WHEELING — Eighteen year-old Audrey Whitacre of McMechen will vote in her first presidential election this year, and initially she wasn’t too excited about choosing between an octogenarian and a near-octogenarian at the top of the ballot.

Her political motivation changed when President Joe Biden, 81, stepped aside as presumed Democratic presidential nominee in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris, 59. Harris has accepted the nomination and will now face Republican former President Donald Trump, 78, in the Nov. 5 election.

Whitacre explained the young wanting to be politically engaged are seeking out candidates with whom they can most identify, and those who express younger concerns.

Getting youth engaged in political involvement is a challenge being faced by both Republicans and Democrats who need to recruit the next generation of political volunteers to knock on doors and even run for office.

“As a young person living in West Virginia and in this current political climate, I feel it’s so important to be (politically) motivated,” Whitacre said. “Encouraging others to use their voices and speak out about what is important to them is an idea I share often. This will be the first presidential election I’m able to vote in, and I cannot be more excited.”

She noted she first got interested in politics after the 2020 election.

“I almost felt I had to. The election was so important for my livelihood as a young woman,” Whitacre continued. “Politics is an important part of our lives whether we like it or not. We need to speak up and speak out about what we believe in more often. That’s how we make change.

“For young people to get into politics, we need more people like us. We need people that are younger, that care about the future we will be the ones living in. Kamala Harris is a great example of what us young people are looking for. We finally feel represented and heard.”

Michael Borsuk is a 21-year-old Wheeling native and student at Marshall University who has been involved with Republican political causes since high school, and was even a candidate for Ohio County Republican Executive Committee and a leader of the Young Republicans club at Marshall.

While he would disagree with Whitacre’s candidate choice, he does believe the youths do have a political voice but won’t use it if they are pushed to do so by the establishment.

“I think it’s all about getting them (young people) motivated, besides the typical teacher or parents telling them to vote,” he said. “It’s about finding what motivates them. Maybe we should have high profile celebrities encouraging young people to vote.

“But also, getting your group of friends together to vote is very important. People trust the people they are closest with and listen to them more than they do the news.”

Borsuk explained he became interested in politics during childhood while watching the news alongside his parents. As a Boy Scout, he was required to become civically involved and began attending local government meetings.

Former West Virginia Republican Party Chair Elgine McArdle acknowledged it is always a challenge for political parties to engage individuals, especially those who are young.

“But you need to interest young people at the high school and college level,” she said. “There is too much ‘nose in phone,’ social media and computers that take away the one-on-one eye contact communication. That is what makes a difference.”

Former Ohio County Republican Executive Committee member Charlie Schlegel once suggested to her that young people “always want to be around fun and positive events,” and that is how the party should seek to attract them.

“You get children involved by ‘FOMO,’ the fear of missing out,” McArdle said. “If they fear they are missing out on something great — you’ve got them. You got to make them want to do door knocking.

“I really don’t know how else to reach out except to tell them, ‘This is your world.’ They may not know it now, but in 10 years their participation will make a difference.”

Jenny Craig, secretary for the West Virginia Democratic Party, agreed attracting youth to politics is a big challenge.

“So many young people are disengaged for a variety of reasons and many don’t trust the electoral process to better their lives,” she said. “Many suffer from political burnout because of how polarized politics has become, and perhaps most likely they don’t feel like politicians represent them or care about them.”

She noted that, while this isn’t going to change overnight, there is hope. There are signs Democratic voter registration is increasing since Harris’s announcement and nomination, according to Craig.

She suggests political parties utilize social media platforms to reach a younger audience to share information about political issues. They should host house events and workshops specifically tailored to youth interests and concerns, while encouraging young people (before they turn 18, ideally) to get involved in local politics by attending city council meetings or volunteering for political campaigns.

“We must also be better listeners to young people and create opportunities for them to voice their opinions and concerns and move them to be more involved in campaigns and issues that are meaningful and directly affect them,” Craig added.

Republican Carlee Dittmar explained she was never politically involved until after her grandson Preston was born and she became more concerned for the state of the world.

“When I saw what was going on in the country, I became deeply rooted. Now it is my passion,” she explained. “No, I was never politically involved. That is what is wrong with people today. They think,’I’m working, voting, and doing all I can.’ But you have to know what each candidate stands for, what they represent, and not just go by name recognition. Electing the same people means the same result.”

But Dittmar still isn’t certain about how young people can be motivated into being politically engaged.

“That is the question, and I don’t know what we can do,” she continued. “People are still too comfortable and complacent because politics hasn’t affected their lives yet. When it does knock on their door, it’s too late.

“We just have to try to help our children growing up to be proud of America. They have to learn that once we give something away, we may never get it back.”

Teddie Grogan, president of the Ohio County Democratic Women’s group, noted that “for too long they (young voters) have been courted but not listened to, and the time is now to start focusing on what youths are saying.

“It is very evident they wanted someone new and fresh and energetic and someone they feel understands them… who understands it’s their generation’s time to move America forward,” she said. “Now it’s up to us to meet them where they work and relax, talk with them, and listen to them and make sure we understand their wants and needs.

“Most of all we have to give them the reasons they need to vote and to understand who will work for their self interests. We have to engage, engage, engage (the youth) and show them they have relevance,” Grogan added.