The Pittsburgh Press (November 5, 1944)
Democrats lead in West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia (UP) – (Nov. 4)
West Virginia, which is classed generally this year by national election polls as a “doubtful” state, has a registered Democratic majority of 171,677 voters, a figure which varies less than 200 registrants from the last general election “edge” held by the Democratic Party.
Secretary of State William S. O’Brien said today all 55 counties had reported final registration figures, showing 1,046,514 persons registered, or an increase of 63,574 from the number registered for the May primaries.
15 counties GOP
Of all 55 counties, only 15 were majority GOP, including Ohio, Hancock, Marshall, Mason, Preston, Jackson and Upshur. However, Ohio’s Republican majority was only 127, where in 1940 there was a GOP majority in Ohio County of 3,481.
By party divisions, 604,645 were registered Democratic in all counties, or an increase of 36,932 over the 1944 primary total. The GOP registration total is 432,968, or a 25,758 increase since the primary.
What of soldiers
During 1940, of 1,109,082 voters registered, 635,324 were Democratic and 463,844 Republican.
Records show that about 80 percent of the registrants voted in the 1940 contest.
About the soldier registration – Mr. O’Brien’s office has received reports from 51 counties, showing 16,827 servicemen registered, of which 9,705 are Democratic and 5,826 Republican.