MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (DC News Now) — As of Wednesday, early voting is officially underway in the Mountain State and voters turned out in strong numbers at polling stations in West Virginia’s eastern panhandle.
The culture in the area is distinctive: the fast-growing region feeds off the economic vitality of the neighboring Washington, D.C. region.
This begs the question of how that affects voters across state lines.
“The top issue is really all the development,” explained Maria Russo, who is active on a broad range of environmental issues and their public policy implications. “People are watching Jefferson County grow and change and they really want to make sure that we are balancing responsible development.”
Russo, along with Lucia Valentine, said casting a ballot in this election gives voters a voice.
“We must preserve and protect our rural acreage in the eastern panhandle but balance that with responsible economic development,” Valentine said.
“Folks are concerned about our education system, our growing infrastructure needs and – as our community continues to grow – really how to find a responsible balance to all the growth that we are seeing,” she added.
Casting that ballot, Russo asserted, is a civic duty.
“With voting, residents can have their voices heard,” Russo said. “At all levels of government, people can be represented in the political process.”
In addition to regional issues, West Virginia voters will choose a new governor to replace term-limited Jim Justice and a new U.S. Senator to succeed Joe Manchin (I-WV), who is retiring.
