Secretary of State Warner calls for ‘uniformity’ in elections, hints at opening Republican primary

The West Virginia Secretary of State all but asked the state GOP to return to open primaries. 

Secretary of State Kris Warner, a Republican, issued a press release Thursday calling for uniformity in primary elections between the two major parties. He specifically called on his own party to change its primary. 

“The Republican Party has an opportunity to swiftly take-up this issue for the betterment of our State,” Warner said.  

Warner added, “Speaking as Secretary of State, this is not a political issue. If both major political parties in the State don’t have the same rules for primary elections, the voters suffer. Poll workers suffer. Election administration suffers. And ultimately, the public’s trust in our processes and outcomes will be diminished.” 

He said having an open Democratic primary — where unaffiliated or no party voters can cast a ballot — and a closed primary for only registered Republicans may have contributed to low turnout and legal challenges in the May elections. 

“There is a basic principle in elections that the same rules must be fairly applied to everybody,” Warner said in the release. “So when we see not one, but two legal challenges filed as a result of inconsistent standards, it’s a major red flag.” 

The West Virginia Republican Party voted to close its primaries in 2024, with the 2026 cycle being the first time it would take effect. 

The Secretary of State’s Office noted candidates in the GOP primary filed challenges in Fayette and Harrison counties on the basis that non-affiliated voters had been allowed to vote in their primary. A new election had to be ordered in Fayette County, while the Harrison County challenge was resolved on its own. 

“Objectively, it is clear that a lack of uniformity between political party primaries hurts election integrity,” Warner said. “Not only did we see legal challenges based on inconsistent applications of the closed primary rules, but turnout in the 2026 elections was the lowest in over a decade. I suspect that the lack of uniformity is partly to blame for that.”

Warner chalked up issues in the Republican primary to voter and poll worker confusion. 

Turnout in the 2026 primary was the lowest since in more than a decade, according to Warner’s office. 

Warner also mentioned that 42 states have uniform primaries — either all primaries are open to non-affiliated voters or all primaries are closed to only registered party members.

Josh Holstein, a state delegate and chairman of the Republican Party, did not return a request for comment.