Honorary Secretary of State Program

The West Virginia Secretary of State's Office offers an exciting program for high school seniors and juniors who have an interest in state government and a love for civic engagement.

Students recognized with the "Honorary Secretary of State" designation have proven to their school, community, and state that they want to see more young people in West Virginia voting and playing an active role in our government. Students recognized as Honorary Secretary of States are leaders in their high schools and have committed to registering, informing, and mobilizing their peers to vote.

The HSOS Program recognizes high school students who are active with registering people to vote in their schools and communities. Honorees spend time in the Secretary of State's Office shadowing Secretary of State Mac Warner during a typical work day. These students learn about the core functions of the office, including our Elections, Administrative Law, and Business & Licensing divisions.

The “Honorary Secretary of State” program is joint venture between the Secretary of State’s Office and non-partisan organizations such as Inspire West Virginia aimed at encouraging eligible high school juniors and seniors to register to vote. This joint venture encourages students and teachers to engage West Virginia’s young adults to become active and educated voters regardless of their political affiliation.

Last year, 26 young adults were selected for the prestigious program. If you're interested in applying to be an Honorary Secretary of State from your high school, click the link below, fill out the application, and email a completed version to Communications@wvsos.gov. The deadline to apply to be considered for the first round of HSOS Program recipients will be December 15, 2019. The deadline to apply for the second round of HSOS Program recipients is May 1, 2020.

Note:In order to apply for the 2019-2020 Honorary Secretary of State Program:

You must have actively participated in the voter registration efforts in your school;
Your school must have registered to vote at least 85 percent of the eligible students in the senior class; and
You must be recommended by your principal for the HSOS Program.

Schools who successfully register at least 85 percent of their eligible senior class qualify to earn one of two levels of the prestigious Jennings Randolph Award.

To Apply for the Honorary Secretary of State Program, right-click this link and select "Save link as..." to download the form.

Once downloaded, fill out the application, save it, and email it as an attachment to communications@wvsos.gov.

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