This season’s presidential debates have set new lows in terms of civility and have often been thin on substance, but they have one key advantage over local efforts to stage similar forums: both candidates show up.
We represent non-partisan organizations on Long Island that have distinguished records of hosting and moderating engaging, professional, issue-focused, non-partisan candidate forums.
In recent years, we have both seen a troubling increase in local candidates skipping out on these events.
The result?
Particularly in local elections, where news coverage is limited, voters lose the opportunity to learn crucial information about the priorities and values of the men and women who seek to represent them.
For example: in 2011 and 2012, the Long Island Civic Engagement Table — with partners Long Island Wins and Noticia — planned forums at the federal, state, and county level. At each forum, both the Democratic and Republican candidates accepted our invitations.
But in the past two years, bipartisan attendance dropped to only one of four scheduled events. The League of Women Voters has seen a similar increase in the truancy rate, with three candidates skipping forums for special elections just this year.
In every instance, it was the Republican candidate who skipped the chance to engage directly with voters on the issues in an unscripted format.
What is going on here?
To be clear, we don’t believe either party — Republican or Democrat — has an inherent aversion to speaking with voters.
There are several key explanations, but all of them boil down to one word: politics.
Reduced competitiveness. In Nassau County, where no GOP candidate has attended one of our county- or state-level forums since 2013, the Republicans are the dominant party.
They led a redistricting process in 2011-2013 that drew safe, majority Republican districts. In many cases, skipping a forum is purely rational: due to the shape of district lines, election is practically guaranteed.
Why waste time speaking to voters?
Sound bite mentality.
In an age of viral memes and campaign “trackers” — employees of the opposing candidate who film a candidate’s every word, hoping to catch a damaging slip-up — candidates at every level are terrified of saying anything other than a well-rehearsed stump speech.
Further, the very selling point of non-partisan candidate forums like ours — direct engagement with voters — creates a greater risk: what if someone disagrees with me, and asks me to speak directly to the issues?
Growing partisanship.
Finally, the chickens of our polarized national discourse are coming home to roost.
At every level, both Democrats and Republicans are increasingly relying on their die-hard “base” voters to swing the election, and the base is never more important than when voter turnout is low.
New York State has some of the lowest rates of voter turnout in the nation, in part because of arcane voting laws that make it hard for people to register and cast their ballots.
With our morass of special districts and local elections, Long Island ranks toward the bottom in New York.
So, what can be done?
Change must start at the top.
Local party bosses may think they have a winning strategy in ignoring democratic forums and undecided voters, but their approach harms the basic principles of democracy.
It’s time to toughen up and show up. Candidates can show a backbone here, too: your party may not love the idea, but show voters you are a person of substance, not a cog in the machine.
New York needs election reforms. New York State must pursue election reforms that expand participation.
Key tools for increasing participation and ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard include modernizing the voting process through automatic registration, early voting, and online and same-day voter registration; real campaign finance reform that closes loopholes and lowers contributions; and publicly-funded elections that elevate the voice of everyday New Yorkers.
Voters need to take education into their own hands. If the candidates won’t speak to you directly, at least we have the web.
The League of Women Voters maintains a vote411.org, a comprehensive database of information candidates in every local race, including — when available — their responses to a broad set of policy questions.
In 2016, the League has partnered with Google so that our data will show up at the top of your search results for relevant elections.
Do yourself a favor and read up on the issues.
As the last two presidential debates have shown us, candidate forums are a tremendously effective venue to assess the candidates who seek to represent us in office.
Each forum has had a significant effect on polling.
This may scare partisans and party bosses, but it only underscores the democratic necessity of such forums: they provide an important window into candidates’ thinking, positions, and temperament.
It’s time for Long Island’s politicians to follow the lead of Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton in at least one regard: show up to the forum.
Tell voters what you believe.
Nancy Rosenthal
Co-president of the League of Women Voters – Nassau County Chapter.
Gabriela Castillo
Readers Write: Candidates duck forums, voters lose
