Charleston, W.Va – West Virginia's chief election official is requesting the recension of an Executive Order issued by President Joe Biden directing federal agencies to make plans to conduct state-level voter registration services unauthorized by state law.
Over the last five years, WV Secretary of State Mac Warner has been a frequent visitor to Capitol Hill to discuss the role and responsibilities of state election officials. He's been a vocal critic of the Administration's attempts to take federal control of state election processes beyond the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Warner's advice and counsel has been sought by members of congress and he has testified twice before committees of the U.S. Senate.
But this time, Secretary Warner is directly speaking to the White House to voice his concern over Executive Order #14019 issued by President Biden. The Executive Order, like other federal laws and regulations, has the misleading title, "Promoting Access to Voting". In reality, it’s a directive to put plans into place whereby the federal government duplicates state voter registration activities.
"The effect of President Biden's Executive Order will result in an overreach by the federal government in an attempt to control and federalize state elections," said Secretary Warner. "The time, place, and processes used to prepare for and administer state elections is the sole responsibility of the state legislature," he said.
Warner penned a letter to President Biden asking the President to rescind the Executive Order and to keep the federal government out of the state’s voter registration process.
"West Virginia is a model for other states when it comes to secure and safe elections. We're eliminating barriers to the ballot box and we're keeping our voter lists updated. Keeping the administration of our elections local has created a record level of confidence from the voters in our election process," Warner said.
A copy of Secretary Warner's letter can be viewed here.
