Student leaders give us hope that a new generation is ready to take up the torch, even if some of them may need to wait a few more years to do so.

Two in Ritchie County did such a remarkable job organizing student-led efforts to register members of their senior class to vote that they were recognized by West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner for their work.

Ritchie County High School Principal Jackie McBrayer recommended Isaac Hodges and Carter Satterfield as honorary Secretaries of State. The pair got to be special guests at the state capitol in February. They were able to do so because RCHS is a Jennings Randolph Award for Civic Engagement recipient. That means student-led efforts have registered at least 85% of the eligible student body to vote.

As we congratulate Hodges and Satterfield, it is important to remember that being registered and actually voting are very different things. While we hope each of those students who registered to vote actually casts a ballot — this state is in desperate need of their perspective — it is also a good time to remind others who are eligible to vote in the Mountain State that April 21 is their last day to register to do so ahead of the May 12 primary.

Hodges, Satterfield and their fellow voters in the RCHS class of 2026 put in the work and are ready to be part of the conversation. In fact, according to Warner’s office, more than 17,500 eligible high school students have been registered to vote since the start of 2025 — and many of them will likely cast ballots in May and November.

Given the extreme importance of this year’s elections — at home, in Charleston and in Washington, D.C. — don’t miss your opportunity to truly be part of the conversation, too.