Charleston, W.VA. (WVDN) – WV Secretary of State Kris Warner released a report highlighting some of the accomplishments of the first six months of his administration. Since January, the WV Secretary of State’s Office has been working hard to register new voters, revolutionize the business registration process with award-winning technology, and prepare for the 2026 election cycle.
Secretary Warner commended West Virginia lawmakers for their efforts to bolster voter confidence by passing common-sense initiatives during the 2025 Legislative Session. Six key legislative initiatives supported by the WV Secretary of State’s Office were signed into law. The new measures require photo-ID at the polls, prevent non-citizens from voting, and prohibit ranked-choice voting in West Virginia elections.
Those election integrity initiatives earned Secretary Warner and West Virginia national recognition from the Foundation for Government Accountability. Click here to read that story.
Secretary Warner’s first months in office were also focused on a 55-county tour to meet with the state’s county clerks and their election staff to discuss their needs and share ideas on how to keep West Virginia’s elections fair, accessible and secure. “The discussions have been insightful, productive, and enjoyable,” said Secretary Warner.
“Information gathered during these meetings will help shape next month’s Election Training Conference where all 55 county clerks and their staff will be together for a biennial event to learn, network, and prepare for the 2026 election cycle,” he added.
During those travels, Secretary Warner and his Field Team Representatives assisted county clerks in mobilizing the next generation of civic leaders by participating in voter registration drives at high schools. For the 2024-2025 school year, 21 high schools in the state earned the WV Secretary of State’s prestigious Jennings Randolph Award by registering at least 85% of their eligible student body to vote.
More than 17,000 new voters have been registered in the state from January 13 to July 1, including high school seniors who voted for the first time in June’s municipal elections.
As the state’s Chief Business Registration and Licensing Officer, Secretary Warner also works to support economic growth in the state. Approximately 8,000 new businesses registered over the past six months.
AI technology aimed at boosting and broadening customer service capacities earned the WV Secretary of State’s Business Division an international award in May. SOLO, an acronym for “Single Online Location,” is West Virginia’s first AI-powered chatbot that provides round-the-clock access to information on forming a business, filing an Annual Report, and other business-related services provided by the Secretary of State’s Office and the WV One Stop Business Center.
SOLO is just one WVSOS Business Division initiative that is revolutionizing the customer service capabilities of state government. As of January, business owners can utilize a new virtual appointment feature that provides a virtual face-to-face meeting room with one of our trained business specialists. Thanks to this new feature, business owners can get the quality customer-service experience they have come to know and expect at our business offices from anywhere, even their own home.
Advances in technology are also helping connect more West Virginians to the Office’s Address Confidentiality Program (ACP). This program allows victims and survivors of domestic violence to use a substitute address in place of a physical address for the receipt of daily mail, to register to vote, and conduct business with other government agencies. This prevents bad actors from using public records to locate their victims. Application Assistants, who connect potential program participants with ACP resources, now have the option of virtual trainings making ACP more accessible in every corner of the state.
“While we have made significant progress in a short time, our work is far from over. My office will continue to work to preserve elections, promote our economy, and drive West Virginia forward,” said Secretary Warner.
Looking ahead to the next six months, an upgrade to the Enterprise Registration Licensing System is set to launch this Fall that will enhance efficiencies to the application and renewal processes for all licensees. This includes notaries public, private investigators, athlete agents, and marriage celebrants. The upgraded system will also bring charitable organization processes online to successfully complete the Office’s final stage of transitioning the licensing services from painstaking paper forms to secure electronic processes.
