ENGAGE CANDIDATES AND BUILD CLOUT

HOW TO HOST A CANDIDATE FORUM

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ABOUT US A national hub of voter engagement

resources and trainings to help nonprofits integrate nonpartisan voter participation into ongoing activities and services.

About

Find more about our mission and partners on our website: www.nonprofitvote.org

TODAY’S PRESENTERS

Cheryl Crawford Co-Director MassVOTE Julian Johannesen Director of Research and Training Nonprofit VOTE

Who

WHY HOST A CANDIDATE FORUM

• Get your issues in front of the candidates/future office holders • Provide an opportunity for voters to learn about and meet the candidates • Build relationships with the candidates • Be a player, become known as an organization connected to politics

Why

THE BIG THREE

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Working with partners

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Organizing the forum

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Staying Nonpartisan The Big Three

WORKING WITH PARTNERS

 

CHALLENGES BENEFITS Collabor ating

CHALLENGES

• Coordinating meetings • Maintaining communication • Sharing the work – one group takes the lead

Collabor ating

BENEFITS

Having co-sponsors – • Increases the likelihood that candidates will participate • Can mean a larger audience turnout • Strengthens relationships for future work

Collabor ating

ORGANIZING

    

GETTING STARTED RECRUITING CANDIDATES CHOOSING A FORMAT TURNING OUT YOUR AUDIENCE PUBLICITY Organizing

GETTING STARTED

• Starting early – months out about 4 • Having a plan – place date, • Targeting your audience

Organizing

RECRUITING CANDIDATES

Candidates want • A large audience • A guarantee of neutrality • Well known and respected sponsors and partners • Time at the forum to meet with the audience informally

Organizing

CHOOSING A FORMAT

• Equal Time Q&A • Candidate Debate • Town Meeting Q&A

Organizing

TURNING OUT YOUR AUDIENCE

• Planning early and starting early • Targeting your audience • Making it personal

Don’t let this happen to you!

Organizing

PUBLICITY

• Using all your communications vehicles • Recruiting a media partner • Getting a well known moderator

Organizing

STAYING NONPARTISAN

Guidelines for Candidate Forums

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THE BASICS

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INVITING CANDIDATES

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CANCELLATIONS

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DURING THE FORUM

THE BASICS

• Cover a range of issues or topics within your own issue area • Provide equal time for the candidates during the forum • No “litmus test” questions

Stay Nonpartisan

INVITING CANDIDATES

• Ask all viable candidates to attend • Follow up • Must have at least 2 candidates to have a “forum”

Stay Nonpartisan

CANCELLATIONS

• For last minute cancellations, either cancel or change from a forum to a candidate appearance – No politicking or fundraising – Announce that appearance is not an endorsement

Stay Nonpartisan

DURING THE FORUM

• Maintain a nonpartisan atmosphere in the hall • No leading or biased questions • Allow candidates to meet voters after the forum and allow literature outside the hall

Stay Nonpartisan

CHECKLIST ON A TIMELINE

     4 M ONTHS TO G O – M AKING A P LAN 3 M ONTHS TO G O 2 M ONTHS TO G O 1 M ONTH TO G O O N THE B IG D AY

4 MONTHS TO GO – MAKING A PLAN

• Identify co-sponsors!

• Set a date, time and place for the forum • Develop your budget and stick to it!

Timeline

3 MONTHS TO GO

• Invite all candidates – Bookend invitations with phone calls – Emphasize your nonpartisan mission – Maintain good contact throughout the process • Initiate contact with the media – Make a list of media outlets – Send out an advisory – Designate a media liaison

Timeline

2 MONTHS TO GO

• Recruit volunteers!

• Select a moderator • Follow up with your candidates • Strategize on turning out your audience

Timeline

1 MONTH TO GO

• Final confirmation of candidates • Reconfirm site arrangements • Assign staff duties • Reconfirm volunteers • Distribute promotional materials • Contact media to promote coverage • Reconfirm moderator

Timeline

ON THE BIG DAY

• Set up at forum facility • Have staff greet the candidates • Welcome and Thanks-yous • Review the ground rules • Informal Q&A after the forum

Timeline

AND FOR MORE….

More ways to engage candidates

• Candidate Appearances at Your Event • Elected Official… or a Candidate?

• Share Your Research

Timeline

RESOURCES www.nonprofitvote.org/engage-candidates.html

• For more information on: – A Nonprofit’s Guide to Hosting a Candidate Forum (Eng. And Sp.) – Checklist on a Timeline Factsheet – This presentation and our online narrated candidate forum training

Resources

CONTACT INFORMATION

• Julian Johannesen – [email protected]

– 617-357-8683 • Cheryl Crawford – [email protected]

– 617-542-8683 ext. 211

Contact