BUCKHANNON — On October 18th, Secretary of State Mac Warner (R) delivered a speech in Upshur County, followed by leading a “Trump Train” vehicle parade in downtown Buckhannon. The event was hosted by the Upshur County Republican Executive Committee. Warner addressed some of the concerns held by some voters regarding the safety of in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We had the safest primary election out of the United States,” Warner expressed. “We had zero cases of COVID-19, due to our preparations and everybody following the guidelines. That’s everybody from the clerks to the poll workers (at the polls) to the voters. The voters deserve a huge amount of credit for following the guidelines. During the general election, I expect to have the same result. I want everybody wearing their facemasks, following the CDC guidelines, and voting in-person (if at all possible).”
Warner discussed the efficiency of the Secretary of State’s online portal to absentee ballots.
“Vote in-person, that’s the surest way to vote. But if you do have legitimate COVID-19 concerns, we’ve made it available for everybody to vote absentee. It’s as simple as going on your iPhone and requesting an absentee ballot. If you do it today, your ballot will be coming in the mail tomorrow coming out to you. It’s that fast, and it’s that efficient. West Virginia is leading the nation with the ability to request an absentee ballot online.”
Warner then stressed the dependability of in-person voting, and statistical issues that arise within the U.S. Postal Service.
“The problem you’ve been hearing with the postal service is that they deliver on time 96 percent of the time. That’s pretty good. If you’re a child in school and you get a 96, you’re going to get an ‘A.’ That’s what we need, but that means in an election, 4 percent of the people are having problems. And it’s not just one time.”
“If we would have sent out those applications, like we did in the primaries, 4 percent of those wouldn’t have arrived on time to the voter. 4 percent of the voter to the clerk wouldn’t have arrived on time. When the clerk sends a ballot, 4 percent of those wouldn’t have been on time. And when you send a ballot back, 4 percent of those wouldn’t have arrived on time. Think of the multiplication factor there, what the chances are of your ballot getting messed up somehow. That’s why we took away half of those problems when we put in the electronic portal that allows you to apply. But, we still have those percentages where your ballot may get lost in the mail. So, you have a legitimate concern, I want you to balance the access versus the security.”
“If you don’t have that concern, go vote in-person. That’s what the President has been harping on: the opportunities for fraud or irregularities.”
The Secretary of State said that his office has already recruited 9,000 poll workers, along with 4,500 auxiliary workers. Therefore, if there would be a COVID-19 outbreak that would prevent infected poll workers from arriving at the polls, they will be efficiently replaced.
“We’re out in front of this. We’re out in front of this with regards to requesting the ballots, to the poll workers, to the PPE. It is being delivered as I speak around the state. We are going to have a great general election.”
Warner also conveyed the importance of voting for republicans down the ballot, rather than only voting for President Donald J. Trump.
“We need to get out and vote. Vote down-ballot: look for those Rs (Republicans) all the way down.” Warner stated. “In the primary, 30,000 people went into the polls and voted for Donald Trump and then walked out. When they do that, it doesn’t help any of those down-ballot candidates. Donald Trump can’t do it all by himself.”
This was the second appearance within two months that Warner has made in Upshur County. On September 15th, Warner attended a campaign function at A Governor’s Inn, meeting with Upshur County’s elected officials. In attendance were Mayor Robbie Skinner (R), Councilman Jack Reger (R), City Recorder Randy Sanders (R), Delegate Robbie Martin (R), and State Senator Robert Karnes (R).
Secretary of State Mac Warner is currently facing Fmr. Secretary of State Natalie Tennant (D) in the general election.