CHARLESTON W.Va. (WVDN) – WV Secretary of State Kris Warner hosted two student leaders from James Monroe High School (JMHS) as his honored guests at the State Capitol.
Thomas Sibold and Hannah Jewell – both members of the 2025 graduating class at JMHS – were recommended by their principal to represent their school as Honorary Secretaries of State for their efforts to register members of the senior class to vote. Nominations for Honorary Secretaries of State are only accepted by those high schools that qualify for the Jennings Randolph Award. To qualify for the Award, a West Virginia high school must host a student-led effort to register at least 85% of their eligible senior class to vote.
Secretary Warner said, “Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy and it’s always great to see young people standing up for themselves and their beliefs by making the commitment to vote. James Monroe High School seniors have set a great example for their peers and younger students by registering to vote at the age of 18.”
Started by the WV Secretary of State’s Office in 1994, the Jennings Randolph Award for Civic Engagement commemorates West Virginia’s late U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph’s legacy as the Father of the 26th Amendment. One of the defining moments in voting rights history, the 26th Amendment was passed in 1971. The Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, an effort Senator Randolph had first championed 29 years earlier in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In addition to a morning spent with Secretary Warner in his office and a tour of the State Capitol, Sibold and Jewell were recognized on the Senate floor by one of their representatives, Senator Vince Deeds, for their service to the state and community.
