(Editorial - Graphic Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

It’s hard here in West Virginia to understand how states such as Arizona and Nevada, three days after the polls officially closed, still were counting votes. Viewing the process from afar, it appears those states lack good, solid leadership when it comes to running their elections.

Consider: President-elect Donald Trump was named the winner in Nevada Friday afternoon, but Arizona remained uncalled. Every other state was called by the end of day Wednesday.

How is it that our small state, with its geographic and connectivity challenges, is able to get 95-plus percent of the vote counted on election night when others continually have challenges? What are we doing right that some other states continue to do wrong?

The answer lies at the top with West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner.

Warner, who will leave office in January and be replaced by his brother, Kris Warner, deserves much of the credit for West Virginia’s elections running like a finely tuned machine.

There are typically very few issues here with either early voting or on Election Day. And when there are (typically those issues come from county elections boards that fail in their duty to ensure the races and precincts are correct), Warner and his team work quickly with local folks to get them fixed.

There have been few concerns over election integrity in our state. Warner and his team have worked to build confidence in the process, and it’s paid off. That’s what the public needs to know — that our elections are safe and secure.

It should come as no surprise that Warner ran a solid operation. The retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and the West Virginia University College of Law served most of his military service in the Army’s Judge Advocate General Corps in multiple posts, including the International Court of Justice at the Hague and as Chief of International Law for the U.S. Army in Europe.

He also spent several years helping advise the Afghan government as it tried to organize following the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

These experiences helped him fully appreciate the sanctity of your vote.

As you wrap up your term in Charleston, Mr. Secretary, West Virginia residents thank you for your efforts to keep our vote secure and your efforts to help businesses navigate the state’s regulatory processes.

In this day and age, when vote security remains a real challenge in many areas, West Virginia has been at or near the top when it comes to protecting those votes.

We expect that will continue in the coming years and look forward to more safe and secure elections here in the Mountain State.