Bipartisan polling firm Red America Blue America (RABA) Research conducted a telephone survey of 512 West Virginia voters at the beginning of March. The survey results show strong support for West Virginians’ right to join a union, and strong opposition to the politicization of school board elections and the defunding of public schools through voucher programs. This comes as the West Virginia legislature considers legislation that would allow for politicians to determine what our kids are taught in school—not teachers. 

Key Findings: Below are several key findings from the research.

• 85% of respondents believe West Virginia’s workers should be able to join a union if they choose to
• 63% of respondents oppose diverting tax revenue away from public schools through school vouchers; just 23% support
• 54% of respondents said they would be less likely to support a lawmaker who voted to allow tax dollars to be spent on private education
• 75% of respondents oppose bringing partisan politics into local school board elections
• 64% of respondents oppose efforts to limit the teaching of certain information regarding our nation’s racial history in the classroom 
• 91% of respondents believe teachers should be responsible for coming up with what is taught in the classroom, only 9% believe politicians should

The results of this survey tell a clear story: West Virginians oppose many of the education overhauls that Republicans in the legislature are currently considering and show a willingness to vote for someone else because of it. Legislation to fundamentally change the way our children learn, defund public schools, and allow partisan politicians to decide what gets taught in the classroom is deeply unpopular in our state. Lawmakers who are promoting these proposals, and those who support them, would do well to reevaluate their positions on these losing issues.