CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner recently hosted two student leaders from Tygarts Valley High School in Randolph County as special guests at the State Capitol on February 12, 2026.
Jackson Collier and Briella Arbogast, both members of TVHS’s Class of 2026, were recommended by their school principal, Steve Wamsley, to represent TVHS as honorary secretaries of state. This recognition reflects Collier and Arbogast’s leadership in organizing a student-led effort to register members of the senior class to vote.
While visiting Warner at the State Capitol, the two students were also recognized by the West Virginia Legislature.
Nominations for a student to be recognized as an honorary secretary of state are accepted only from a West Virginia high school that qualifies for the Jennings Randolph Award. To earn this distinction, a West Virginia high school must host a student-led voter registration drive that successfully registers at least 85% of its eligible student body to vote.
Started by the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office in 1994, the Jennings Randolph Award for Civic Engagement commemorates West Virginia’s late U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph’s legacy as the Father of the 26th Amendment. One of the nation’s defining moments in voting rights history, the 26th Amendment was passed in 1971. The amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, an effort Randolph had first championed 29 years earlier while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Since Warner took office in January 2025, more than 17,500 eligible high school students have been registered to vote.
Early voting for the May 12 Primary Election begins on Wednesday, April 29 and runs through Saturday, May 9.
Access voter tools at GoVoteWV.com, or visit the Secretary of State’s Office at wvsos.gov.
