 1, Room 229M
1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Charleston, WV 25305

Dear President Cole:

       You have asked for an Opinion of the Attorney General regarding the filling of a vacancy
created by the resignation of a State Senator who was elected as a member of one political party
but was affiliated with another political party at the time of his or her resignation. This Opinion
is being issued pursuant to West Virginia Code § 5-3-1, which provides that the Attorney
General shall render to the president of the Senate and/or the speaker of the House of Delegates
a written opinion or advice upon any questions submitted to the attorney general by them or
either of them whenever he or she is requested in writing so to do. To the extent this Opinion
relies on facts, it is based solely upon the factual assertions set forth in your correspondence with
the Attorney General's Office.

       In your letter, you suggest that West Virginia law designates the political party of the
State Senator at the time of resignation as the state party responsible for submitting a list of
potential replacements to the Governor. You point to West Virginia Code § 3-10-5, which is
entitled Vacancies in the State Legislature. In particular, you note that subsection (a) states
that the party executive committee of the party with which the person holding office
immediately preceding the vacancy was affiliated would be responsible for submitting a list of
three potential replacements to the Governor. Based on this language, you believe that the
responsible political party is the one to which the State Senator belonged at the time of his or her
resignation.

       Your letter raises the following legal question:

       Which political party is responsible for submitting a list of potential replacements
       to the Governor to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of a State Senator
       who was elected to office as a member of one political party but was affiliated
       with another political party at the time of his or her resignation?


State Capitol Building 1, Room E-26, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, Charleston, WV 25305

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