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Lawsuit Asks State Senate Candidate Be Removed From Ballot

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A lawsuit filed Friday afternoon asks that a West Virginia state Senate candidate be removed from the primary ballot.

The petition claims state Senate District 8 candidate Andrea Kiessling does not meet residency requirements and asks Secretary of State Mac Warner to remove Kiessling from the May 10th republican primary ballot.

The lawsuit was filed in Kanawha County Circuit Court by Alicia Stine, a registered voter in Senate District 8.

The suit follows an exchange on Twitter where Kiessiling’s opponent, former state delegate Joshua Higginbotham claimed Kiessling is a North Carolina resident. In a response, Kiessling said the accusation is false and West Virginia is her home.

The West Virginia Constitution requires candidates to be a citizen of the state for five years prior to their election.

The Secretary of State’s office said Kiessling properly filed to run for the office and they don’t have insight into whether there are any other disqualifying characteristics of eligibility.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting emailed both candidates for comment and are awaiting their responses.