Warner recognizes two Victory Baptist Academy students as 'Honorary Secretaries of State' for their effort to register classmates to vote

Charleston, W.Va. – WV Secretary of State Kris Warner hosted two student leaders from Victory Baptist Academy in Raleigh County as his honored guests at the State Capitol.

Brady Vandall and Raegan Wood – both members of the 2025 graduating class at VBA – were recommended by their school administrator to represent their school as Honorary Secretaries of State for their efforts to register members of the senior class to vote. Nominations for Honorary Secretaries of State are only accepted by those high schools that qualify for the Jennings Randolph Award. To qualify for the Award, a West Virginia high school must host a student-led effort to register at least 85% of their eligible senior class to vote.

"We hope that getting young adults registered to vote at an early age will encourage them to be lifelong voters," said Secretary Warner. "We're proud of Josh and Heidi and hope that their leadership will inspire other students to get registered to vote as well."

Started by the WV 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 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 Senator Randolph had first championed 29 years earlier in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In addition to a morning spent with Secretary Warner in his office and a tour of the State Capitol, Vandall and Wood were recognized on the Senate floor by one of their representatives, Senator Rollan Roberts, for their service to the state and community. Senator Roberts also serves as the Administrator of Victory Baptist Academy.