West Virginia
Voting: The Kids Are Not All Right – West Virginia Public Broadcasting
This story aired in the June 4, 2024 episode of West Virginia Morning.
Voter turnout in West Virginia, and across the country, is low. It’s even worse among young voters who say they are disconnected and not interested.
Just before the May 14 primary election, two journalism students from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism based in Washington, D.C. — Meaghan Downey and Anastasia Mason — came to the Mountain State to report on the state’s low voter turnout and the effect it has on young voters.
They spoke with students at West Virginia University (WVU) and BridgeValley Community and Technical College. This is part of a larger project the journalism students are working on about how young peoples’ disillusionment with political institutions is a threat to democracy.
We are in our early 20s and have both studied politics. We’re following the upcoming election pretty closely. But we realized a lot of our friends aren’t and we wanted to find out if we were unusual.
We discovered that, according to voting data, yes, we are. Young people turn out to vote a lot less than older people. And it’s worse in some states than others.
West Virginia is one of those states. In 2020, only four states had worse young voter turnout. For our research, we traveled to WVU. There, we asked the students whether they’ll participate in the upcoming election.
“Probably not. I just don’t really know a whole lot about it, you know?” said Emily Reed.
“I definitely feel like there’s not as many people who are like, focused on voting because they think that one vote can’t make a difference,” said Sam Carver.
Alanna Berry agreed with Reed and Carver. “Honestly, I don’t know who the candidates are. Are we talking about Biden?”
Most of the young people we met weren’t sure they were going to vote. We learned that 18 to 29-year-olds feel disconnected from politics across America. A poll released recently from Harvard’s Kennedy School showed the lowest levels of confidence in public institutions since the survey began 24 years ago.
According to Amherst College Professor Austin Sarat, it’s a stark contrast to previous generations.
“About 75 percent of people born in the 1930s say it is essential to live in a society governed democratically,” he said. “People born in the 1980s and later, that number is 25 percent.”
Younger generations are not voting, they’re frustrated, and they’re disillusioned with democracy. The question for the researchers was: “How did we get here?”
And more importantly: “Why don’t young West Virginians vote?”
It’s a problem that even long-term political organizers like the West Virginia Citizen Action Group have been struggling with. The organization has worked for nearly 50 years to encourage citizen participation in government.
Julie Archer, the group’s project manager, said the culture in West Virginia plays a role in why people don’t vote.
“Part of it might be like, kind of Appalachian fatalism,” she said. “We have had some examples of politicians that were pretty corrupt, and so anytime you have something like that, I think it just reflects negatively on even the people who are in there who are good and who are responsive to their constituents and want to do the right thing.”
For 80 years, West Virginia was a blue state. In 2000, the state flipped red and has voted increasingly conservative since. But Archer and her fellow activists say West Virginians feel that — whether it’s Democrats or Republicans in charge — the state’s big problems, especially poverty, don’t go away.
At a Sunday night potluck in Morgantown, local organizations gathered in the upstairs gym of a local church across the street from WVU. They’re talking about social, political and environmental justice.
Photo Credit: Anastasia Mason/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Jessica Nelson is one of the few young people there. She tells us why voting is towards the bottom of many West Virginians’ to-do lists.
“Just taking time off to get to the poll is a huge challenge,” Nelson said. “You know, getting a ride, getting time off, having someone to watch your kids or cover your shift, things like that. And even if you could find all that stuff, it’s a headache to do it. Are you really going to do that every two years for something that feels like it has no effect?”
Nelson is the opinions editor for the local paper. She met up with her mom, Cynthia, and the two of them had lots of opinions. They agree that nonvoting only makes matters worse. And it’s at the local level where the most damage is done.
“Our neighboring county, Preston, the buildings are literally falling down around the students,” Cynthia Nelson said. ”And they can’t pass the levy to save their lives, because it’s a very impoverished county and people say, ‘I can’t afford those additional taxes to build a school.’”
Young West Virginians have grown up in a culture of nonvoting. And some saw the effects of it in their schools.
Young people who are interested in voting often feel shut out of politics or think they don’t know enough to cast their ballots. A 2022 poll from the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts found that only 40 percent of young people feel well-qualified to participate in politics.
In South Charleston at BridgeValley Community and Technical College, we met 21-year-old Alexzander Messer. We asked him if he felt young people were encouraged to vote. He is from Madison in Boone County.
“Maybe encouraged, but talked about only specifically usually in one way,” Messer said. “There’s one way to vote usually around here, especially where I’m from. Republican, typically.”
He noted that some areas and states vote traditionally Democrat.
“So I’m not really sure if people know what they vote for,” he said.
That one-sidedness of the political conversation has dissuaded Messer from voting, he said.
“I probably won’t vote because I don’t get into it,” he said. “I don’t have a side. If I did, I’m relatively independent. I see things both ways. But there’s just drama with it. So there’s not really anything for me to vote for.”
On the other hand, he said he felt voting is important.
“I would say it is important to vote but then I did say I don’t vote myself. So it is important, but again, I haven’t done it,” he said.
Amherst professor Sarat said there’s a big problem, not just in West Virginia, but across the country.
“Many of the students that I teach are caught between hope and resignation,” he said. “And that resignation is young people have reason to be resigned and disillusioned. How do you move a group of people, a community, a society, a university from one place to the next? And what’s missing, between resignation and hope, is a commitment to democracy.”
Data shows that nearly a third of youth believe democracy is no longer viable in the U.S., according to a 2023 YouGov study.
The stark contrast between this generation and previous generations’ commitment to democracy is alarming for people like Sarat.
“Why are people my age more attached to democracy?” he said. “In part, because we grew up at a time when democracy was really threatened by fascism and communism. Young people have grown up at a time when they could take democracy for granted with all of its flaws.”
Sarat thinks things can get better. There were record turnouts of young voters last election.
“A conversation about democracy, which was dormant before Donald Trump came down the elevator, is now very much part of the American conversation,” he said. “Maybe that will, overtime, reconnect people to why democracy is important, why participation is important, why it’s important to get out there and get your hands dirty to make political change.”
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During the Gold-Blue spring game on Saturday, the West Virginia coaching staff named wide receiver Cyrus Traught the recipient of the 2026 Tommy Nikolich Award.
The award, which is always given out at the end of spring ball, recognizes a walk-on team member who has distinguished himself through his attitude and work ethic. The award is presented in memory of Tommy Nickolich, a former WVU player (1980-82) who passed away from cancer in 1983.
Traugh is a Parkersburg native and graduate of Parkersburg South High School. He began his career at Youngstown State before transferring back home to play for the Mountaineers last season. In his final year with the Penguins, he logged 36 receptions, 409 yards, and a team-leading five touchdowns, two of which came against Pitt.
During the 2025 campaign with the Mountaineers, he saw action against Robert Morris and Kansas, playing 10 snaps against the Jayhawks, but did not record any stats.
Head coach Rich Rodriguez has mentioned him twice this spring as someone who has been doing some good things and making progress. Wide receivers coach Ryan Garrett also showed him some love during his press conference last week.
The Mountaineers completely revamped the wide receiver room this offseason, upping the level of talent at both inside and outside receiver spots, but perhaps Traugh can work his way into the mix if he puts together a strong summer and fall camp. If he’s not a regular in the rotation, he’ll serve as a quality depth piece who can play special teams.
Past Nickolich Award winners:
2025: Clay Ash, RB
2024: Avery Wilcox, S
2023: C.J. Cole, WR
2022: Nick Malone, OL
2021: Graeson Malashevich, WR/H
2020: Osman Kamara, S
2019: Jake Abbott, LB
2018: Evan Staley, K
2017: Nick Meadows, LS
2016: Jon Lewis, DL
2015: Justin Arndt, LB
2014: Michael Calicchio, OL
2013: Connor Arlia, WR
2012: Tyler Anderson, DE
2011: Ryan Nehlen, WR
2010: Matt Lindamood, FB
2009: Josh Taylor, DL
2008: Adam Hughes, LS
2007: Andy Emery, LB
2006: Tim Lindsey, LS
2005: George Shehl, H/DB
2004: Jeff Noechel, LB
2003: John Pennington, WR
2002: Moe Fofana, RB
2001: Jeremy Knapp, TE
2000: Ben Collins, LB
1999: Bryan Lorenz, LB
1998: Mark Corman, TE
1997: David Lightcap, DB
1996: Matt Ceresa, OL
1995: Rob Keys, DB
1994: Randy Fulmore, DB
1993: Matt McCulty, WR
1992: Brett Parise, WR, Ray Wilcox, LB
1991: Keith Taparausky, RB
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West Virginia offers deep river gorges, Appalachian mountain trails, and museums covering several layers of regional history. Day trips can lead to quirky stops like the legends at the Mothman Museum or haunting tours through a historic asylum. Other stops highlight art and science, with hands-on exhibits at the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences and wide-ranging collections at the West Virginia State Museum. Places like Beech Fork State Park and Babcock State Park show off the landscapes that make West Virginia a rewarding place to drive through. Below are 12 day trips worth the drive, starting from Charleston and Huntington.
Starting City: Charleston
Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences (Within the City)
This 240,000-square-foot facility opened in 2003 and combines art exhibits with STEM experiences across multiple museums and theaters. The Avampato Discovery Museum is the child-facing centerpiece, with climbing sculptures, a music studio, a Space Lab for designing rockets, and a Wild Kratts Ocean Adventure covering various ocean ecosystems. The Caperton Planetarium & Theater handles night-sky programming. The other two anchors are the Juliet Art Museum with its Interactive Art Space and the Maier Performance Hall, which hosts performances from the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and visiting jazz ensembles.
West Virginia State Museum (Within the City)
The state museum dates to 1890 and was previously known as the West Virginia Science and Culture Center. It covers history, art, culture, paleontology, and archaeology across its galleries. The Discovery Rooms walk visitors through the prehistory of West Virginia, life on the Appalachian frontier, and John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, which helped ignite the American Civil War. Additional rooms cover West Virginia’s 1863 statehood (the state was carved from Virginia during the war) and its long heritage as a coal-mining state. Interpretive reconstructions throughout the museum recreate West Virginia landmarks including a classic soda shop, Harpers Ferry, and a coal mine.
Capitol Market (Within the City)
The Capitol Market in the heart of Charleston has been widely recognized as one of the best local shopping centers in the state. Set in a historic train depot, it houses produce merchants both indoors and outdoors. Inside, Johnnie’s Fresh Meat Market handles meat, Mea Cuppa Coffeebar pours coffee, and Bogey’s serves BBQ, fire-roasted corn, and homemade coleslaw. The outdoor section is where shoppers find flowers and greens from greenhouses like Bostic and Evans, along with fresh fruit and vegetables from Robbie’s Produce out of Sissonville, West Virginia.
Kanawha State Forest (15 Minutes)
West Virginia is one of the most heavily forested states in the country, with forest covering roughly 79% of its total land area. That reality is easy to experience 15 minutes south of Charleston at Kanawha State Forest. At 9,300 acres, the forest was once a logging and mining site before the West Virginia Conservation Commission purchased it and converted it to public land. There are more than 60 miles of hiking and biking trails, with strong wildflower viewing in spring and reliable bird sightings, including 19 species of wood warblers during migration. Davis Creek offers fishing opportunities with wheelchair-accessible piers.
Mothman Museum (1 Hour)
West Virginia has its share of cryptid legends, and the state’s most famous is Mothman, first sighted around Point Pleasant in November 1966 and described as a winged figure with glowing red eyes. The Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant calls itself the world’s only museum dedicated to Mothman, with collected newspaper clippings, eyewitness accounts, and props from the 2002 film The Mothman Prophecies. Visitors can take pictures next to the nearby Mothman Statue or pick up Mothman-inspired shirts and souvenirs. The museum also runs the Mothman ’66 Escape Room and a Mothman Blacklight Mini-Golf course, both fit for families willing to lean into the spookier side of the legend.
Hawks Nest State Park (1 Hour)
Hawks Nest State Park covers 270 acres along the cliffs above the New River. The water below produces fast rapids popular with experienced whitewater rafters. Away from the rapids, the park offers a scenic overlook down to the New River Gorge Bridge and 8 miles of hiking trails climbing up into the mountains. Hawks Nest Lake holds bass for anglers, though swimming is not allowed in the lake (the park has a separate pool and splash pad). Like many West Virginia parks, it was initially developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, and the Hawks Nest Park Museum covers that history.
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve (1 Hour, 15 Minutes)
A few more minutes’ drive from Charleston takes you down into the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The gorge was carved by the New River, which, despite its name, is actually one of the oldest rivers in North America at roughly 260 million years old. The gorge is the deepest in the Appalachian Mountains, with 1,000 feet of exposed sandstone and shale cliffs. Those cliffs support more than 1,600 established climbing routes, drawing climbers year-round. Hikers have nearly 100 miles of trails to choose from, along with scenic drives, whitewater rafting, and fishing access.
Babcock State Park (1 Hour, 30 Minutes)
Babcock State Park’s signature landmark is the Glade Creek Grist Mill, a working mill built in 1976 from parts of three historic West Virginia mills, most notably Cooper’s Mill, which had been destroyed by fire decades earlier. The mill is one of the most-photographed spots in the state. Beyond the mill, the park has more than 20 miles of hiking trails winding up into the Appalachian hills, and Boley Lake offers paddle boat, rowboat, and canoe rentals at the marina. Geocachers have left trinkets throughout the park, especially near Glade Creek Waterfall.
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (1 Hour, 45 Minutes)
Construction on the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum began in 1858, and it opened in 1864 during the Civil War to house psychiatric patients. At 1,300 feet long, it remains one of the largest hand-cut stone masonry buildings in the United States. Originally designed to hold up to 250 patients under the 19th-century Kirkbride Plan, which emphasized natural light, air, and space, the asylum eventually housed as many as 2,400 patients at a time, with the crowding leading to documented abuses. It also housed Union and Confederate troops during various Civil War raids. The asylum closed in 1994 and now offers historical tours Tuesday through Sunday, with separate ghost tours available in the evening.
Starting City: Huntington
Huntington Museum of Art (Within the City)
At nearly 60,000 square feet, the Huntington Museum of Art is the largest art museum in West Virginia. The collection is eclectic, spanning fine paintings alongside decorative crafts. The Touma Gallery displays Middle Eastern pottery, metalwork, and woodwork including pieces from Damascus, Syria. The Herman P. Deans Firearms Collection covers early firearms and crossbows as examples of historic craftsmanship. On the grounds, West Virginia’s only plant conservatory showcases tropical and subtropical species, and 6 miles of hiking trails run through forested hills.
Heritage Farm Museum & Village (Within the City)
The Heritage Farm Museum & Village was the first Smithsonian Affiliate in West Virginia, recognized for its hands-on approach to Appalachian pioneer history. A former farmhouse converted into a multi-museum pioneer village, it covers specific aspects of Appalachian life across several buildings. The Progress Museum focuses on 1850s Appalachian settler life, while the Transportation Museum covers the railroad and frontier wagons. The Country Store Museum recreates a 19th-century general store, and the Children’s Hands-On Activity Center lets kids try 19th-century chores. A Treehouse Trek trail on canopy bridges rises 60 feet above the forest and ends at a large treehouse.
Beech Fork State Park (30 Minutes)
Less than half an hour from Huntington, the 3,000-acre Beech Fork State Park sits on Beech Fork Lake, a reservoir built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control on Twelvepole Creek. The park’s 31 miles of shoreline support canoes, kayaks, johnboats, and paddle boards, rentable at the dock. Fishing includes largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass, catfish, and bluegill, with a valid West Virginia fishing license required. Hiking trails wind around the lake and up to overlooks.
There’s A Lot To See On These Country Roads
John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is still the most familiar song about West Virginia’s winding mountain roads, and along those roads are picturesque stops ranging from the Clay Center in Charleston to the Heritage Farm Village near Huntington. For travelers drawn to darker history, the Mothman Museum and the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum preserve the stranger and more haunting side of the state. All of these sites sit within an easy day-trip radius of Charleston or Huntington, so the drive itself becomes part of the experience.
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