CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner said Wednesday his office is looking into the possibility there were people who voted twice in some elections because their names were on voter rolls in more than one county.
Since he took office earlier year, Warner has been working with county clerks to clean up the rolls in what Warner calls the “election integrity process.” So far nearly 63,500 names have been removed across the state’s 55 counties for various reasons.
Warner said during an appearance Wednesday on MetroNews “Talkline,” it’s possible some people voted twice because they were registered in more than one county although he wouldn’t be more specific.
“Well, I’m not allowed to discuss specific incidences,” Warner said. “Just stand by and if it has happened and we have sufficient evidence of that the information will be made public at the appropriate time. Just know that that it is being looked at but I’m not in the position to address if that has happened or not.”
It’s not illegal to be registered in more than one county that can happen quite often with people moving but it is illegal to vote more than once.
The county clerks have removed 6,300 people from the rolls who have died in recent years. Warner said he’s not suggesting some people have voted for the deceased.
“I’m not suggesting that but there is always that possibility. We do have investigators that are looking at those type of situations,” he said.
Only one county, Lewis County, had a voter turnout of more than 70 percent in last fall’s general election. By cleaning up the rolls, six or seven more counties would have hit that mark, Warner said.
Warner expects more names to be removed when they begin comparing voting rolls here with other states.
The first-term secretary of state said his office will continue its efforts in the months to come. He said all aspects of voting in West Virginia need reviewed.
“Everything from the registration through the early voting to the actual vote to the canvassing following that,” he said. “We need to make sure it’s easy to vote but hard to cheat.”