Last November, West Virginia took a step closer to essentially becoming a state run by one political party. Republicans increased their seats in the West Virginia Senate to 32, while Democrats hold a grand total of two. In the House of Delegates, Republicans now hold a 91 to nine majority. Republicans have held a trifecta in state government (controlling both legislative chambers and the governorship) since Jim Justice changed his party registration in 2017. This dramatic Republic dominance is actually fairly recent, as Democrats held majorities in both chambers until 2014. To be clear, the issue is not Republican control of state government, but the degree to which one of the two parties has captured power.

Why does this one-party control matter? First, Republicans’ significant majority of seats in both chambers allows them to pass legislation with little need to compromise with each other or the governor. Compromise and negotiation with the political opposition moderates policymaking and filters out the most radical and ill-conceived ideas. An Oct. 2024 Bloomberg column on the increasing share of states with one-party control said, “Well-formed, enduring policy ideas rarely spring from a single party. After many years of covering government and legislatures, we’ve learned that the friction of dissent and dialogue refines policies, just as steel sharpens steel.”

One example of this taking place, in West Virginia, is the state’s approach to achieving a balanced budget. Republican trifecta governments have taken a one-sided approach of cutting spending without raising taxes, leading to a hollowing out of state services and investment in the education system. Now, West Virginia is left with a projected $400 million budget deficit in 2026, while its teacher salaries are among the lowest in the country, and Gov. Patrick Morrisey hopes to pass further tax cuts.

Second, Republicans’ dominant control of the legislature limits the probability that it will hold the executive accountable through legislative oversight and investigations into potential wrongdoing. Throughout U.S. history and across the world today, we can see that a lack of political competition breeds corruption.

Third, one-party dominance ends political choice in many districts. Of the 17 state Senate seats up for election in 2024, seven were uncontested by Democrats. Republicans ran uncontested in 41 of the 100 House races. Regardless of party affiliation, we should all agree that voters deserve a choice in elections.

Furthermore, uncompetitive districts may lead to declining candidate quality and more ideologically radical candidates. Candidates don’t need to moderate their positions to capture enough voters in the general election, and incumbents don’t need to worry about losing to the other party, if they don’t deliver in office.

I am by no means a political strategist, but I do have a few potential recommendations worth offering to return political competition and balance to Charleston. First, Democrats have to keep fielding candidates. I know it’s tough to run in Republican strongholds, but Democrats can’t wave the white flag and not even attempt competition. Second, Democrats should continue to prioritize running on local issues and avoid partisan national issues. Democrats should also focus on developing grassroots support. At the same time, West Virginia Democrats could stand to benefit from the national party’s reckoning after the 2024 losses, and they should argue for a seat at the table, as the national party figures out how to reach those working-class voters it has lost over the past few election cycles. Finally, voters must assert their own power by staying informed through reliable state news media, and critically asking if their state representatives are delivering for them. West Virginians can be proud of our state, while also questioning why we’re not doing better in education, health and economic wellbeing.

West Virginia has too much to lose to one-party politics. We need balanced policymaking, effective oversight and real political options during elections. We need two strong political parties.

Graham Scott, of Charles Town