From The Office of WV Secretary of State Kris Warner
January 23, 2025
Meadow Bridge, W.Va. (Fayette County) – WV Secretary of State Kris Warner visited Meadow Bridge High School today to present the school with the prestigious Jennings Randolph Award for Civic Engagement. The Award is presented to any public or private high school in West Virginia that registers at least 85% of their eligible seniors to vote.
Fayette County Clerk Michelle Holly joined Secretary Warner in the presentation.
The Jennings Randolph Award honors the late U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph who represented West Virginia in the United States Congress for more than 50 years. Senator Randolph worked for more than 29 years to get Congress to pass the 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution that reduced the voting age from 21 to 18-years-old. The Amendment was ratified by the states in 1971.
To learn more about Jennings Randolph and the 26th Amendment, CLICK HERE.
This is the 31st consecutive year that Meadow Bridge High School (MBHS) has earned the Jennings Randolph Award. No other high school in the state has achieved this level of student-led civic engagement.
“It is an absolute honor for me to be here today to present the Jennings Randolph Award to Meadow Bridge High School for the 31st consecutive year,” Secretary Warner told the students, faculty, and staff.
“Students who register become active in the political process all of their lives. Many will vote in every election and some will even become candidates for office someday,” Secretary Warner continued.
Thanks to Senator Randolph and the 26th Amendment, West Virginia has a long history with giving young people the opportunity to serve in elected offices. In 2014, Saira Blair was an 18-year-old who had just graduated from Hedgesville High School in Berkeley County when she was elected to the WV House of Delegates – making her the youngest state legislator, of any state, in the history of the United States. In 2018, at the age of 19, Caleb Hanna of Webster County became the youngest black American to ever serve as a state legislator.