Photo: house.wvlegislature.govWV · Officeholder
DDelegate · District 5
On the ballot Nov 3, 2026: West Virginia Senate District 1
Shawn Fluharty is the Democratic candidate for West Virginia State Senate District 1 in the November 3, 2026 general election.[1][2] An attorney, he has served in the West Virginia House of Delegates since 2015 and currently represents House District 5, a seat he is not seeking again in 2026.[1]
Shawn Fluharty was born in Wheeling, West Virginia.[1] He earned a B.S. in public relations with a minor in political science from the West Virginia University Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism in 2006 and a J.D. from West Virginia University's College of Law in 2009.[1] His career experience includes working as an attorney.[1]
Fluharty won election to the House of Delegates in District 3 in 2014, when he and Holli Smith defeated Dave Palmer in the general election for the district's two seats.[1] He was re-elected in 2016, 2018 and 2020, and in 2022 he won District 5 over Brooke McArdle, then won re-election there in 2024 over Thomas Salkovick.[1] In the 2023-2024 session he served as Minority Vice-Chair of both the House Judiciary Committee and the House Rules Committee.[1] He advanced from the May 12, 2026 Democratic primary for Senate District 1 as the only candidate on the ballot and faces Republican incumbent Laura Wakim Chapman in November.[1][2]
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
Shawn Fluharty is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for West Virginia Senate District 1 as D. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.
Their recorded votes on bills that divided the chamber (unanimous votes left out), grouped by topic. A bill can sit under more than one topic. "With" and "against" compare each vote with how most Democrats voted. How topics are assigned
Most contested
As passed by the House, requires all employers to register with E-Verify, check new hires' work authorization and keep records, gives employers who use E-Verify a legal defense, removes some criminal penalties, and sets escalating sanctions from warnings to state-contract bans and business-license revocation.
Feb 10, 2026 · Passed 48–46 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Exempting certain employees from the classified civil service system
On the version voted Mar 14, 2026: Exempts new hires and promoted employees in the Departments of Health Facilities, Human Services and Health from the classified civil service system and state grievance procedures starting July 1, 2026. Secretaries may restore coverage where federal law requires; bars nepotism and favoritism in decisions.
Mar 4, 2026 · Passed 51–38 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
To create the Southern Coalfield Resiliency and Revitalization Program
As passed by the House, creates a five-year Southern Coalfield Resiliency and Revitalization Program for Boone, Logan, McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming counties, with a council to coordinate existing state, local and university resources for economic development, annual reports, and outreach to businesses on existing tax credits.
Feb 20, 2026 · Failed 48–48 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Most contested
Repealing obsolete and outdated sections of the Education code.
As first passed by the House, before Senate and later House amendments, repeals education code sections on teacher professional development, a behavior interventionist pilot program, use of school buildings as child care facilities, and the High School Graduation Improvement Act.
Mar 14, 2026 · Failed 47–49 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Establishing Troops-to-Teachers Program
Apr 12, 2025 · Passed 59–39 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Relating to requirements for WVU and WVSU Board of Governors
On the version voted Apr 12, 2025: Expands West Virginia University's Board of Governors to 15 governor-appointed members, including WVU Tech and Potomac State graduates, specifies that elected faculty, student and staff board members serve as nonvoting advisers, and requires an agriculture or forestry member on the WVU and West Virginia State University boards.
Mar 31, 2025 · Passed 62–35 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Most contested
Modifying parole eligibility for crime of second degree murder and voluntary manslaughter
On the version voted Mar 11, 2026: Lengthens prison terms for second-degree murder to 15 to 60 years and voluntary manslaughter to 5 to 25 years, sets minimum time served before parole for each, and raises minimum time before parole for life sentences.
Mar 6, 2026 · Failed 45–47 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
As passed by the House, requires all employers to register with E-Verify, check new hires' work authorization and keep records, gives employers who use E-Verify a legal defense, removes some criminal penalties, and sets escalating sanctions from warnings to state-contract bans and business-license revocation.
Feb 10, 2026 · Passed 48–46 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
As amended by the Senate, amends the state public records law to exempt private personal information and more internal and security records, extend the response deadline from 5 to 14 business days, allow search fees, and remove the presumption of access.
Apr 2, 2025 · Passed 58–42 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Most contested
Relating to vaccine requirements
As passed by the Senate, adds religious and philosophical exemptions to school and child care vaccine requirements, lets a doctor's, physician assistant's or nurse practitioner's note grant medical exemptions without state review, bars excluding exempt children from extracurriculars or school events, and allows lawsuits.
Mar 21, 2025 · Passed 51–44 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Relating to the assessment of interest on overpayments by the Bureau for Medical Services
Charges interest on overpayments owed back to state Medicaid programs, at the state's court judgment interest rate, starting 31 days after an overpayment is finalized, with the interest kept by the fund that made the payment.
Mar 31, 2025 · Passed 56–42 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Prohibition on cell-cultured products
Feb 13, 2026 · Passed 64–25 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Most contested
Clarifying Commissioner of Agriculture's authority to regulate bees
As introduced, makes the Agriculture Commissioner the sole regulator of beekeeping and apiaries, overriding local rules, and requires clear and convincing evidence of damage for lawsuits against nearby farm operations.
Mar 12, 2026 · Passed 49–40 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Relating generally to aboveground storage tanks
Mar 12, 2026 · Passed 58–34 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Relating to indexing of license and stamp fees
Removes the January 1, 2021 cutoff on indexing hunting and fishing license and stamp fees, so the Natural Resources director may keep proposing rule increases tied to the Consumer Price Index, rounded down to the nearest dollar.
Mar 4, 2026 · Passed 61–32 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Most contested
Relating generally to traffic safety
Apr 12, 2025 · Passed 74–18 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
On the version voted Apr 10, 2025: Allows a person operating a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle or moped to ride standing astride the vehicle with both feet on the footpegs or pedals, facing forward, instead of only sitting on the seat.
Mar 19, 2025 · Passed 80–17 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Relating to restrictions on use or sale of motor vehicles based on power source
Apr 4, 2025 · Passed 88–9 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Most contested
Camping ban on certain public property.
Mar 3, 2026 · Passed 62–32 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Relating to duties of licensees under the West Virginia Real Estate License Act
Mar 4, 2026 · Passed 80–10 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Relating to eviction proceedings
Apr 12, 2025 · Passed 87–8 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Most contested
Mar 21, 2025 · Passed 91–5 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Apr 2, 2025 · Passed 95–5 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Relating to the Consumer Data Protection Act
Mar 26, 2025 · Passed 94–1 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Most contested
Establishing Troops-to-Teachers Program
Apr 12, 2025 · Passed 59–39 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Relating to creating a State Advisory Council on Establishing a Military College
Mar 19, 2025 · Passed 95–2 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Relating to including the United States Space Force in the definition armed forces
Feb 24, 2025 · Passed 97–1 · with most DemocratsOfficial record ↗
Voted against most of their party on 20 of 214 party-divided votes on file.
Most often on: Rights & public safety (10), Education & families (5), Jobs & cost of living (3)
Allowing constitutional carry for 18- to 20-year-olds
What it does: Lets people aged 18 to 20 who are U.S. citizens or legal residents and not prohibited from possessing firearms carry a concealed deadly weapon without a license; repeals the offense of carrying without a license for t…
Voted yes · most Democrats voted no · Democrats 2–7, Republicans 87–1
Mar 14, 2026Official record ↗
Relating to statute of limitations for asbestos and silica litigation
Voted yes · most Democrats voted no · Democrats 3–6, Republicans 81–5
Mar 14, 2026Official record ↗
Providing for a program allowing election official trainees to be appointed as election officials
What it does: Lets election-appointing bodies set up a program to appoint junior or senior students as election officials, with grade-average, approval and training requirements and only one participant per political party per prec…
Voted yes · most Democrats voted no · Democrats 3–6, Republicans 79–8
Mar 14, 2026Official record ↗
Allowing constitutional carry for 18- to 20-year-olds
What it does: Lets people aged 18 to 20 who are U.S. citizens or legal residents and not prohibited from possessing firearms carry a concealed deadly weapon without a license; repeals the offense of carrying without a license for t…
Voted yes · most Democrats voted no · Democrats 2–7, Republicans 83–1
Mar 14, 2026Official record ↗
Relating to the meaning of residence for the purpose of bail
What it does: Requires judicial officers to consider a defendant's West Virginia or U.S. residency, community ties and flight risk in misdemeanor release decisions and residency in setting bail, and bars magistrates from releasing…
Voted yes · most Democrats voted no · Democrats 3–6, Republicans 81–3
Mar 14, 2026Official record ↗
The votes in their chamber that came out closest and most divided by party, among those they voted on. How we rank
Modifying parole eligibility for crime of second degree murder and voluntary manslaughter
With most of their party · Failed 45–47 · Yes 45–No 47 · Democrats 9–0, Republicans 36–47
Mar 6, 2026Official record ↗
With most of their party · Passed 48–46 · Yes 48–No 46 · Democrats 0–9, Republicans 48–37
Feb 10, 2026Official record ↗
Repealing obsolete and outdated sections of the Education code.
With most of their party · Failed 47–49 · Yes 47–No 49 · Democrats 9–0, Republicans 38–49
Mar 14, 2026Official record ↗
Relating to vaccine requirements
With most of their party · Passed 51–44 · Yes 51–No 44 · Democrats 0–9, Republicans 51–35
Mar 21, 2025Official record ↗
Clarifying Commissioner of Agriculture's authority to regulate bees
With most of their party · Passed 49–40 · Yes 49–No 40 · Democrats 0–9, Republicans 49–31
Mar 12, 2026Official record ↗
Exempting certain employees from the classified civil service system
With most of their party · Passed 51–38 · Yes 51–No 38 · Democrats 0–9, Republicans 51–29
Mar 4, 2026Official record ↗
Relating to the assessment of interest on overpayments by the Bureau for Medical Services
With most of their party · Passed 56–42 · Yes 56–No 42 · Democrats 0–9, Republicans 56–33
Mar 31, 2025Official record ↗
With most of their party · Passed 58–42 · Yes 58–No 42 · Democrats 0–9, Republicans 58–33
Apr 2, 2025Official record ↗
Substantive votes concern legislation or nominations; procedural votes concern how the chamber considers them. A Yes vote applies to the motion shown, which may not be final passage.
Motion: Constitutional Rule Suspended
Amends the 2026 budget's State Department of Education appropriations, funded from the unappropriated General Revenue surplus; the amended list includes $8,000,000 for a Hancock County Board of Education financial stability loan program.
Motion: Effective from passage
Amends the 2026 budget's State Department of Education appropriations, funded from the unappropriated General Revenue surplus; the amended list includes $8,000,000 for a Hancock County Board of Education financial stability loan program.
Motion: Motion for previous question adopted
Motion: House concurred in Senate amendment with amendment
Lets people aged 18 to 20 who are U.S. citizens or legal residents and not prohibited from possessing firearms carry a concealed deadly weapon without a license; repeals the offense of carrying without a license for those under 21.
Motion: House concurred in Senate amend with amend, passed bill
Motion: Passed House
Allows teachers with at least 15 years' experience at the elementary, middle or high school level to be certified as principals at that level after completing a year-long Department of Education program in school administration, beginning July 1, 2026.
Motion: Passed House
Makes it lawful to prescribe, distribute and market a drug containing psilocybin, including crystalline polymorph psilocybin compositions, if the FDA approves it and the DEA reschedules it, despite its Schedule I listing.
Motion: Passed House
Repeals the annual reporting requirement for the West Virginia Research Trust Fund by removing §18B-18A-12 from the Code.
Motion: Passed House
As introduced, makes the Agriculture Commissioner the sole regulator of beekeeping and apiaries, overriding local rules, and requires clear and convincing evidence of damage for lawsuits against nearby farm operations.
Motion: Passed House
Showing 10 of 740 votes in this collection. Coverage may be incomplete; each entry links to the official record.
