---
type: "Bill"
title: "Extending the option of electronic absentee ballot transmission to first responders in certain emergency circumstances"
description: "Extending the option of electronic absentee ballot transmission to first responders in certain emergency circumstances"
jurisdiction: "us/states/wv"
legislature: "West Virginia Legislature"
session: "2022"
identifier: "HB 4312"
citation: "West Virginia HB 4312 (2022)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Elections"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Holstein"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 39
vote_count: 1
first_action: "2022-01-21"
last_action: "2022-04-19"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d48e70b7-c622-4141-a288-71343fb3bb83"
source_url: "http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=4312&year=2022&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill"
source_hash: "6ebacb32640cc8ee7500a92d2250c650b732ab4000c52a4beb1705ff1bf90ac6"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wv"]
---

# West Virginia HB 4312 (2022) — Extending the option of electronic absentee ballot transmission to first responders in certain emergency circumstances

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Enrolled Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB4312%20ENR.htm&yr=2022&sesstype=RS&i=4312)
2. **HB4312 S JUD AM _1 2-8 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2022/RS/com_amends/HB4312 S JUD AM _1 2-8 adopted.htm)
3. **HB4312 S JUD AMT _1 2-8 adopted.htm** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/legisdocs/chamber/2022/RS/com_amends/HB4312 S JUD AMT _1 2-8 adopted.htm)
4. **Introduced Version** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB4312%20INTR.htm&yr=2022&sesstype=RS&i=4312)

## Votes

- Passage — **33–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Holstein — primary (person)
- Barnhart — cosponsor (person)
- Bridges — cosponsor (person)
- Crouse — cosponsor (person)
- Hanna — cosponsor (person)
- Honaker — cosponsor (person)
- Maynor — cosponsor (person)
- Tully — cosponsor (person)
- Ward, B. — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2022-01-21** Filed for introduction `filing`
- **2022-01-21** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2022-01-21** Introduced in House `introduction`
- **2022-01-21** To House Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2022-01-27** Do pass
- **2022-01-28** On 1st reading, Special Calendar
- **2022-01-28** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2022-01-31** On 2nd reading, Special Calendar
- **2022-01-31** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2022-01-31** Amendment rejected (Roll No. 67) `amendment-failure`
- **2022-02-01** On 3rd reading, Special Calendar
- **2022-02-01** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2022-02-01** Passed House (Roll No. 72) `passage`
- **2022-02-01** Communicated to Senate
- **2022-02-02** Introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2022-02-02** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2022-02-02** To Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2022-02-10** Reported do pass, with amendment and title amendment `committee-passage`
- **2022-02-11** On 1st reading
- **2022-02-11** Read 1st time `reading-1`
- **2022-02-14** On 2nd reading
- **2022-02-14** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2022-02-14** Committee amendment adopted (Voice vote)
- **2022-02-15** On 3rd reading
- **2022-02-15** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2022-02-15** Passed Senate with amended title (Roll No. 134) `passage`
- **2022-02-15** Senate requests House to concur
- **2022-02-24** House received Senate message
- **2022-02-24** House concurred in Senate amendment and passed bill (Roll No. 237)
- **2022-02-24** Communicated to Senate
- **2022-02-24** Completed legislative action
- **2022-02-25** House Message received
- **2022-03-03** To Governor 3/3/22 `executive-receipt`
- **2022-03-03** To Governor 3/3/2022 - Senate Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2022-03-04** To Governor 3/3/22 - House Journal `executive-receipt`
- **2022-03-10** Approved by Governor 3/9/2022 - Senate Journal
- **2022-03-09** Approved by Governor 3/9/22 `executive-signature`
- **2022-03-11** Approved by Governor 3/9/22 - House Journal
- **2022-04-19** Chapter 116, Acts, Regular Session, 2022

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d48e70b7-c622-4141-a288-71343fb3bb83`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official West Virginia legislature records).