What is a Candidates Forum?
What Are The Rules?
Which Candidates Should Be Invited?
What Type of Forum Should We Have?
How Do We Prepare?
How Do We Promote This Event?
What About the Event Itself?
Conclusion
Further Information

Hosting a nonpartisan candidates forum is an effective way to spark voter interest in an election and provide voters with an opportunity to become better informed about their choices. Even though IRS regulations prevent tax exempt organizations from supporting or opposing candidates, they allow them to host nonpartisan and neutral candidates forums.

What is a Candidates Forum?

• candidate speeches
• panel discussion
• audience question & answer session

The format must allow each invited candidate an equal and fair opportunity to express his or her position on issues. Your planning should be motivated by the desire to give individual voters a chance to make an informed choice between candidates.

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What Are The Rules?

Non-partisan candidates forums are permitted. According to the IRS, such forums are an acceptable form of voter education.

What is "non-partisan," or neutral, is not always clear. In planning such an event, err on the side of caution and fairness.

The IRS can penalize tax-exempt organizations that host a forum that favors or opposes any candidate. IRS penalties could include an excise tax or worst of all, loss of tax-exempt status.

A candidate unfairly excluded from a forum may appeal for the IRS to revoke your tax-exempt status. A candidate who perceives that he or she was unfairly excluded may protest, boycott or go so far as to try to prevent a forum from taking place. If nothing else, this results in bad publicity for your organization.

You cannot protect your organization from every complaint about such events. But with proper planning and the right motives, you can go a long way toward discouraging challenges. You can also take steps to protect and justify your organization's actions. The IRS considers the factors and circumstances of each case. Keep thorough records, including copies of all correspondence with candidates, promotional flyers, and newsletter articles.

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Which Candidates Should Be Invited?

Fair and reasonable guidelines are a set of neutral conditions that a candidate must meet in order to be invited. They cannot discriminate on the basis of party affiliation or a candidate's beliefs.

Here are some factors you should consider:

• Is the candidate on the ballot?
• Is the candidate legally eligible to run for office?
• Is the candidate "bona fide?" Does he or she distribute campaign literature, make speeches, issue press releases, maintain a headquarters and campaign committee?
• Has the candidate formally announced his or her intention to run for office?
• Will you use polls, number of appearances, and overall level of media exposure as indicators of whether or not a candidate is "significant?"
• Include a statement that your organization will exercise "good faith judgement" and may consider other factors not explicit in the guidelines.

• Your board should vote on them.
• Apply your guidelines to all candidates equally.
• Give a copy of guidelines to the candidates.
• Provide a copy to any candidate who asks about being invited, whether or not you think he or she can meet the guidelines.
• Require the candidate to prove his or her eligibility according to your guidelines.
• Stick to your guidelines. Do not make unwarranted exceptions.
  
  
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What Type of Forum Should We Have?

Candidate Speeches

The simplest and easiest to organize. Give each candidate an equal amount of time to speak. You may ask them in advance to address issues of importance to your group.

Panel Q & A

Candidates respond to questions from a panel selected before the event. Panelists should represent a variety of viewpoints and should not be allied with any candidate.

Audience Q & A

Candidates respond to questions directly from the public. This can be very effective, but sometimes difficult to manage if people become emotional. If you wish to try this model, be sure you have an excellent moderator.

Of course many programs combine 2 or 3 of these models. Choose what feels best for your group.

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How Do We Prepare?

• Choose a moderator who can treat all candidates fairly and is not publicly allied with any candidate. He or she should not make any comments or imply anything against or in favor of any candidate.
• Select a location that is well-known in the community, will hold a crowd and will be accessible to anyone with physical disabilities.
• Acoustics are important. There is no point in holding a candidates forum if someone can't hear the speakers. Test microphones several times in the weeks and days prior to the event.
• Do not offer to pay for a candidate's expenses to attend the forum or for the cost of producing or distributing campaign flyers.
  
  
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How Do We Promote This Event?

• Use all your usual methods: newsletters, flyers, mailings, reports at meetings.
• Try some different approaches: posters, listings in church bulletins, a large sign outside the event location.
• Notify newspapers for their listings of upcoming events. Contact the paper for information on how to list your event.
• Do not target voters who are likely to either support or oppose a certain candidate. Avoid unequal advertising, and encourage the public at large to attend.
• When promoting the event, emphasize that the forum will be neutral. Avoid all language, including labels, that favors or opposes any candidate. All written materials should be neutral in content and tone.
  
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What About The Event Itself?

• Board members and event organizers should not wear campaign buttons or otherwise endorse a candidate at the organization's event.
• Questions should be prepared and asked by a nonpartisan panel or the public.
• Topics should cover a wide range of issues of general interest to the public, not just those that concern your organization's activities.
• Any debate must have at least two opposing candidates. If one of only two candidates cancels, you should cancel the forum.
• Do not declare a "winner."
• Do not urge members of your organization to support or oppose any candidate.
• Even though an organization can express an opinion about an elected official's position on an issue, avoid doing so during a campaign. Do not ask a candidate to publicly endorse any issue.
• Regular members and board members can support or oppose candidates as private citizens but they must not associate their political activity with the nonprofit organization. For example, do not use organization stationery to write political letters. Do not sign your name as a member or representative of your non- profit organization.
• Review the format with the candidates before you begin. Introduce them to the moderator and review time limits and other ground rules you may have established.
• When you begin, have the moderator explain the format, time limits and ground rules to the audience. If everyone understands the process, you are less likely to have interruptions.
• The moderator is in charge and must use common sense in managing the forum, and your organization's leadership must be prepared to support the moderator, not contradict him or her.
  
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Conclusion

Further Information

Face To Face: A Guide to League Sponsored Debates. Sponsoring a candidate debate is providing an important public service. There are many questions that potential debate sponsors must ask themselves when planning a debate. The League of Women Voters publication Face to Face answers all the questions about debate sponsorship in detail.

The League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh can provide information on local candidates. Call them at (412) 261-4284

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