Ireland proud of achievements as secretary of state: Reviews time in office during visit to paper

By J. Miles Layton

Jun. 11, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- West Virginia Secretary of State Betty Ireland met with The Dominion Post on Tuesday, and discussed her plans for the future and some of the initiatives that her office has achieved.

Ireland, a Republican, was the first woman elected to the executive branch of West Virginia state government in 2004, when she beat former congressman and longtime Democratic politician Ken Hechler, who held the office from 1985 to 2001.

Ireland said she decided not to seek a second term to have more time to care for her parents, both of whom were 94 years old before they died several months apart. Her father, James, died in August 2007, and her mother, Virginia, died in April. They had been married 68 years.

"If I had been on campaign when they died, I wouldn't have forgiven myself," she said. "I'm very comfortable with that decision not to run for another term."

Ireland, 62, said she may decide to seek a higher political office, but only if the timing and the opportunity are right.

"If a door opens, and I want to walk through it, I will," said Ireland, who plans to stay active volunteering in a leadership capacity with the Stennis Center for Public Service, to encourage women to participate in public service.

Ireland said her proudest achievements as secretary of state include meeting the federal deadline to comply with the Help America Vote Act. West Virginia was one of only 26 states to meet the deadline, she said.

She's pleased that the public, particularly senior citizens, have embraced using computerized voting machines.

"If you can order a sandwich at Sheetz, you can vote using one of these machines," she said.

Ireland noted the technology upgrades the office has undertaken, including a Web site that lists everything from candidates seeking office to campaign finance reports.

The secretary of state's office has adopted a special system that allows victims of domestic violence to maintain their privacy and confidentiality. While the state maintains a record of their true address, a post office box will appear on their driver's license and voter registration card, and on their mail.

Ireland said she learned of this idea from Vermont's secretary of state, and it is a way to keep abusers who may be stalking domestic violence victims from learning the whereabouts of their victims.

Based on the high voter turnout in the May primary, Ireland said, the state is prepared for good voter turnout in the general election in November. She said there was about a 40 percent voter turnout for the May primary and hopes for a "huge" turnout for the general election in November.

Natalie Tennant, a Democrat from Fairmont now living in Charleston, faces Charles Minimah, a Republican born in Nigeria and now a Charleston businessman, in the general election to be the next secretary of state. Ireland said she hopes that whoever succeeds her as secretary of state "will keep things rolling" and continue "serving the public well."

Ireland said she asked the Legislature to consider adopting a "no excuse" ballot that would allow virtually anyone to mail in their vote. Ireland said that because it was an election year, the idea didn't fly.

Ireland lamented how the federal government is taking more of a role in state election processes in the wake of the presidential election of 2000, where votes in Florida had to be recounted because the results were unclear.

"Quite frankly, I wish the feds would stay out of elections," she said. "They need to listen more to people in the trenches who are running the elections."

Newstex ID: KRTB-0251-25918436