Secretary of State's Office Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Voter Registration Reminder Postcards Sent To State’s Voters

Nearly 16,000 West Virginia voters will soon receive a postcard from the Secretary of State’s office to confirm their voter registration.

When voters update their address at other agencies or move to a different state, that information does not automatically update or cancel a voter’s old registration.

If a voter receives a postcard at their current address, no action is required.

If a voter does not respond, no action will be taken on their voter registration status. The postcard is merely a reminder, participation is voluntary, and it will not affect the voters’ ability to vote in upcoming elections.

Voters that receive a reminder, and have moved to another address or state, can update or cancel their voter registration by filling out the postcard and mailing it back to their county clerk using the return address printed on the card.

Existing registrations can also be updated at any time by visiting GoVoteWV.com or the QR code included on the postcard.

Election Officials Approve Grants for Voting Upgrades

West Virginia election officials have approved more than $6.5 million in federal grants to make upgrades to voting equipment and security across the state.

Donald Kersey is the election division director for the Secretary of State’s Office. He told the Charleston Gazette-Mail that the funds will be used in 41 counties to upgrade or replace voting systems, to upgrade cybersecurity and to improve physical security where voting machines are stored.

He said 26 counties will use at least part of the funding to upgrade voting systems, 24 counties plan to upgrade cybersecurity systems and 17 counties plan to improve physical security.

Voter Registration Deadline for 2018 Primary Set for April 17

The deadline is approaching to register to vote in West Virginia’s upcoming primary election.

Tuesday, April 17 marks the final day to register to vote in the May 8 primary.

“You can register vote in person at your county clerk’s office, you can send in a voter registration application and then you have to go through a process of verifying your address, which includes showing an ID — an acceptable form of ID — on Election Day,” said Secretary of State Elections Division director “Deak” Kersey. “You can also go online.”

Those who would like to register or need update their registration online can do so on the Secretary of State’s website.

Locations of county clerk’s offices can also be found online.

Data from the Secretary of State’s office show more than 1.2 million West Virginians were registered to vote by the end of last month. Nearly 43 percent are listed as Democrats and nearly 32 percent are registered Republicans. Roughly 22 percent of registered voters in the state have no party affiliation, while the Mountain and Libertarian Parties each account for less than 1 percent.

The May 8 primary marks the first statewide election under a new voter identification law, which went into effect at the beginning of the year.

New Secretary of State Plans Office Job Cuts

West Virginia Secretary of State-elect Mac Warner says about one-third of the current office’s staff will be let go after he takes office this month.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports Warner notified outgoing Secretary of State Natalie Tennant in a letter Tuesday that 16 current staff members are on the termination list.

“This is unprecedented that a new administration would come in and fire 16 people without giving the employees an opportunity to defend their jobs or ask to be moved in a different position or take a pay cut,” Tennant said Tuesday. “By losing a third of the employees in the office, you are losing decades of competent, professional individuals with experience, knowledge and excellent customer service.”

Warner’s upcoming communications director Mike Queen says Warner plans to reduce the number of full-time employees in the secretary of state’s office from 60 to 56, which includes leaving two vacancies unfilled. He said that adds up to 14 new hires.

Queen says the reduction is in response to anticipated budget cuts.

“He’s assuming each constitutional office is going to be asked to reduce its budget,” Queen said of Warner. “We’re hoping we can demonstrate to the Legislature we’re operating more efficiently.”

The letter says staff members who are retained will continue to serve as at-will employees.

Warner, a Republican, defeated Tennant in the November election. He takes office on Jan. 16.

West Virginia on Track to Exceed Early Vote Records

The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office is preparing for any potential voting issues that may arise on Election Day while tallying one of the highest early voting turnouts on record.

The Secretary of State’s Office says more than 140,000 people have cast ballots early this year. The early voting period began on October 26 and runs through Saturday, November 5.

State voting officials said Thursday that number is on track to exceed early voting records.

Of those ballots cast 46 percent were registered Democrats and 36 percent were registered Republicans, but the votes won’t be tallied until the polls close on election night.

Secretary of State Natalie Tennant said Thursday while they can’t predict what kind of problems voters or poll workers may encounter on Election Day, her office is prepared for one in particular—electioneering at polling sites.

“A concern that we had in the primary election were people trying to get within that three hundred foot mark,” Tennant said.

Tennant said when people enter that boundary on Election Day to campaign for a candidate, or are even right on the line, it causes voters to question whether they are obeying rules. When those issues are then reported to poll workers, they have to leave the precincts to check on the problems, slowing down the voting process.