Funny how the law is only ‘unclear’ when it clearly favors Republicans. What part of MORE than 2 and a half years is hard to understand? Special election in November, no brainer. If there were a Republican Governor, it wouldn’t be ‘unclear’, all the media would be proclaiming the law clearly calls for a special election.
In the interest of factual accuracy, I think you have to know and understand the case law that has sprung from this statute. The Supreme Court of WV is pretty clear in this regard, as has been cited just a few posts up.
The statute is poorly worded, and it should have been amended after the 1994 decision to force the governor to call for a special primary before the next regularly scheduled general election. The statute doesn't do that, so the authority rests solely with the Executive, or so the Court has held.