NORTHERN PANHANDLE, W.Va. (WTRF) — West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner spent Monday in the Northern Panhandle.

It was part of his effort to meet with the Mountain State’s new county clerks.

As many as seventeen new clerks were elected in the November 2022 General election.

Warner says his goal is to get acquainted with the new clerks and to establish good lines of communication. He says his office will work closely on things such as poll worker training, cybersecurity and election preparation. That training and communication, according to Warner, is essential for successful elections.

“It’s what has raised West Virginia to the top nationally in election security and election integrity. In fact, I’ll be testifying in front of Congress on April 27th because West Virginia has been recognized as doing things properly in the election arena. We don’t have any issues. We recorded election results on election night. These are the types of things that add confidence to the voters.”

Mac Warner, WV Secretary of State

“I’m kind of excited about the changes we’ve made in the office. He reminded me that there is grant money available if I would need it for equipment for elections. I appreciated his visit.”

Connie Howard, Marshall County Clerk

” The visit from Secretary Warner was great. He also brought his field rep with him to kind of make a connection between calling down there and asking for things and having a face to put with whoever is on the other end of the phone with you.”

Jessica Klinger. Ohio County Elections Coordinator