Observer Weekly

November 2, 2026

Jefferson County, WV news & events

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We’ve updated The Observer’s 2026 Voter Guide with helpful information about voting on Election Day, plus links to candidate websites, interviews, and debate videos. For the Jefferson County Commission races, we have Q&A responses received from the candidates. There are also links for finding your voting location and sample ballot in the story below.

Early voting ended on Saturday, October 31 (results below). The early voting location at the Jefferson County Government Center is not open on Election Day — you will need to vote in your local polling location >>>click here to look up where to vote…​

If you’ve checked your mailbox or social media feed in the past few weeks, you’ve probably noticed more than a few “attack” ads targeting the Jefferson County Commission election. The Observer took a close look at this activity. You can read our analysis below.

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Election Day Information

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. All polling locations in West Virginia open at 6:30 am and close at 7:30 pm.

Where to Vote — You can use this link to the WV Secretary of State’s website to find your voting location. >>>voting location lookup…​

Find your Delegate District — You can use this link to the WV Secretary of State’s website to find what district you live in and your voting precinct. >>>precinct finder…​

Sample Ballot — You can use this link to the WV Secretary of State’s website to display a sample ballot based on your residence address. >>>sample ballot lookup…​

The Observer’s 2026 Voter Guide — updated with helpful information about voting on Election Day, plus links to candidate websites, interviews, and debate videos. For the Jefferson County Commission races, we have Q&A responses received from the candidates. >>>Observer’s 2026 Voter Guide…​

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Early Voting Turnout Up From 2022

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There were 7,789 ballots cast during early voting for the 2026 election in Jefferson County.

The early voting took place between October 21 and October 31, 2026. According to the tally reported by the Jefferson County Clerk, the party registration of the 7,789 early voters was as follows:

• Democratic Party: 2,892
• Republican Party: 2,462
• No Party Registration: 2,389
• Libertarian Party: 33
• Mountain Party: 11
• Constitution Party: 2

There were 49,411 registered voters in Jefferson County as of the October 13, 2026 registration deadline according to information published by the West Virginia Secretary of State. For 2026 there are 3,395 more registered voters compared to 2024 (a presidential election year) and 7,735 more registered voters compared to 2022 (the prior mid-term election).

In 2024, the early voting turnout was 10,174 and in 2022, the early voting turnout was 5,211. Here’s a recap of the voter turnout for early voting, in both total numbers and as a percentage of the registered voters:

• 2026 (49,411 registered): 7,789 — 15.8%
• 2024 (46,016 registered): 10,174 — 22.1%
• 2022 (41,281 registered): 5,211 — 12.6%

The WV Secretary of State’s report indicates the breakdown by party affiliation for the 2026 electorate in Jefferson County. Here’s the totals, along with a calculation of the 2026 early voting turnout for each group:

• Republican Party: 18,391 — 13.4%
• No Party: 16,991 — 14.1%
• Democratic Party: 12,397 — 23.3%
• Minor Party (other): 814 — n/a
• Libertarian Party: 651 — 5.1%
• Mountain Party: 146 — 7.5%
• Constitution Party: 21 — 9.5%

The Jefferson County Clerk’s office reported that even with the higher turnout, the early voting process went smoothly. When The Observer visited the Jefferson County Government Center on Saturday afternoon just before the early voting closed at 5 pm, one of the final early voters was in the parking lot serenading the staff and volunteers by playing “Taps” on a bugle to thank them for their service.

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Analysis: The Observer Checked the Attack Ads in the Jefferson County Commission Race

The attack advertising in this year's Jefferson County Commission election has been unusually intense this year. Most of it has targeted the race between incumbent Steve Stolipher and challenger Mary Mickey Reagan.

The Observer took a close look at those claims. Here's the short version: none of the attacks on Mickey Reagan in the PAC mailers or on an anonymously managed Facebook page hold up. The claims in the Mickey Reagan campaign's videos about Stolipher do.

This analysis covers the final two weeks of the campaign, from mid-October through Nov. 1. During that time, The Observer gathered the mailers. Most arrived in our own mailbox. We collected the rest from post office counters, where residents left them after checking their mail. We checked each claim against the candidates' public statements, the party platforms cited in the mailers and public records. Our sources are listed at the end.

The County Commission race between incumbent Pasha Majdi and challengers Tricia Jackson and Lanae Johnson has seen some social media attacks, including from the anonymously managed Facebook page described below, but at a much slower pace.

We found no PAC mailers against Stolipher during that period.

In Your Mailbox: Nine PAC Mailers

Preserving Jefferson County, an independent political action committee (PAC) that registered with the West Virginia Secretary of State on Sept. 22, has been very active in supporting Steve Stolipher and attacking Mary Mickey Reagan.

So far, The Observer has seen nine super-sized postcards, each featuring some variation of the theme that Mickey Reagan wants to destroy Jefferson County. The postcards are addressed to residents by name, which points to a targeted mailing list rather than delivery to every household. Assuming that list covers about 10,000 households, and at typical rates of roughly 55 to 65 cents per piece for printing and postage, The Observer estimates the PAC has spent between $50,000 and $60,000 on the nine mailings combined.

Who is paying for them is another question. As of Monday morning, the Secretary of State's online campaign finance system showed no reports from this PAC. The Observer spoke with both the Secretary of State’s office and the Jefferson County Clerk’s office to confirm that this PAC has not filed any of the campaign finance reports that are required within 48 hours of making such an expenditure.

The nine mailers recycle four themes. Several cite Democratic Party platforms to back up their claims, so we checked those platforms along with Mickey Reagan's own public statements. Here's what we found:

Claim: She supports high-density housing, including public housing. The Observer’s analysis: FALSE — Mickey Reagan has made public statements against unsustainable housing growth, and we found no evidence that she supports high-density public housing. The issue isn't mentioned in the party platforms.

Claim: She supports open borders for illegal immigrants. The Observer’s analysis: UNSUPPORTED — There is no evidence that Mickey Reagan supports this. The referenced party platforms specifically mention immigration law reform, not open borders.

Claim: She supports radical transgender ideologies. The Observer’s analysis: UNSUPPORTED — There is no evidence that Mickey Reagan supports this. The referenced party platforms mention inclusion for all, regardless of race, gender, disability and orientation.

Claim: She supports solar farms and data centers. The Observer’s analysis: FALSE —Mickey Reagan has made public statements against building solar farms and data center projects on farmland. The referenced party platform specifically objects to building data centers without meaningful local control.

Online: An Anonymously Managed Facebook Page

Online, an anonymously managed Facebook page titled "Jefferson County United for Freedom" has produced multiple AI-generated images and videos attacking Mickey Reagan and Pasha Majdi. The page typically portrays Mickey Reagan as a witch, and it darkens Majdi's skin tone so that he appears Black. The Observer does not link to anonymously managed pages like this one, and we are not reproducing its images.

The data center claim — The anonymously managed Facebook page has repeatedly claimed that Mickey Reagan's family farm is listed for sale for a data center. Mickey Reagan says that is false. She said so in a video she posted publicly.

To back up its claim, the page has posted several items, including a state property listing and an aerial photo. The Observer checked them. None supports the claim. In fact, the property listing names Steve Stolipher as the broker.

What the state property listing shows — On Oct. 28, the Facebook page posted a screen image of the "Charles Town Properties" listing on the West Virginia Economic Development Office (WV EDO) website. Here's what The Observer found when we looked into that:

• In 2009, the federal General Services Administration (GSA) was looking for a permanent home for a State Department training facility to replace a temporary one at Summit Point Raceway. It needed a minimum of 1,250 acres within 150 miles of Washington, D.C.
• The Jefferson County Development Authority (JCDA) submitted a proposal covering 1,800 acres spread across 17 parcels, which it called the "Charles Town Properties." Three of those parcels are owned by members of the Stolipher family.
• Mickey Reagan's parents, the Mickeys, signed a letter dated July 2009 authorizing the JCDA to include part of their farm in the proposal.
• The JCDA proposal was one of 30 received from sites in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. The State Department ultimately chose to place its training facility at Fort Pickett, a military base in Virginia. Construction of that facility began in 2016. The Mickeys' authorization to market their property as part of this specific project expired when the JCDA proposal was not accepted by the GSA, according to a copy of the letter reviewed by The Observer.
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The listing on the WV EDO website was deactivated on Sept. 10, 2026, but its direct web link still works. When The Observer reviewed the listing record on Nov. 1, the page was marked "unapproved" and named Steve Stolipher as the broker/property contact. Stolipher was also listed as the broker/property contact as far back as 2020, based on documents submitted during a February 2021 public hearing on the County's solar zoning.

​>>>View the state listing as saved Nov. 1…

​>>>View the 2021 hearing document…​

What the aerial photo shows — The page also posted an aerial photo of a gravel pad. Based on the parcel record and the photo, the gravel pad appears to be a construction entrance for a single house on a 1.5-acre parcel next to the Mickey farm. Other individuals own that parcel.

The Mickey Reagan Campaign's Videos About Stolipher

The Mickey Reagan campaign has created multiple videos attacking Steve Stolipher's record. Unlike the PAC mailers and the anonymously managed Facebook page, the Mickey Reagan campaign is taking credit for the videos it has produced. We reviewed all of the campaign's videos that mention Stolipher.

Here's a summary of the main claims, along with The Observer's analysis. You can click on the claim summaries to view the referenced videos.

Claim: Stolipher supports solar and data center projects. The Observer’s analysis: Accurate — The video accurately reflects statements made by Stolipher. Here’s The Observer’s coverage of industrial solar development and the HB 2014/data center issue.

Claim: Stolipher voted to support housing growth outside of municipalities. The Observer’s analysis: Accurate — The number of housing units referenced is accurate. Here’s The Observer’s coverage of housing growth in Jefferson County.

Claim: Stolipher has misstated the County's record on water studies. The Observer’s analysis: Accurate — Mickey Reagan's characterization of the record of water studies in Jefferson County is more accurate than Stolipher's. Here’s The Observer’s coverage of water issues in Jefferson County.

Claim: Stolipher supports the Middleway water bottling project. The Observer’s analysis: Accurate — The video shows Steve Stolipher speaking in support of the bottling plant project during the May 2025 public hearing. Here’s The Observer’s coverage of the Sidewinder project.

Claim: Stolipher overstates the cost of County services. The Observer’s analysis: Accurate — Stolipher's math is not correct. According to the numbers Stolipher is claiming, the County cannot afford to provide adequate essential services unless it increases its budget by more than $200 million. Here’s The Observer’s coverage of the County’s ambulance services.

Claim: The County Commission is spending more money than it collects. The Observer’s analysis: Accurate — The Commission has been drawing down its reserves to pay its current expenses. Here’s The Observer’s coverage of the Jefferson County budget.

The Bottom Line

On the one hand, we've seen a lot of unsubstantiated attacks on Mickey Reagan from an anonymously managed Facebook page and from a PAC whose funding and expense records have not yet been disclosed. On the other hand, we've seen a lot of legitimate questions raised by the Mickey Reagan campaign about Stolipher's record.

We're not here to suggest how anyone votes, but we do try to keep everyone informed with honest facts and fair analysis.

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Every week, The Observer digs into the details that matter in Jefferson County. Our content is free for everyone to read, but producing well-researched local news isn’t free.

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If you’re new to the Observer Weekly — Welcome!

You can find the archives of our weekly issues at ObserverWV.news. If you’re looking for accurate, in-depth information about the key issues affecting Jefferson County, you can find our stories on ObserverWV.com, including our ongoing coverage of West Virginia’s plans for data centers, transmission lines, housing growth, local government, and many other topics.

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