Mira Tanner-Hughes
On a scale of “Strongly Agree” (5) to “Strongly Disagree,” (1) rank your position on the following statements:
Vaccines are safe: 5
Vaccines are effective at preventing disease: 5
Keeping children safe is a shared responsibility: 5
What is your position on West Virginia’s current school vaccine requirements (which allow only medical exemptions)?
Maintain current requirements
In your view, what role should the state play in ensuring access to vaccines—especially in rural or underserved communities?
It should be a state's responsibility to ensure reliable access to resources to help keep its citizens safe and healthy, regardless of their income circumstances or distance from urban centers.
Which of the following best reflects your understanding?
Vaccines primarily protect the individual receiving them
Vaccines help protect both individuals and the broader community
Vaccination is largely a personal decision with limited community impact
Vaccination is a personal decision regardless of community impact
If a preventable disease outbreak (such as measles) occurred in your district, what actions—if any—would you take as a policymaker (e.g., make a statement regarding safety, coordinate with public health officials, take policy actions, encourage vaccination, etc.
I would rely on the advice of medical professionals, I would publicly strongly encourage vaccinations, as well as encourage following all steps laid out by trusted professionals to contain the outbreak. If I needed to take policy actions to ensure public health and safety, I would not hesitate to do so, and I would be transparent about the consequences for refusing to follow those regulations.
Is there anything else you would like West Virginia voters to know about your approach to public health, community wellbeing, and/or vaccines?
I am heavily involved in the mutual aid space, and all of my campaign donations are going towards a community-focused nonprofit to make a shelter for the unhoused in Upshur county. I help feed my neighbors, I help ensure they have clothes and resources when they're struggling, and I want to help all of us live better, safer, healthier, more abundant and fulfilling lives in West Virginia.
