Press release from League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County:
Asheville, North Carolina, October 13, 2016– The League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County has canceled its remaining forums for the election year. The forums were previously set for October 3rd and October 13th. The decision to cancel was carefully considered and regretfully made. The League and its partner organizations, Children First/Communities in Schools and Democracy NC, decided to cancel because of lack of candidate participation, the state and national League requirements to guard against partisanship as a non-profit, non-partisan organization by holding one-sided debates, and poor community turnout.
“While we are disappointed by this decision, we are not surprised. We have had several years of low turnout from candidates and it’s especially hard during presidential election years,” notes Alana Pierce, president of the Asheville-Buncombe League of Women Voters.
“The League of Asheville-Buncombe County holds three key values: Transparency, Integrity, and Non-Partisanship. Asheville and Buncombe County is a community that is very much separated by class, race and tenure. But, in the end, we all live here,” Pierce continues. “As we build and define our community, we need to have conversations on what is important to us, how policies and changes in the economic environment affect us and how our beliefs shape our actions. We also need to challenge politicians on issues beyond the stump speech to get direct responses for direct concerns.”
The League and others have struggled with dwindling attendance of both voters and candidates in the last several years and yet there continues to be a need for open political discourse in our community. Despite these setbacks, forums remain an essential part of our voter education and civic participation due to two main reasons:
- Forums are one of the few ways to meet all the local candidates running for a seat face-to-face in one place.
- Forums provide an important venue for having conversations about governance and important local issues.
The League wants to hear the community’s ideas on how to continue to have these conversations between candidates and voters. Post a message on Facebook or send us an email with your thoughts.
The League encourages everyone to be an educated voter. You can visit the League’s website for information on current voting laws, early voting and voting locations and times. The state and county Board of Elections has similar information as well as sample ballots, voter registration look up and absentee ballot request forms.
The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
‘due to a total lack of interest from the clueless masses we have cancelled our remaining candidate forums’ …
Sarcasm alert- we Americans only need to worry about ‘womn’s’ voting for that womn candidate anyway.
Are there any female nutcases left in the election?
Palin- couldn’t hack finishing a single job
Bachmann- too much campaign trail, not enough religious theocracy
Fiorina- anybody heard from her since she incited homegrown ‘no more baby parts!’ terrorism
with a false video about a right women have had since 1973?
Ahhhh, Coulter and Kellyanne Conway, because anti fact botox blondes matter.
Republican candidates have been boycotting League forums sporadically for the past few years, because they tend to hold completely fair events, which is bad for people who don’t want to have to answer inconvenient questions. It wouldn’t surprise me if the “lack” of participation is completely on one side of the aisle, but the League is too polite to call them out for what they are: cowards.
The AC-T reports what we already knew:
“Pierce said the nonpartisan League received affirmative responses from Brownie Newman, Drew Reisinger, Norman Bosser, David King, Ed Hay, Terry Van Duyn, John Ager and Nancy Nehls Nelson, who are Democrats, and William Meredith, who is a Libertarian.
“She said the candidates who declined the invitation or did not respond are Frank Moretz, Chuck Archerd, Mike Fryar, Pat Cothran, Chuck Edwards, Joe Belcher and Robert Pressley. Those candidates are Republicans.”
http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2016/10/18/gop-refusals-stop-asheville-debates/92350398/