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.”
Connect with these student journalists:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — Every passenger traveling through the airport has a story and a meaningful reason to be heading to their destination.
But most passengers don’t know the work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure they get there safely.
‘Behind the Journey’ is West Virginia International Yeager Airport’s campaign that helps passengers get a better understanding of airport operations and adds transparency and education to the travel experience.
The operations department is up early at 4 a.m. to search for foreign objects or debris that could create a dangerous situation for an aircraft.
“Our first job in the morning is to do a sweep of the entire airfield, the runway and the taxiways, just to make sure that there’s nothing on there that could puncture an aircraft tire or be sucked into an engine,” Joe Belcher, operations specialist, said.
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Once the runway is clear and safe, passengers can enjoy their flight with peace of mind.
Elizabeth Lynn, who flies to New Jersey once a month for work on Breeze Airways, says she loves the experience she has at a regional airport.
“One experience I had, I didn’t get here in time. I have to check my bag. And they were nice enough to actually take my checked bag down and let it in for me because I showed up a little late,” Lynn said.
Ned and Hercules are working hard to keep birds away from the runway and brighten up a passenger’s day.
“They will also go through the terminal. They’ll visit employees. They’ll also visit any type of passengers that are in the lobby. They’ll do meet and greets. They do a lot of things. They stay pretty busy throughout the day,” Blecher said.
Paige Withrow, marketing officer at CRW, says the campaign educates passengers on how the airport systems work.
“It’s important for passengers to know what happens behind the scenes so that they know who to contact if something goes wrong while they’re traveling. So if their baggage is delayed, they know to contact their airline. If they have an issue during their travel, don’t know exactly which vendor to contact,” Withrow said.
There are QR codes throughout the terminals for passengers to fill out surveys about their experience.
The campaign runs until June 30.
For more news from across the Tri-State, click here.
West Virginia
Governor’s Highway Safety Program hosts annual luncheon recognizing law enforcement – WV MetroNews
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Law enforcement who keep West Virginia roadways safe were honored Thursday in the Capital City.
The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) hosted the annual Law Enforcement Traffic Safety Awards Luncheon at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center to highlight over 100 law enforcement agencies and officers from across the state for their work.
GHSP Director Jack McNeely says the program covers the nearly 39,000 miles of public roadways in West Virginia, and it aims to reduce crashes, serious injuries, and fatalities. It was very important to recognize the law enforcement during the luncheon, McNeely said.
“For their efforts while enforcing against impaired driving, distracted driving, seatbelt use, and while they’re on the Governor’s Highway Safety Program time,” McNeely said. “Our program, we change behaviors. Our goal is to change behaviors or drivers. We do that through engagement, education and enforcement.”
A particularly susceptible group to roadway accidents is young drivers. McNeely said the number one cause of death for 15-to-24-year-olds is car crashes. He said part of it is inexperience, and so education plays a key role.
McNeely mentioned the GHSP funds some projects through the Driver’s Education Program in West Virginia, as well as the Drive to Save Lives program, which spreads information about factors that cause crashes.
McNeely said 30-year motivational speaker Cara Filler spoke with the GHSP last week, and she has particular insight into the dangers of speed-related crashes. McNeely said Filler’s twin sister was killed one day after her 18th birthday in a speed-related crash. Filler has reached two million people in five countries during her time as motivational speaker.
There were special guests at the luncheon. Boone County couple Jimmy and Zelda Craig, whose daughter Baylea Bower was killed by an impaired driver during Easter weekend last year, were present in the Capital City. McNeely mentioned House Bill 4712, named “Baylea’s Law” after Bower, which was passed earlier this year.
“Baylea’s Law” stiffened penalties for those charged with DUI causing death.
“We refer to them as crashes, because it’s a choice for someone to get behind a wheel impaired, whether by alcohol or drugs,” McNeely said. “It’s a choice for someone to speed. In that [Baylea Bower] particular case, we had speed, we had impairment, both alcohol and drug related. It’s a choice to pick up your phone and look at it while you’re driving down the road. It’s a choice not to put to buckle up your seatbelt.”
There’s no excuse for driving impaired, McNeely said. He implored people to always have a backup plan if they become intoxicated under alcohol or drugs.
“It’s important to have somebody, if you’re going out, whether a college town, whether you’re in Huntington, whether you’re in Morgantown, but if you know you’re going to be around that, have a designated driver,” McNeely said. “That’s the only thing I can say. Have a game plan, not only if you’re going to be the one drinking, but have a game plan if you’re going to be the one that’s not, and going to be the responsible one for that evening. Take those keys away.”
Another initiative with the GHSP has been impaired-driving checkpoints. McNeely said those checkpoints are more of an awareness program, the blue lights remind drivers to travel safely. He said it helps keep impaired drivers off the road.
The Governor’s Highway Safety Program reported 1,873 DUI arrests in the state of West Virginia in 2025. The GHSP cited 23% of the state’s vehicle deaths over the past five years as alcohol related.
A few post-election observations:
–This election saw an historic divide within the state’s Republican Party, with candidates endorsed and funded by Governor Morrisey and related PACS vs. Senator Tom Takubo’s slate. In Kanawha County, Takubo survived withering and well-financed attacks to win re-nomination, as did Senator Vince Deeds in Greenbrier County. However, as our Brad McElhinny reported, “Morrisey’s endorsements and associated spending touched enough winners that the governor still could have significant influence on the chamber going into the next regular session.”
–The Morrisey vs. Takubo state senate slates ended up being a push. Morrisey is claiming victory, but at what cost? The Morrisey side outspent Takubo’s fundraisers four to one but ended up with status quo in the Senate. That means the internal dealing begins now to determine who will lead the Senate in the next session.
–West Virginians living in competitive districts were deluged with negative ads. Many crossed the line from being mean-spirited to simply inaccurate. There is always debate about the effectiveness of negative ads, but we don’t see any letup. More recent research suggests the conventional wisdom that negative ads depress turnout may not be accurate, but they certainly did not help turnout in this election.
–Most West Virginia voters stayed home. The Secretary of State’s office reports turnout at 21 percent (20.91 to be exact). That is slightly less than the last off-year primary in 2022, when the turnout was 23 percent, and well below the 2018 turnout of 26 percent.
–The statewide court races, which were open to Democrats, Republicans and Independents, turned into a brutal night for incumbents. Two Supreme Court office holders and the Intermediate Court of Appeals incumbent all lost. MetroNews Talkline co-host T.J. Meadows speculates that independent voters, who were blocked from voting in the GOP primary, joined Democrats in throwing out the judicial office holders.
–It was also a rough night for a handful of Republican House of Delegates members. At least 14 lost their re-nomination races.
–Yes, every vote does count, especially in the small single-member House districts, when there is a light voter turnout. Unofficial results on the Republican side show that in the 74th district, incumbent Guy Ward won by 17 votes. Paul Howe finished with a 15 vote advantage in the 70th. Justin Beanard won by five votes in the 10th, Tim McNeely won by four votes in the 71st, and Aaron Holley finished two votes ahead in the 22nd.
–Getting out the vote in your home county makes a difference in a statewide race with low turnout. Rachel Fetty Anderson won the race for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate over four other candidates, including former state Senate President and one-time gubernatorial candidate Jeff Kessler. Anderson received 3,900 more votes than Kessler in her home county of Monongalia, while Kessler received fewer than 1,400 more votes than Anderson in his home Ohio County. Anderson’s win may also signal Democrats are more interested in new faces than giving another shot to a veteran pol.
–And finally, another West Virginia county has gone Republican. The Monongalia County Republican Executive Committee says GOP registration has now surpassed the Democratic Party 22,670 to 22,468. Democrats have the advantage in registration in just four counties—Boone, Logan, McDowell, Mingo—and Boone is just 41 registrations away from flipping.
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