Part IV: Candidate Forums

Candidate Forum Volunteer Roles

Community events including League of Women Voters programs could not happen without a team of dedicated volunteers. Volunteers can be LWV members, co-sponsors, prospective members, students or other interested nonpartisan individuals. They serve before, during and after the event. 

When recruiting volunteers for an event, always ask what their interests are and what comfort level they have with the proposed role. Share job descriptions with them well in advance. The Event Coordinator should meet with the volunteers before the audience and speakers arrive to ensure everyone knows their role and are ready when the doors open.


Event Planner/Voter Service Chair

The Event Planner/Voter Service Chair is an LWV member with exceptional organizational skills. They are responsible for overall planning and execution of candidate or issue forums, including:

  • preplanning and goal-setting

  • applying for available grants

  • identifying co-sponsors and confirming roles/expectations

  • determining whether the forum will be in person, virtual or hybrid

  • scheduling and securing locations

  • determining audio/video/broadcast requirements

  • speaker invitation lists & RSVPs

  • publicity (working with a Communications volunteer)

  • preparing needed materials and obtaining supplies

  • staffing event with volunteers

  • working with Moderator on script

  • budget and finance (with Treasurer)

  • follow-up with speakers

  • completes post-event evaluation

The Event Planner/Voter Service Chair duties can be shared by inviting other members to assist with publicity, refreshments, invitations, setup, etc. The online Event Planner Toolkit, available in the Member Resources folder on LWVMN’s Google Drive, contains numerous checklists, templates, graphics, scripts, and planning guides to ensure your event is successful.


Hosts

All LWV members can wear LWV buttons and serve as hosts. Specific tasks may be:

  • Registration Host – greeting guests, asking them to sign in, giving list to Event Planner when program starts

  • Speaker Host – greets speakers, reviews rules, introduces Moderator to speakers, provides name tag, facilitates sound check, etc.

  • Membership Host – Staffs membership table, provides information, asks guests to join

  • Ushers – are familiar with audience rules (as communicated to speakers and printed on the program), greet guests, provide programs, notecards for questions, collect written questions, monitors guests to ensure rules are followed; if not, discretely asks guest to step out of room to explain agreed-upon rules; takes a count of audience; takes photographs

  • Submit questions to Question Facilitating Committee in advance

  • Assist with cleanup after event


Timers

The timers play perhaps the most important role in any forum, for they manage the clock to ensure that all speakers receive equal time. Usually there are two volunteers serving as timers. They can be LWV members or volunteers and often this is an ideal role for volunteers from co-sponsoring organizations. The duties are:

  • Familiarize oneself with operation of timing device

  • Consult with Moderator about time limits for opening and closing statements, and responses

  • Be introduced by Moderator at the beginning

  • Set timers at the beginning of each speaker’s remarks

  • Holds up “15 second,” “30 second” and “Stop” cards

  • Stand if speaker and/or Moderator do not see that they are to stop (a count-down timer that beeps is a good auditory cue that time is up)

  • The second timer serves as a backup 


Question Facilitators

(previously known as screeners)

LWVMN recommends that local Leagues solicit written questions that are reviewed in real time by trained question facilitators and forwarded to the Moderator. The question facilitators have experience in formulating audience questions so that they are nonpartisan, unbiased and not personal in nature. Ideally, question facilitators have attended LWV training workshops. They should also be knowledgeable about issues of interest to the community that are pertinent to the forum. Specific duties include:

  • arrive early to review forum rules and questions submitted or prepared in advance

  • meet with Moderator to review rules, procedures

  • scan questions submitted, rework, edit, or group like questions together

  • set aside questions that are illegible, inappropriate, hostile, not relevant to subject/speakers/race, or unclear

  • create new questions

  • deliver questions on notecards to Moderator throughout event

  • all questions submitted are property of LWV and should be given to Event Planner at end of evening


Moderator

For a candidate forum, the Moderator should come from outside the district/city when possible. If it is an issue forum, this is not necessary. If an LWV member is a candidate, it’s essential that the Moderator be from another local League. In most cases, the Moderator should be an LWV member; however, there are a few unique circumstances where a non-member could moderate in partnership with an LWV member. All LWV Moderators must be current in their dues and have attended LWVMN Moderator training.

Characteristics of an effective Moderator:

  • Comfortable with public speaking

  • Personable, has a sense of humor and is gracious

  • Demonstrates absolute fairness, neutrality and dignity

  • Knowledgeable on the issues being discussed

  • Able to think on their feet and diffuse tensions

  • Puts aside personal views and maintains a nonpartisan position

Role of Moderator:

  • Works with Event Planner to prepare script

  • Confers with question facilitators on number of questions, hot topics

  • Greets speakers before event begins, verify pronunciations of unfamiliar names

  • Starts event on time

  • Reviews speaker table setup and podium to ensure readiness, sound check with mic

  • Uses a script to:

    • Introduce yourself — who you are, why you are an LWV member

    • Welcome speakers, audience, media, co-sponsors, special guests

    • Introduce LWV, including nonpartisan position, and invite everyone to join

    • Briefly explain format, rules for speakers, rules for audience, refer to program

  • Tracks speaker rotation (if a candidate forum)

  • Manages transitions between speakers

  • Makes final selection of written questions (as received from committee)

  • Asks questions, watches timekeepers to ensure time limits are met

  • Watches clock and ends event on time

  • Makes closing statement thanking audience and speakers, invites audience to join

  • Returns all questions to Event Planner

  • Personally thanks each speaker after event ends

 

Page last updated: March 3, 2024