“What Is (or Isn’t) Motivating Young Voters in 2024?” is scheduled for 4 p.m., Wednesday, Sept.4, in Marshall’s Drinko Library Atrium. Kay will host two members of Marshall’s political science faculty, Dr. Marybeth Beller and Dr. Shawn Schulenberg, for a discussion before opening the conversation to the audience.
Kay says although the “Us & Them” team hopes to gain insight from Beller and Schulenberg, he wants to hear from students about this election season. What’s on the minds of Marshall University students, and perhaps high school students, during the runup to the election? How much do they think their views and perspectives matter at this crucial time in the history of our nation? How do they put into context the dramatic developments that we’ve recently experienced — the assassination attempt on former President Trump and President Biden dropping out of the race?
This event is free and open to the public and the discussion and following Q&A segment will be taped for use in a future episode of the podcast.
The event is co-sponsored by Marshall University’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the West Virginia Humanities Council, and West Virginia Public Broadcasting, the broadcasting home of “Us & Them.”
“Trust is in short supply in America these days,” Kay said. “Across the board and across the political spectrum, people seem to lack trust in our government, in many of our agencies and organizations — even in each other. Waning trust within some segments of our society has undermined confidence in our nation’s election process. Our team wants to learn more about how the youngest members of our electorate feel as they consider participating in this year’s election.”
“Policies from the cost and availability of health care and education to transportation affect young adults in a very direct way,” Beller said. “Understanding why — and how — they engage in politics is critical to knowing how we might better reach them and help them participate in government decisions that impact their lives.”
Schulenberg said today’s youth in the United States feel disempowered and disenfranchised.
“The political class doesn’t look like them, and they neglect issues that younger generations prioritize, such as social justice and sustainability,” Schulenberg said. “Young voters need a reason to believe their voices will matter and that their participation can make a better future.”
In October 2023, Trey Kay and his team hosted a live event “Diminished Trust: How Do We Restore Faith in Science?” at Marshall, focusing on the waning public trust in the information the public receives from scientists. Kay’s team also staged a similar event at WVU that focused on diminished trust in journalism and the news media.
The recording at Marshall is part of an ongoing series of public Us & Them events focused on diminished trust in America. Kay’s team is planning future “trust” related events with Marshall, West Virginia University, and other West Virginia institutions.
While the event is free and open to the public, registration is recommended for planning purposes.
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Additional information about the participants:
Dr. Marybeth Beller started teaching at Marshall in 2000. She was awarded the Pickens Queen Outstanding Teaching Award in 2006 and served as the associate dean for the College of Liberal Arts from 2007 to 2009. She is currently advisor to the Cabell County Young Democrats and Marshall chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha — the National Political Science Honor Society.
Dr. Shawn Schulenberg has been with Marshall since 2010. He was the 2012 Junior Recipient of the Marshall University Distinguished Artists and Scholars Award (DASA). He currently serves as chair of the Marshall University Faculty Senate and co-chair of the Presidential AI Taskforce. In the past, he has served as chair of the Department of Political Science, director of Sexuality Studies Program at Marshall, and chair of the LGBT Caucus of the American Political Science Association. He is coauthor of “The Politics of Perverts” (2024, NYU Press).
Trey Kay is the creator and host of “Us & Them”, a podcast/radio program distributed by PRX that airs on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Kay’s passion for reporting on the culture wars began in his hometown of Charleston, W.Va., with “The Great Textbook War” (2009), a radio documentary. He followed that award-winning work with “The Long Game: Texas’ Ongoing Battle for the Direction of the Classroom” (2013), which he researched as a Spencer Fellow for Education Reporting at the Columbia Journalism School. He’s produced for “This American Life,” “The New Yorker Radio Hour,” “Marketplace,” “American RadioWorks,” “Morning Edition,” ”Inside Appalachia,” and “PBS Frontline.” Kay also taught at the Columbia Journalism School, Marist College, and at the State University of New York at New Paltz. He splits his time between New York’s Hudson Valley and West Virginia’s Kanawha Valley.