CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) โ West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner recently welcomed two student leaders from Victory Baptist Academy in Raleigh County to the State Capitol as his honored guests.
Brady Vandall and Raegan Wood, both members of Victory Baptist Academyโs Class of 2025, were nominated by their school administrator to serve as Honorary Secretaries of State for their efforts in registering their senior classmates to vote.
High schools can nominate students for this distinction only if they qualify for the Jennings Randolph Award, which requires a student-led initiative to register at least 85% of eligible seniors to vote.
โWe hope that getting young adults registered to vote at an early age will encourage them to be lifelong voters,โ said Secretary Warner. โWeโre proud of Josh and Heidi and hope that their leadership will inspire other students to get registered to vote as well.โ
The Jennings Randolph Award, established by the West Virginia Secretary of Stateโs Office in 1994, honors the late U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph, known as the โFather of the 26th Amendment.โ
The 26th Amendment, passed in 1971, lowered the voting age from 21 to 18โa cause Randolph first championed 29 years earlier in the U.S. House of Representatives.
During their visit to the Capitol, Vandall and Wood spent the morning with Secretary Warner, toured the Capitol building, and were recognized on the Senate floor by their representative, Senator Rollan Roberts (R-Raleigh).
Senator Roberts, who also serves as the administrator of Victory Baptist Academy, commended the students for their contributions to the state and their community.
