The Legislature hereby finds and declares that every candidate for public office in this state should follow the basic principles of decency, honesty and fairness in the course of their campaign practices.

Terms Used In West Virginia Code 3-1B-1

  • Candidate: shall mean any person to be voted for at an election. See West Virginia Code 3-1-2
  • Office: shall be construed to mean "public office" which shall include (1) any elective office provided for by the Constitution or laws of the United States or of this state to which a salary or other compensation attaches, and (2) membership in a Constitutional convention. See West Virginia Code 3-1-2
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10

The Legislature hereby further declares that the code of fair campaign practices, as contained in this article, is a standard to which all candidates for public office should aspire and is a guideline for voters to determine fair play in the conduct of campaigns for public office.

It is the further goal of the Legislature that every candidate for public office in this state will voluntarily subscribe and adhere to the code of campaign practices.