Discomfort or disinterest? Why are candidates no-shows at public forums?

On October 7th, the League of Women Voters of Idaho, Babe Vote, Meridian Women in Action, and the American Association of University Women sponsored a candidate forum for the upcoming West Ada School District board of trustees election. As community members filed in and challengers Meghan Brown and Dara Ezzel-Pebworth took their seats, it was hard to ignore the empty chairs left for the incumbents. Trustees Lori Frasure and Angie Redford, both seeking reelection, had declined the invitation to participate, just as they had refused to answer questions from the media about their candidacy in the days preceding the forum.

After this year’s controversial board decision that an “Everyone is Welcome Here” poster is too political for classrooms, public interest in this race has run high. Forum participants voiced dissatisfaction with the current school board’s level of willingness to hear from parents and students during the controversy. Audience members reported that even as hundreds in Idaho and beyond rallied in support of the poster’s inclusive message, trustees largely remained out of reach.

No wonder, then, that several community members at the October 7th forum sought, and received, a commitment from the challengers to be transparent in their decision making and to maintain regular contact with their constituents. Forum participants lauded the challengers for their willingness to “show up,” listen, and promise to take action on what they hear.

Showing up for your community matters. Answering questions from voters matters. Working for votes matters. This is especially true in nonpartisan races on the ballot this November 4th. The prohibition against linking a candidacy with a political party in these elections is a gift to voters.

They must dig deeper into the background and goals of each candidate instead of using the party as short hand for choosing between candidates. Candidates who inject partisanship into these nonpartisan races signal their need to rely on a party label to garner votes. Candidates for nonpartisan positions who participate in nonpartisan forums are signaling the opposite.

The missions of the League of Women Voters of Idaho and Babe Vote are political AND nonpartisan. While we advocate for policies intended to improve individual lives, strengthen communities, and encourage public engagement in government, our primary focus is on educating and registering voters from every political persuasion. Our aims with events like this forum are to improve upon the historically small voter turnout in “off year” general and primary elections and to equip voters with the unbiased information they need. Candidates willing to meet with constituents are partners with organizations like ours to educate and encourage voters.

Students, 18 years of age or older, are especially encouraged to register to vote and to make a plan to vote in this election. Student interests are equally, if not more, important than the interests of others in school district races. Once the race is over, all voters are obligated to keep trustees accountable. Send emails, make phone calls, read legitimate information sources, attend board meetings, and raise your voices about district policies.

Voter information is available at babevote.org or at VOTE411.org. Every candidate has been invited to share more about their candidacies in VOTE411.org, the League’s statewide, nonpartisan, online voter guide. Participation in the voter guide is another signal that a candidate celebrates the opportunity to engage with the voting public. At many levels of government, retail politics, including showing up for forums, is becoming a lost art. Babe Vote and League members in Idaho are working hard to maintain it. We thank the candidates who are willing to do the same.

Written by Oliva Luna and Jean M. Henscheid