1. CANDIDATE ENGAGEMENT: Candidate Forums, Appearances and More
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2. Find out more about our mission and partners on our site
About us
Founded in 2005, Nonprofit VOTE partners with America's nonprofits to help the people they serve participate and vote.
We are a leading source of nonpartisan training, materials and other resources for nonprofits doing voter engagement work.
Find out more about our mission and partners on our site
About Us

3. Cheryl Clyburn Crawford
Today’s presenters
A natural advantage that nonprofits have is that they are neutral brokers. Truly nonpartisan.
Cheryl Clyburn Crawford
Executive Director
MassVOTE
Who

4. AGENDA CANDIDATE FORUMS CANDIDATE APPEARANCES
SHARING RESEARCH AND QUESTIONNAIRES
GP - A natural advantage that nonprofits have is that they are neutral brokers. Truly nonpartisan.
Agenda

5. Candidate forums Collaborating with partners Organizing the forum
Staying nonpartisan
Candidate
Forums

6. 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
GP - A natural advantage that nonprofits have is that they are neutral brokers. Truly nonpartisan.
Why

7. Collaborating with Partners
Organizing

8. Partners: Benefits Having co-sponsors…
Increases the likelihood that candidates will participate
Can mean a larger audience turnout
Strengthens relationships for future work
Partners

9. Partners: Challenges Coordinating meetings Maintaining communication
Sharing the work – one group takes the lead
Partners

10. Organizing a Candidate forum

11. Getting Started Starting early – about 4 months out
Having a plan – date, place
Targeting your audience
Organizing

12. 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

13. Choosing a Format Equal Time Q&A – The standard format Other Formats
Organizing

14. Turning out your audience
Planning early and starting early
Targeting your audience
Making it personal
Don’t let this happen to you!
Organizing

15. Publicity Using all your communications vehicles
Recruiting a media partner
Getting a well known moderator
Talk a little bit about why publicity is so important
Organizing

16. Guidelines for Candidate Forums
Staying nonpartisan
Guidelines for Candidate Forums
GP takes over
Stay
Nonpartisan

17. 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

18. Inviting Candidates Ask all viable candidates to attend Follow up
Must have at least 2 candidates to have a “forum”
Talk a little bit about why publicity is so important
Stay
Nonpartisan

19. 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

20. 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
Talk a little bit about why publicity is so important
Stay
Nonpartisan

21. Checklist on a timeline
For detailed timeline, download the Candidate Forum Checklist from our website.
Checklist

22. Candidate Appearances

23. 3 Ways candidates may appear
During an election season, candidates may appear at your nonprofit in one of three ways:
As a candidate
As a public figure
On their own at a public event
Appearances

24. Appearing as a candidate
If you invite candidates to the same event:
Invite all candidates in the same race (they don’t all have to come)
Campaigning and political fundraising are prohibited
Remind the audience this is a nonpartisan event
If you invite candidates to different events:
Provide all candidates with a similar opportunity to speak to your audience – similar time, venue and presentation format
Appearances

25. Appearing as a public figure
You may want to invite a candidate to an event in their capacity as a current or former office holder, an expert in their field, or as a celebrity. If so:
The public figures candidacy can play no part in your decision to invite them
Their candidacy may not be mentioned
Campaign activity of any type is prohibited
Candidates can also appear on their own. If so, point out to the audience that this is not an endorsement. The candidate may not address the audience or distribute campaign literature.
Appearances

26. Sharing research and questionnaires
& More

27. Sharing research You may share research with candidates, as long as
The same information is available to all candidates
You may respond to requests for information from candidates, as long as
You do not expend resources creating new research or information
You can also share your own research or data with candidates, as long as your provide all of the candidates in a race with the same information. This is a great way to educate candidates about your issues, your constituency, and your community. Candidates rely on you to educate them on your issues.
Research
& More

28. Candidate questionnaires
Ask questions on a range of topics
Not just yes or no. Let candidates explain view, but give a word limit
Send it to all candidates in the race
If a candidate doesn’t respond - may list “no response” or use official statements from the candidate’s website
In addition to forums and appearances, candidate questionnaires are great way to help your community become familiar with where the candidates stand on issues important to you. They can take some time to prepare and you will need to be careful to ensure that they remain nonpartisan. Take a look at Nonprofit VOTE’s “Nonprofits, Voting and Elections” guide for more information on preparing a candidate questionnaire.
One more way to engage the candidates is to provide them with information about your community and your work. Candidates need you to educate them about your issues. They don’t know everything and if you want them to care about the issues that you care about, then you need to explain to them why you care. One caveat, if you send information to one candidate, you have to send it to all of them. No fair giving one candidate an advantage.
Isela has a great example.
Research
& More 28

29. Resources
Visit the Resource Library on our website for more information and the following recommended resources:
A Nonprofit’s Guide to Hosting a Candidate Forum
“Checklist on a Timeline” Checklist
“Working with Candidates” Factsheet
“Candidate Appearances” Factsheet
Sophie will go to the website and show the audience how to find each of these resources
Resources

30. Cheryl Clyburn Crawford ccrawford@massvote.org 617-542-8683 ext. 211
VOTE (8683)
Nonprofit VOTE
89 South Street
Suite 203
Boston, MA 02111
Cheryl Clyburn Crawford
ext. 211
Lindsey Hodel
Contact 30