Charleston, W.Va (WVDN) – Secretary of State Kris Warner took office on January 13, 2025, as West Virginia’s 31st Secretary of State. In that position, among other duties prescribed by State Code, Secretary Warner serves as the state’s chief elections official as well as the state’s chief business registration official.
On Friday, January 9th, Secretary Warner released a summary of the 2025 highlights and accomplishments of the WV Secretary of State’s Office during his presentation to the WV Press Association at the organization’s annual “Legislative Look-Ahead Conference” held at the State Culture Center.
Promising transparency, fiscal responsibility, fairness in elections, and working to eliminate barriers for entrepreneurs and business owners to start and grow their business, Secretary Warner hit the road in January to visit all 55 counties. By July 15th, he had visited all 55 county clerks and numerous county commissioners, sheriffs, assessors, judges, magistrates, and other courthouse personnel.
The WV Secretary of State’s Office works closely with the state’s 55 county clerks in preparing for and administering county and state elections every two years. The 2026 election cycle begins January 12th with a Candidate Filing Period that lasts until midnight on Saturday, January 31st.
Several municipalities will be joining the county/state election cycle this year. In an effort to increase voter participation at the local level, the legislature passed legislation in 2024 that requires all 231 West Virginia municipalities to host their municipal elections in conjunction with the county/state elections. Municipalities have until 2032 to make the adjustment.
In non-election years, the WV Secretary of State hosts a three-day conference for county clerks and chief elections staff members from all 55 counties. That conference focuses on the administration of the upcoming election, new election rules enacted by the legislature, new voting technology, security protocols, and federal regulations.
In cooperation with the WV Municipal League, the Secretary of State hosts annual election training for municipal clerks and recorders. Council members and mayors are also invited to attend. The 2026 Municipal Election Training Seminar is set for Tuesday, January 27th, in Charleston.
The state of West Virginia will host approximately 1,651 precincts throughout the state in the May 12, 2026 Primary Election. More than 8,250 poll workers will be required to manage the precincts on election day.
“Our accomplishments in 2025 are a result of the leadership of our management team working closely with a dedicated and well-trained staff to operate efficiently and effectively every day,” said Secretary Warner. “We work cooperatively with the legislature, county clerks, chambers of commerce, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and the voters to make sure that the services we provide are done timely and reliably,” he said.
Below is a summary of the 2025 accomplishments and highlights of the WV Secretary of State’s Office:
Election Integrity & Legislative Reforms
Secretary Warner advocated for several key legislative measures during the 2025 session—securing broad support. These include House Bill 3016 (photo‑ID requirement), SB 86 (prohibiting non‑citizen voting in local elections), SB 487 (reducing delays on voter registration roll cleanup), SB 486 (clarifying local voting eligibility to U.S. citizens), and SB 490 (banning ranked‑choice voting), among others. In total, eight election-specific bills were passed, significantly strengthening statewide election integrity.
- Photo‑ID Voting
- Ranked‑Choice Voting Ban
- National Recognition
- Election Training Conference
- High School Voter Registration Activities
- 38,960 New Voter Registrations in 2025
- Keeping West Virginia Voter Rolls Accurate & Updated
- New Business Filings
- Boots‑to‑Business & Young Entrepreneur Incentives
- Annual Report Compliance Outreach
- Customer Support & Business Guidance
- Award-Winning AI Chatbot “SOLO” Launched
- Staff Commendations and Recognition
- Election Infrastructure Investment
- Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Federal Funding
- That funding leveraged an additional $323,362.31 in county-provided matching or equivalent contributions for a combined $595,362.31 investment in election security. The program was designed to direct funding toward priority upgrades including voting system and election equipment improvements, cybersecurity enhancements, and ID printer capabilities to strengthen voter identification access and overall election administration readiness.
- The Administrative Law Division facilitated efficient rule-making processes for state agencies, ensuring the timely submission, review, and publication of administrative rules. During 2025, there were 191 new or amended rules that went into effect. Each rule type has multiple filings that must be made throughout the cycle, resulting in the processing of nearly 700 accepted rule filings.
- The Ad Law Division also managed the receipt and public display of 2,476 open governmental meeting notices.
- The Address Confidentiality Program expanded outreach efforts to increase the program’s accessibility by offering virtual trainings of Application Assistants. This effort resulted in registering additional application assistants in 12 different counties throughout the State allowing the program to provide vital protections to additional households in need of personal safety through confidentiality measures administered by the WV Secretary of State’s Office.
- A total of 208 cases were investigated in 2025 based on credible complaints made to the Office: 10 Charity Cases; 106 Election Cases; 28 Notary Cases; 61 Business Cases; and 3 Private Investigator/Security Guard Cases.
- Those 208 cases spanned investigations into 43 counties. The counties with the highest number of cases were Kanawha (36), Berkeley (22), and Cabell (11).
- 10 Referrals were made to county prosecuting attorneys. There were 4 indictments; 2 criminal complaints; 2 convictions; and 1 pretrial diversion secured in 2025.
- The WV Secretary of State’s Office serves as a lead agency for the 2030 U.S. Census and GIS boundary coordination. Appointed as the U.S. Census liaison by the West Virginia Legislature and the Governor’s Office, we organized and built the foundation for a multi-year statewide initiative by establishing workflows, processes, documentation requirements, and communication channels with municipalities, county clerks, and other local elected officials to ensure accurate boundary maintenance, consistent submissions, and reliable coordination across jurisdictions to ensure an efficient, fair, and accurate redistricting process.
- Under Secretary Warner’s leadership, the WVSOS Finance Department played a critical role in supporting the mission and daily operations of the Office by ensuring fiscal integrity, transparency, and compliance across all financial activities. Throughout the year, the department managed complex financial operations including budget development and oversight, revenue tracking, grant management, procurement, payroll, and benefits coordination. A strong emphasis was placed on accuracy, accountability, and adherence to state and federal requirements, ensuring public funds were managed responsibly and efficiently.
- In addition to core financial functions, the department focused on strengthening internal controls and improving operational processes. This included the development and refinement of standard operating procedures, enhanced training for staff, and proactive identification and correction of process gaps. These efforts improved consistency, reduced risk, and increased efficiency across financial and administrative workflows. The Finance team also worked closely with internal divisions and external partners to support interagency collaboration and timely financial reporting.
- The division’s commitment to fiscal responsibility was further demonstrated through excellence in procurement. Richard Stricklen, Procurement Officer within the Finance Division, was recognized as Procurement Specialist of the Year with NIGP, an achievement that reflects the division’s dedication to ethical purchasing practices, cost-effective decision-making, and strict adherence to procurement standards. This recognition underscores the division’s ongoing focus on safeguarding public resources while delivering high-quality service. And, Richard is now the West Virginia nominee to the national procurements specialist of the year to be awarded in 2026!
