1996 West Virginia Secretary of State election

none May 2026 May 2026 1996 West Virginia Secretary of State election West Virginia presidential no 1992 West Virginia Secretary of State election 1992 2000 West Virginia Secretary of State election 2000 November 5, 1996 Ken Hechler 2008.jpg Ken Hechler Democratic Party (United States) 396,794 69.45% 3x4.svg Vernon R. Hayes, Jr. Republican Party (United States) 174,567 30.55% 1996 West Virginia Secretary of State election by county.svg 250px County resultsHechler: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90%Hayes: #e27f7f 50–60% Secretary of State Ken Hechler Democratic Party (United States) Ken Hechler Democratic Party (United States) The 1996 West Virginia secretary of state election was held on November 5, 1996 to elect the secretary of state of West Virginia. Democratic incumbent Ken Hechler successfully won a fourth and final term in a landslide, defeating Republican Vernon R. Hayes, Jr. by nearly forty percentage points. Democratic primary Candidates Ken Hechler, incumbent secretary of state of West Virginia (1985–2001) Results Democratic primary results1996 Primary Election - Official Returns of the Democratic Party.pdf https://sos.wv.gov/elections/Documents/HistElecDocs/1996/1996%20Primary%20Election%20-%20Official%20Returns%20of%20the%20Democratic%20Party.pdf dead May 28, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20190915103325/https://sos.wv.gov/elections/Documents/HistElecDocs/1996/1996%20Primary%20Election%20-%20Official%20Returns%20of%20the%20Democratic%20Party.pdf September 15, 2019 Democratic Party (United States) Ken Hechler 268,393 100.0% 268,393 100.0% Republican primary Candidates Vernon R. Hayes, Jr. Henry L. Thaxton, Christian school administrator Results Republican primary results1996 Primary Election - Official Returns of the Republican Party.pdf https://sos.wv.gov/elections/Documents/HistElecDocs/1996/1996%20Primary%20Election%20-%20Official%20Returns%20of%20the%20Republican%20party.pdf dead May 28, 2026 https://web.archive.org/web/20190915103947/https://sos.wv.gov/elections/Documents/HistElecDocs/1996/1996%20Primary%20Election%20-%20Official%20Returns%20of%20the%20Republican%20party.pdf September 15, 2019 Republican Party (United States) Vernon R. Hayes, Jr. 56,931 55.0% Republican Party (United States) Henry L. Thaxton 46,547 45.0% 103,478 100.0% General election Candidates Ken Hechler, incumbent secretary of state of West Virginia (1985–2001) (Democratic) Vernon R. Hayes, Jr. (Republican) Results 1996 West Virginia Secretary of State election results1996 Secretary of State General Election Results - West Virginia https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=54&year=1996&f=0&off=7&elect=0 May 28, 2026 Democratic Party (United States) Ken Hechler 396,794 69.45% -0.49 Republican Party (United States) Vernon R. Hayes, Jr. 174,567 30.55% +0.19 571,361 100.00% Democratic Party (United States) References Category:West Virginia Secretary of State elections Secretary of State West Virginia Category:November 1996 in the United States