Opinion, Uncategorized

Opinion: Secretary of State ready to get things moving

The Journal

Mac Warner, who will take office as West Virginia secretary of state on Jan. 16, clearly plans to hit the ground running. This week, he announced three top appointments of officials to serve in his office.

Warner, of Morgantown, has a tough job ahead of him in at least one respect. He will have to make it a priority to restore trust between his office and county election officials throughout the state — something he already has pledged to do.

Many were not happy with outgoing Secretary of State Natalie Tennant in that regard. At one point last year, county clerks in two of the state’s largest counties, Kanawha and Cabell, refused to go along with Tennant’s online voter registration program for a time.

And just weeks before the Nov. 8 election, several clerks expressed their displeasure with Tennant publicly. Their complaint was inadequate communication between her office and theirs.

It was not a political stunt. Some of the complaining clerks were Democrats, like Tennant.

Warner will become the state’s chief election officer on Jan. 16. In that post, a good relationship with county officials is imperative.

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