By ANDREA LANNOM
The Register-Herald
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Secretary of State Mac Warner is encouraging voters to participate in National Voter Registration Month in September by registering to vote and checking registration status for the upcoming road bond special election.
Warner reminded people via a Thursday news release that the deadline for those who want to register to vote in the road bond election is Sept. 18. Early voting for the special election begins Sept. 22 and continues until Oct. 4, excluding Sundays.
Residents will vote on Oct. 7 whether to approve the issuance of $1.6 billion in state bonds to build and upgrade West Virginia’s roads and bridges.
National Voter Registration Month is a project of the National Association of Secretaries of State. The association started the project in 2002 to encourage voter participation and increase awareness of federal, state and local elections.
“Registering to vote and monitoring any change in registration, such as polling locations changes and status of the registration, will ensure that there is no confusion on election day when exercising your civic duty to vote,” Warner said in the release.
Warner said his office will focus on voter registration until the end of Sept. 18.
“Of course, eligible West Virginia residents can register to vote at any time during the month of September by going online or stopping in to see their county clerk,” Warner said in the release.
Since Warner took office Jan. 16, his office’s election division has worked with all 55 county clerks to register 25,707 new voters in the state. In that same time period, clerks removed 67,483 outdated, deceased and illegible voters from the state’s database of registered voters, the release said.
People can register to vote with their county clerks, at the Division of Motor Vehicles or online at ovr.sos.wv.gov.
See more from The Register-Herald