“Look at your tomorrow,” state delegate says

By BAYLEE PARSONS

The Parthenon

From Marshall University student body president to West Virginia state delegate, Sean Hornbuckle has acquired over 10 years of experience working with student voters firsthand. News Editor Baylee Parsons sat down with Hornbuckle to discuss his continued interest in the values of the youth of his hometown and state.

Q: “Since graduating from Marshall, it seems that you have remained involved with the university and the student body. What keeps you invested in this particular demographic?”

A: “Well, I mean, it’s huge. It’s everything. It is truly the leaders of tomorrow in the community. Marshall’s also probably one of the biggest – if not the biggest – economic engines in the city of Huntington. So, I always want to make sure that we’re pushing forward with that, but you have to have the pulse of the students.”

“We have to know what is on the minds of our young, soon-to-be professionals because the key to all this is to grow the pie, right? It’s to make sure that we have enough population in our state, so that we can support our infrastructure. That is wildly important. But then it falls to what’s going to keep a young 20, 25, 30-year-old here. And we’ve had some archaic ways of thinking in our state before, and so that’s what I represent: I represent the young professional that really wants to stay here, blossom here, not just raise a family but get to have fun, too, right? And, so, we want to make sure that we’re thinking about those things when we’re creating laws.”

“In politics – and this is part of the reason I really got involved – I don’t care what party you’re in: there’s nobody that really resonates with what I would call the young voter. I think, again, regardless of party, young people are just tired of that. They’re like, ‘Hey, we want good jobs. We want to make sure our education opportunities, either for us or our kids or our future kids, are good. And how do we live and prosper?’ And that’s, again, what I want to represent and take care of the things that matter the most to people.”

Q: “Often, like you said, there are two types of student voters: there’s the really enthusiastic, and then there’s the really apathetic. Why do you think this is?”

A: “Well, I think, you know, there are some of the ones that are really enthusiastic. They’ve grown up in homes that have talked about this around the dinner table, right? They talk about what it means to them not just to vote but to be civically engaged. And all throughout high school, you’ll probably find a pattern that they were very involved in student clubs and organizations. Then you also have, on the other side, that either folks weren’t privy to those conversations in their home, or they’ve just become disenchanted, again, with quote unquote politicians that time and time again don’t seem to have their best interests at heart. They understand it for the power and bickering with each other, and that’s why we have to come together as one and get rid of those types of folks and make sure we have better people that are in government to do the best for everybody.”

Q: “In this election, specifically, what issues should be of interest to students and the younger population?”

A: “I think that reproductive freedom is huge. That is what is on the ballot right now. It’s about freedom.”

“Also, about the economy and jobs. We need to make sure we’re thinking about that.”
“And, also, democracy is huge. I won’t shy away from it. Again, this election is not about Republican or Democrat. This upcoming election is about ‘Are we going to stand up for democracy?’”

Q: “If you could give students or young voters one good reason as to why they should exercise their right to vote, what would it be?”

A: “I think it would be to look at your tomorrow. Look about what type of job opportunities are being created for you. Is that being done? Are you engaged? You know? What do you want to do tomorrow after you graduate? Make (sure) that your legislate in your state is supporting those ideas. I’m a big man in entrepreneurship, too. We need all hands on deck. If you want to raise a family someday, obviously, education is widely important, and we have to think about that and understanding that your life is very much impacted by the laws that are passed – not just on a national level, but your state legislature and your city councils as well. And so, it just pays everybody to pay attention. And I’ve always said, even if you don’t agree with me, that’s okay. I still want your voice to be heard because somewhere in the middle is probably going to be the best answer, and we have to really believe that and exercise that.”

This interview took place on Wednesday, Oct. 23. It has been edited for conciseness and for the purposes of Student News Live.