Here’s what questions readers told us they want candidates to answer this election

This election season is a big one for West Virginia.

On the ballot are a U.S. Senate seat, two U.S. House of Representatives seats, the Governor’s office, all statewide constitutional offices, all 100 House of Delegates seats and 17 — half — of the Senate’s 34 seats.

Elections in some districts will be determined by the general election on Tuesday, November 5, but many outcomes will be decided in the primaries on May 14.

We’re going beyond the polls and press releases to report on the issues that you tell us really matter.

How we compiled this agenda

To kick off that effort, we asked readers a simple question: “What issues do you want to hear candidates talk about this election season?

This question comes from the Citizen’s Agenda , a project to make election reporting more responsive and useful for voters.

Over 100 readers replied, and we read every response. From there, we identified five key issues that were front of mind for respondents, and distilled replies into the questions that you see above.

Then, we went back to readers and asked them to rank the questions in order of importance. Here’s what they told us:

The economy:

1. How will you improve West Virginia infrastructure including roads, broadband internet and water, gas and sewer services?
2. What could the state/federal government be doing to improve the state’s workforce development, making sure that all West Virginians have access to and training for well-paying jobs?
3. What will you do to ensure housing is available and affordable to those who need it in West Virginia’s popular and growing communities?
4. How will you encourage diverse and strong business communities on the main streets of West Virginia’s towns and cities?

Health care:

1. Most Americans support abortion in some circumstances, and it was the top issue for our readers. What is your stance on reproductive rights?
2. How will you make healthcare more affordable and accessible, particularly for vulnerable populations like the poor, women, seniors, and LGBTQ+ West Virginians?
3. What steps will you take to combat West Virginia’s drug addiction epidemic?

Environmental concerns:

1. How will you balance economic development with protecting West Virginia’s water, air and land quality?
2. Will you support a transition from declining extractive industries such as coal to cleaner alternative industries? How?
3. What role should West Virginia and the United States play in working to slow climate change?

Social issues:

1. How will you work to protect the rights of all West Virginians, including West Virginians of color and LGBTQ+ West Virginians?
2. What federal/state legislation do you believe is needed to keep West Virginians safe from gun violence, while respecting West Virginians’ 2nd Amendment rights?
3. How do you believe federal immigration policy is affecting West Virginia, and what kinds of policies would help the state?

Children’s well-being:

1. West Virginians we surveyed told us education is a top issue for them this election. What will you do to support high-quality education in West Virginia?
2. What steps would you take to address the state’s rising child poverty rate?
3. What role do you believe the government should play in ensuring child care is affordable and accessible to all West Virginians?
4. What steps would you like to see the state take to address allegations of systematic mistreatment of kids in West Virginia’s foster care system?

What did we miss?

If you’d like to rank these questions, or if you want to add something, please take the survey below:

Here’s what questions readers told us they want candidates to answer this election appeared first on Mountain State Spotlight , West Virginia's civic newsroom.