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The League of Women Voters has been running candidate forums (not debates) for years. As opposed to the food fights and misinformation that is widely available online, candidate forums may be the last bastion of civility (“Now that we have a real mayoral race in Minneapolis, how about a real debate?” July 29).
Unlike academic debates where experts share deeply researched information in order to persuade an audience, political debates can devolve into arguments over what constitutes a “fact” and serve as handy vehicles for insults and “gotcha” moments. As a nonpartisan organization focused on issues, we are especially sensitive to our responsibility to provide the public with a bias-free experience grounded in our commitment to voter education.
In our forums, the League of Women Voters asks candidates to abide by a set of rules that allow for an open, respectful environment. We prohibit applause (until the end of the forum), campaign T-shirts and buttons (to eliminate sign wars) and, most importantly, we vet every question. Our aim is to ask candidates unloaded, straightforward questions that are free of bias. We do not allow “response” time for personal interactions, but candidates can certainly respond to one another using their allotted time.
Our volunteers, who undergo hours of training on how to perform their service, never moderate a forum in the district where they reside. We have another team of volunteers (also formally trained) who gather questions from the voters and synthesize them to capture the central idea while removing built-in assumptions and viewpoints. We develop a few questions in advance, but rely heavily on the most important issues that emerge from the audience.
A good stopwatch can coexist with sharp questions that provide meaningful distinctions between candidates. It’s not always flashy, but it works — and it keeps the focus on the voters, not the drama (haven’t we all had enough of that?).
In addition to our Mayor Candidate Forum that will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at the Minneapolis Central Library (300 Nicollet Mall), the League of Women Voters Minneapolis is hosting forums for every contested City Council seat, Park and Recreation Board candidates and even the Board of Estimate and Taxation!
