CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- While it will not be long until West Virginians head to the polls, election officials in two counties have a lot more to deal with than getting ballots ready.

The threat of a lawsuit has Boone and Lincoln counties on high alert and working fast to fix some problems.

According to letters sent to the county clerks, it appears there are more people registered to vote in these counties than there are adults over the age of 18.

Those letters were written by Judicial Watch, a national watch group in Washington, D.C.

The problem has to do with maintaining the list of voters, which is a process more difficult than you might think.

"You do want to give the benefit of the doubt to the voter, and a voter can not be taken off of a voter list unless they have not voted in two federal general elections. That's a four-year time period,” Secretary of State Natalie Tennant said.

Election officials also must constantly be on the lookout for voters who have moved, died or have become felons.

Both counties have been working with the secretary of state's office to get their lists back on track.

"I undoubtedly feel that this will be taken care of because we do have this one on one relationship with both the clerks in Lincoln and Boone counties,” Tennant said. “They're very receptive to the ideas and the process we're giving them."

That process includes sending notices to people who are considered "inactive" voters. The responses will help determine which names get cut from the list.

According to the letter, they have until Aug. 8 to get that list in order. If the deadline isn’t met, that's when Judicial Watch plans to take legal action.