League forums require preparation and volunteers

Colorful mailings for political candidates and causes inundate voters' mail boxes this fall. Programmed phone calls intrude at prime home time. Empty lots, like the small one at Scenic Drive and Oakdale Road, sport more than 20 large candidate signs.

Face-to-face contact with most candidates, a better alternative, has not been that easy. District size generally prevents that. But even individual encounters don't provide the voter with the same impressions as watching a group of candidates present their views at the same time.

I did have opportunity to closely observe candidates for my City Council district and for the Modesto City Schools board at forums sponsored by the League of Women Voters. The non-partisan League offered seven forums this election season, in Modesto, Turlock and Riverbank.

The League sets two roles for itself. One is to offer "unbiased nonpartisan information about elections and the voting process." The second is, after study, to "advocate for or against particular policies in the public interest." This year, the League's study focused on the five advisory growth issues on Modesto ballots.

I worked at three of the League forums this year and can attest to the care taken to ensure that candidates have equal opportunity to participate in the give and take and that audiences are assured an hour worth their close attention.

Forums this year were offered for school board candidates in Turlock and Modesto, for three sets of Modesto City Council candidates and, at the League's suggestion, for the Riverbank mayoral race.

"At times we do offer to present a forum," Stanislaus League Voter Service Director Ellen Dunbar says. "Riverbank accepted."

The forums run smoothly as candidates are given rotating turns to respond to audience questioning. Candidates usually come with prepared answers at their fingertips, ready to respond to any issues that someone in the audience will raise. Time limits, usually two minutes, keep the questions and answers moving rapidly.

The League's greatest worry, Dunbar says, is that an audience may be sparse. That was generally not the case this year. With the advent of district city council elections, forums were held for the first time at King-Kennedy Memorial Center and Coleman Brown School. The League works to increasingly stage forums in "neutral locations where people feel safe coming," member Marsha Waggoner explains.

Most forums were seen on local television in real time. Local public stations were to run films of the forums several times these last weeks for those who could not get to one in person.

For groups considering offering their own forums, Stanislaus County League President Ellen Terry shares some key League procedures:

• Arrange for a location that can accommodate the community, that has access to microphones and where the forum can be filmed live or run later on local stations.

• Send letters via certified mail to invite candidates and include a deadline for response. Follow up with a phone call.

• Announce the event through local papers, Web sites and radio.

• Arrange for volunteers to greet candidates and audience members; moderate; to collect and sort audience questions; and to time.

• Have tables outside the forum where candidates may place campaign materials.

• Have directional signs near the door, candidate name plates, bottled water for the candidates, index cards and pencils to pass out for audience questions, a stopwatch and signs for timers.

• Prepare a few questions in advance, in case the audience is slow to start.

Brooks is a member of the League of Women Voters of Stanislaus County as well as a regular community columnist. Write her at columns@modbee.com.