Opinion: There are many chances to hear from candidates before the election. Don’t miss out
The League of Women Voters of Centre County (LWVCC) biannual Candidates’ Night Forums will be held on Oct. 24 and 26. Two nights were planned this year due to the large number of candidates on the municipal ballots who were invited.
Forty-four candidates in opposed races have been invited to take part in Candidates’ Night based on LWVCC population standards. Sixty-seven candidates in opposed and unopposed races were invited to participate in the Voters Guide based on LWVCC population standards. Most, but not all, candidates have responded that they will participate.
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) issued a regulation some time ago called “the empty chair rule” for federal races that does not permit an opposed candidate to participate in a forum without an opponent. The LWV of the U.S.A. and the LWV of PA have strongly encouraged local chapters to follow this rule for all races because of the LWV’s exacting standards for inclusive candidate forums and the LWV’s highly regarded nonpartisan reputation.
The LWVCC does its best to follow the guidelines as directed by our national and state leagues. Therefore, if a candidate’s opponent declines to participate in this free public forum, that contest in the forum will be canceled and voters will be deprived of hearing those candidates’ in-person answers to their questions. Disappointed candidates and audience members may believe the results of this policy are unfair. Please strongly encourage all candidates to participate because, if elected, they will represent constituents from all parties, not just theirs. And that is the solution to the question of fairness: candidates of all parties should participate.
Oct. 26 is scheduled only for the Bellefonte and State College school board directors. Oct. 24 is scheduled for all other offices that have races on the ballots that are opposed and meet the LWVCC population standard. Both sessions begin at 7 p.m. Questions may be submitted until Oct. 17 on our website www.lwvcentrecounty.org by email to lwvcentrecounty@gmail.com or by mail to LWVCC PO box 962, State College, PA 16804. Please identify the political contest to which your question should be directed.
The LWVCC Voters Guide will be published by the CDT in print and online on Oct. 15 and will be on our website www.lwvcentrecounty.org that week. The Centre County Gazette will also publish the Voters Guide in installments during October. C-NET will broadcast live coverage of both nights, and online at www.cnet1.org, and will rebroadcast several times until the election on Nov. 7. The LWVCC is very grateful to these local news organizations and appreciative of their support in making this nonpartisan voting information available to the voters of Centre County.
Candidates’ self-provided answers to questions can also be found at www.Vote411.org. C-NET individual candidate interviews will be available around Oct. 21 on both their website and the LWVCC website. General information about voting can be found at www.Vote.PA.gov.
The LWVCC website and the Centre County Elections Office website, www.centrecountyvotes.gov, are both very easy to navigate by clicking on labeled boxes that connect directly to the PA Dept of State. There you can check your voter registration status and make any necessary changes before the Oct. 23 deadline. The deadline to apply for a mail in ballot is Oct. 31 by 5 p.m.
Polls are open for in-person voting from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 7. The LWVCC encourages all registered voters to make a plan to cast your vote whether in-person or by mail.
Sue Sargo is the presiding officer of the League of Women Voters of Centre County.
