We’re now in the homestretch to West Virginia's May primary

And some rumination on voter turnout -- and, maybe, an idea on how to fix that problem.

I’m going to go ahead and declare that we’re now in the final stretch leading up to West Virginia’s primary election.

According to state law, voter registration ends three weeks before an election. With the 2024 primary falling on Tuesday, May 14th, that’d put the voter registration deadline at April 23 — if I read the calendar correctly, that is.

A calendar detailing this year’s election cycle from the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office says April 23. So, I guess I can read a calendar correctly.

Which means, you have something like THREE days to get your voter registration up to date.

Seeing how the Weakly editorial board believes deeply in public service and an audience fully engaged in our democracy, we’ll tell you that you can check the status of your voter registration or register or update it online.

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All of this thinking about the primary and voter registration has had me ruminating on a couple other seemingly related election issues: voter turnout and (dare I say it) voter literacy.

(Wait a minute, you’re probably thinking that you’re a registered voter and I’m calling you stupid. It’s not that at all. Turns out, I’m the stupid one. So, stay with me for a few and I’ll explain.)

It’s really no secret that voter turnout in the U.S. is dismal. Data from the U.S. Elections project show 66.6% of voting eligible Americans turned out in the 2020 general election. That leaves a whole third of the population that could have voted, but didn’t.

As for West Virginia, the state has trended below U.S. averages. According to data from the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office provided to the West Virginia Weakly, the state’s voter turnout rate in presidential election years since 2004 hasn’t eclipsed 40% in primary elections. As for general elections, voter turnout is expectedly much higher in West Virginia, but still not matching the nation overall that same cycle. Only 63.25% of West Virginians voted in November 2020.

But, again, the point is clear: Compared to the overall U.S. — voter turnout remains low in the Mountain State.

When I talk to people about why they do or don’t vote, I often hear from abstainers that don’t know enough about down-ballot candidates or the jobs those would-be office holders are running for.

To make a pick for president is relatively easy. After all, the top-of-the-ticket dominates election cycle news coverage and there’s generally only a handful of choices. But when it comes to more local candidates, many voters — myself included — feel relatively in the dark.

I’ll admit that I’ve paid so close attention to national and state-level news in a professional capacity that keeping up with circuit court races or some other local election strikes me as overwhelming — even a burden. I feel uninformed to a great degree.

I know it’s partially my fault.

But, in all fairness, it is difficult to learn more about candidates in these races that don’t grab daily headlines. It has to be even more problematic for those who don’t work in a newsroom for a living.

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Instead of asking (and attempting to answer) why West Virginia’s voter turnout rate remains so low, maybe there’s a better question to ask. Which is this: How can we fix this?

Some time ago, I had this wildly ambitious idea to create a web app that would attempt to engage this very issue.

My idea was (and still is) to create a questionnaire for candidates all across the state, up-and-down the ballot — those running for a magistrate gig in Charleston, a City Council post in Parkersburg, a House of Delegates seat in the 79th District where I live in Morgantown, or for one of the five constitutional offices. Even candidates for congressional seats or U.S. Senate would be invited. Those running for governor. Or dogcatcher (which is an old joke, really, but it really is an elected position in Duxbury, Vermont).

Basically, my idea is this: If you’re on the ballot anywhere in West Virginia — running for any elected office — you’d have the opportunity to answer this questionnaire online. Maybe such a platform could give candidates the chance to link to some YouTube videos of campaign commercials or upload just a short snippet making a pitch to voters?

Through the magic of the internet and coding (which I’m sure is possible), links to news coverage of a candidate would also populate.

Once those responses to the questionnaire came in and the bones of this thing got filled out, anyone in West Virginia could punch in their address, pull up a personalized ballot — and then read, watch and learn more about the candidates.

In its essence, this platform would give candidates a chance to speak for themselves and for voters to engage with anything else available on the web about that incumbent or would-be public servant. It’d be a one-stop-shop for a curious electorate looking to feel confident in their choices headed to the polls.

Add in something like ProPublica’s Represent, which tracks congressional votes and statements from federal lawmakers on various issues, and I think the public would feel fully informed when they head to the polls.

So, who among our readers is not-so-technologically weak (like I am, apparently) and might be able to help pull this off? I figure there’s some sort of award in it. And seeing how I am putting this idea out there, we’ll share the accolades.

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And now, on to the news of the week:

Naturally, we’ll start with some news about the upcoming primary.

Governor Justice endorses Moore Capito to succeed him ~ Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews

Justice and Mooney each have more than a million bucks to burn in U.S. Senate race ~ Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews

And speaking of Justice, in his current capacity as governor:

Justice says there’s no ‘cover up’ in patient’s death at state-run hospital ~ Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch

West Virginia will not face $465M COVID education funds clawback after feds OK waiver, governor says ~ Leah Willingham, The Associated Press

And, finally, on to other news around the state:

West Virginia University Permits Concealed Carry on Campus Starting July 1 ~ Staff Reports, WVNews

New federal safety rules on silica dust aim to protect miners' lungs ~ Howard Berkes & Justin Hicks, NPR

West Virginia transgender sports ban discriminates against teen athlete, appeals court says ~ John Raby, Associated Press

Middle school athletes step out of shot put against transgender girl who just won court case ~ Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews

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And before you head out (or make your way to the couch) to enjoy your Saturday, a bit of a programming note:

We’ve got some fresh material in the works in the coming weeks. I recently sat down with Sen. Mike Caputo (D-Marion) for a chat about his decision to not seek reelection this year.

Caputo, a long time labor leader and stalwart under the gold dome for nearly three decades has decided it’s time to step away from the West Virginia Legislature. We’ll bring you Caputo’s reflections on his time in Charleston, his thoughts on the decline of the West Virginia Democratic Party in recent elections and whatever else is on his mind as his name goes absent from the ballot for the first time in a long time.

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