Population Decline In W.Va. Could Mean Losing Representation In Washington, D.C.

On this West Virginia Morning, as census data is collected, there’s a distinct possibility that West Virginians are poised to lose representation in Congress. Also, in this show, we bring you an excerpt from last night’s episode of The Legislature Today – our annual, weeknight legislative news coverage.

Last week, we kicked off another season of The Legislature Today here at West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Every weeknight through the West Virginia Legislative session, we bring you the latest news from the statehouse. On last night’s episode, host Suzanne Higgins spoke with Senate President Mitch Carmichael about his leadership team’s plan for the 2020 session. We bring you an excerpt from the interview, taped live from the Capitol building in Charleston.

West Virginia is no stranger to the consequences of population decline. Census experts say losing residents has meant losing money, losing business, losing jobs and federal assistance for emergencies and infrastructure. 

After the 2020 census, one study projects it could mean losing another member in the U.S. House of Representatives. Emily Allen explains why that is.

That story was featured in our most recent episode of Inside Appalachia, titled ‘Politics Is A Difficult Subject – But Necessary, Inside Appalachia.’ You can find the full episode wherever you get your podcasts or right here at wvpublic.org.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Our news director is Jesse Wright. Our producer is Glynis Board.