The EAC’s annual Clearinghouse Awards, also known as the “Clearie” Awards, promote best practices in elections and celebrate the accomplishments of election officials across the country.

The office of West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner earned the award by smoothly and successfully implementing West Virginia Senate Bill 94, according to Palmer.

The bill allows these voters to receive, mark and return an absentee ballot by mail or electronically through a safe, accessible and secure portal.

The Secretary of State’s office worked with Disability Rights of West Virginia to help educate the public on the new option, distributing flyers and promoting the information online.

As a result of these efforts, nearly 1,300 UOCAVA voters and 271 voters with a qualifying disability were able to vote in the 2020 General Election using an accessible electronic ballot.

“West Virginia is proud to continue our bipartisan effort to eliminate barriers to the ballot box. The success of our electronic voting initiative for voters with disabilities is a result of working closely with our legislature, the governor and our county clerks,” said Warner. “We appreciate the EAC recognizing West Virginia’s leadership in this arena.”

When he signed the bill into law, Justice said SB 94 would ensure all West Virginians can participate in the electoral process.

“Basically, the bottom line of this whole thing is just really simple,” Justice said. “We’ve got a lot of people who have disabilities who can’t necessarily get out and go to the voting booths. They surely deserve to have their voice heard.”

Palmer served as the keynote speaker for Monday’s conference, addressing clerks from each of the state’s 55 counties about the 2020 election, election security and upcoming initiatives from the EAC. 

Hearing from county clerks helps him to understand the concerns and challenges facing those working on the front lines of the nation’s elections, Palmer said.

“For us to really understand how we from the federal government can assist, we need to understand how they do things and where we can be of benefit,” Palmer said.

Brian Wood, Putnam County Clerk and president of the West Virginia Clerks Association, said his organization was honored to have Palmer speak during its conference.

“Any time you get someone from a national stage coming to our state to give an award for what we’ve done and what the Secretary of State’s office has done, that’s something to be noted,” he said.