Most of my readers are either political junkies or people interested in politics, government, public policy or commentary. So here are “must reads.”
Political polling always seems a mystery to those not engaged in the practice of campaigns. There is an excellent piece on political polling in today’s Charleston Daily. Zack Harold the Capitol Reporter for the newspaper uses both a nationally known pollster and Mark Blankenship who runs a Charleston-based research and polling firm. Don’t miss this easy to understand explanation by clicking here. A side – by side piece explains ‘margin of error’ which is found by clicking here.
Two college professors are writing about today’s youth being turned off by politics. There commentary has appeared in newspapers across the country including The Charleston Daily Mail. Having lead the WV Young Republicans in the 1960’s I recall when most colleges had Young Republican clubs and nearly all counties had YR clubs.
The trend today is disturbing and requires the attention of our educators among others. We must assure civics is being taught in our schools. Political organizations must create activities that attract young people as politics can be fun. And finally community leaders need to make room for young folks in civic organizations, which could be the first step to becoming involved in government.
Be sure to read the column by professors Richard Fox and Jennifer Lawless.