League of Women Voters candidates night set for Oct. 6 in Wayne County

Bryce Buyakie, The Daily Record
·2 min read
Dalton Public Library poll worker Michelle Gibson helps Dale Flickinger as he signs in to vote during the May primary.
Dalton Public Library poll worker Michelle Gibson helps Dale Flickinger as he signs in to vote during the May primary.

WOOSTER − The League of Women Voters of Wayne County will host a candidates night forum at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Shisler Conference Center on the OSU agriculture campus.

While the event focuses on local elections, not all of the general election candidates will be there, said Kathy Helmuth, co-chair of candidates forum.

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"We send all candidates equal invitations, according to our nonpartisan policy; all candidates received equal invitations in mid-July, with plenty of notice for the event," Helmuth said. "We are disappointed that some candidates are declining to attend and to answer questions from everyday voters."

Attending will be Democratic candidates Mark Gooch (77th House District), Carla DeMali (Wayne County commissioner) and Matthew Diemer (7th U.S. Congressional District), and Republicans Jonathan Hofstetter (Wayne County commissioner) and Scot Stevenson (9th District Court of Appeals).

State Rep. Scott Wiggam, R-Wooster, and Republican state Senate candidate Al Landis both declined invitations to attend the forum, Helmuth said.

Republican opposition candidate to Diemer, Max Miller, had not respond to the invitation as of Sept. 28.

Forum-style conversations

Unlike previous years when questions and answers were moderated in a debate format, Helmuth said, the 2022 Candidates Night emphasizes conversations.

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Attendees will be split into five groups with candidates rotating between each group, she said.

"A facilitator will encourage a conversational dialogue between voters and candidates, but it will mostly be questions from the audience," Helmuth said. "Also, it allows all candidates to participate, regardless of the presence or absence of their opponent."

Checking voter registration

Helmuth encourages everyone, regardless of attendance, to check their voter registration status by using Vote411.org, an online tool used by the League of Woman Voters that consolidates important voting information.

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"This is an easy-to-use website where you can check your voter registration status, and also see an online voter guide to the candidates," she said.

Parking and event location

The candidates night will be at the OSU College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Shisler Conference Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster.

For easy parking, Helmuth said, attendees should park on the south side of the Fisher Auditorium and Shisler Conference Center building.

Attendees can turn right as they enter the campus, parking in the south lot and enter the ballroom from the nearby patio area.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: League of Women Voters candidates night set for Oct. 6 in Wayne County