West Virginia Leading the Way on Election Integrity

Newly elected West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner has only been in office for less than six months, but under his leadership, the Mountain State has already enacted a series of election reforms that could become a model for the rest of the Union.

This rapid period of accomplishment was possible because Sec. Warner prepared a long to-do list before even taking office. After winning the election in a landslide in November, he crafted a comprehensive election integrity agenda to ensure that West Virginia’s elections are secure and trusted. Sec. Warner partnered with state legislators to move this comprehensive agenda through the legislature to the governor’s desk.

In February, Senator Jack Woodrum introduced a ban on ranked-choice voting, a radical new proposal in some states to replace the one-voter, one-vote system with a complicated scheme of ranking candidates. Ranked-choice voting often leads to perverse or unintended consequences, electing candidates who are not the first choice of the majority or even the plurality of voters. Sen. Woodrum’s bill is now the law of the land and takes effect in June.

Sen. Woodrum also introduced a ban on non-citizen voting to ensure that West Virginia elections reflect the will of the American citizens living in West Virginia. Right now, cities like Washington, D.C. and San Francisco allow non-citizens to vote in their elections, allowing foreigners to impose their policy preferences on Americans. This is outrageous, but thanks to this new law, it won’t happen in West Virginia.

Sen. Woodrum also introduced legislation to ensure the regular removal of ineligible voters from the voting rolls. This routine maintenance will help prevent voter fraud by ensuring that only registered voters can vote and making it harder for fraudsters to cheat the system.

In the House, Delegate Erica Moore introduced legislation to strengthen the state’s voter ID requirements to prevent fraud and ensure confidence in elections. Despite hyperbolic attacks from the radical Left over the last decade, voter ID laws are commonsense ideas supported by more than eight in 10 Americans.

With Governor Morrisey’s signature on each bill, this ambitious series of election reforms will protect West Virginia’s elections and ensure public trust in their outcomes. It could also provide a model for other states to follow so that all Americans can feel confident in their vote. Gov. Morrisey, Sec. Warner, Sen. Woodrum, Delegate Moore, and the state legislature have earned the respect of voters who care about the success of America’s experiment in democracy.