CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner recently honored two Meadow Bridge High School (MBHS) students for their efforts in registering classmates to vote.
Kierston Rozell and Emily Carothers, both members of MBHS’s Class of 2025, were named Honorary Secretaries of State during a visit to the State Capitol.
Their principal recommended them for the recognition after they successfully helped register 100% of eligible seniors at their school.
“These two student leaders understand how important it is to be registered to vote,” said Secretary Warner. “They worked together to get 100% of their eligible classmates registered to vote as well. I’m very proud of their effort.”
The Honorary Secretaries of State program is open to students from high schools that qualify for the Jennings Randolph Award.
To earn the award, a school must organize a student-led initiative that registers at least 85% of its eligible senior class to vote.
MBHS has received the award for 31 consecutive years, maintaining its gold level status since the program began in 1994.
The Jennings Randolph Award for Civic Engagement honors the legacy of the late U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph, known as the Father of the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1971.
Randolph had championed the cause for nearly three decades before its passage.
During their visit, Rozell and Carothers met with Secretary Warner in his office, toured the State Capitol, and were recognized on the House floor by Delegate David Elliott Pritt for their contributions to civic engagement.
