The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office has officially dismissed a residency complaint filed against Wood County Board of Education member Debbie Hendershot.
Donald “Deak” Kersey, Chief Deputy and Chief of Staff, confirmed the complaint had been dismissed but did not comment on the specific details of the case.
The investigation began in February after Chad Conley, who ran unsuccessfully for a Wood County school board seat in the November election, raised concerns about Hendershot’s residency. Conley claimed that Hendershot lived in the wrong magisterial district when she was appointed to the board last November.
By law, no more than two members of the Wood County Board of Education can come from the same magisterial district. With vacancies and appointments in play, the seat Hendershot filled was supposed to be from District C. However, Conley alleged Hendershot was actually a resident of District A.
“Miss Hendershot was appointed while she lived in District A, and her voter registration didn’t change to the correct district until days after her appointment,” Conley said. He emphasized that election integrity is a critical issue and that appointments made in the wrong district could undermine trust in local government.
The Wood County Clerk’s Office had previously confirmed that while Hendershot applied to change her address, she was told she didn’t need to do so before the appointment since it was not an election matter.
“It’s up to the Secretary of State to decide on residency,” said Wood County Clerk Joe Gonzales.
Hendershot’s attorney, Bill Merriman, praised the thorough investigation, noting that investigators conducted detailed inquiries, even looking inside her home and interviewing neighbors. “There was not enough evidence to prove that Miss Hendershot lied about her residency,” Merriman said.
Kersey explained the complaint process, noting that once a complaint is filed, the Secretary of State’s investigation division decides if the office has jurisdiction.
If so, investigators dig deeper and prepare a report that can lead to three outcomes: a minor clerical error corrected by an educational letter, sufficient evidence of a criminal violation passed to prosecutors, or dismissal due to lack of evidence.
In this case, the complaint was dismissed. This decision follows a previous ruling by the West Virginia Ethics Commission, which also found no probable cause.
“She’s very satisfied with the outcome and confident that the investigations were fair and thorough,” Merriman said.
Although the complaint was dismissed, a related civil lawsuit is still pending in Wood County Circuit Court. Conley said he plans to continue pursuing the matter and has no plans to drop the case.
“I’m far from giving up on this,” Conley said.
For now, the Secretary of State’s Office has closed the book on the residency complaint, putting an end to that chapter in the ongoing debate over election integrity in Wood County.
