Staff reports
The State Journal
CHARLESTON, W.VA. — The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law announced April 4 that former WV Secretary of State Natalie Tennant had joined the Center as manager of state advocacy on voting rights and elections.
Tennant, a Democrat, was first elected as Secretary of State in 2009 losing in 2016 to Republican Mac Warner.
“She will use that experience and expertise at the Brennan Center to help advance automatic registration legislation and policy initiatives in the states, as well as other reforms to improve the voter registration and voting process,” the news release states.
“We have come to know and work with Natalie because of her strong advocacy for automatic voter registration,” said Myrna Pérez, deputy director of the Democracy Program. “We couldn’t be more excited that she will bring her skills in election administration, campaigning, and coalition-building to our efforts to pass automatic voter registration in the states.”
Tennant said she is “extremely honored” to join the Center and help advance its mission of preserving and expanding the right to vote.
During her time as Secretary of State, Tennant was appointed as a co-chair of the Standing Committee on Voter Participation, where she worked to improve communications between states regarding their voting practices. Before taking office, Tennant ran a small business and was a news anchor for more than 12 years. She received both her B.A. and Master’s degrees from West Virginia University where she was the first female Mountaineer.
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