West Virginia has one of the country’s worst voter turnout records. Will this election be different? [Video]

Over the last three decades, West Virginia’s voter participation has been well below the national average. In 2020, the coal-rich state had the second-lowest citizen voting rate in the country, after Arkansas, according to the U.S. Census.

Several researchers studying community engagement in West Virginia said its narrow job market and the influence of the coal, oil and gas industries on its economy may be contributing to the low numbers.

“We bleed our young talent away from the state,” said Samuel Workman, director of the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs at West Virginia University. “So, we disproportionately lose our younger-age folks. If you’re a young person and you’re not aligned with the party in power, it makes it very hard to see how your vote matters.”

Just 55% of West Virginia’s employable population was working or actively seeking …