WVPB Staff Published

Young Voter Turnout And Summer Fun At New River Gorge, This West Virginia Morning

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On this West Virginia Morning, summer has nearly arrived here in West Virginia. The mountains have filled in and rounded out with lush green trees. The air is getting warmer and the days are longer. Briana Heaney sat down with National Park Ranger Eve West to talk about ways to enjoy the nation’s newest National Park at the New River Gorge.

Also, in this show, we have a special report from graduate students Meaghan Downey and Anastasia Mason of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism based in Washington, DC. 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, Downey and Mason came to West Virginia to report on the state’s low voter turnout and the impact it has on young voters. They spoke with students at West Virginia University and BridgeValley Community and Technical College.

This story is part of a larger project they are working on about how young peoples’ disillusionment with political institutions is a threat to democracy.

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 Shepherd University.

Eric Douglas produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning