Organizing a Candidates Forum

First Meeting

1. Bring interested parties together to discuss organizing around disability issues.
   1. Discuss group structure and decision making policy.
   2. Determine shared issues.
   3. Determine issues/activities the group will involve itself in.
      1. Letter writing
      2. Demonstrations
      3. Town Hall Meetings, etc.
2. Who might be opposed to the group’s activities?
3. Develop an agenda everyone will support.
4. Develop internal communication system.
   1. Phone/Fax Tree
   2. Email
5. Assign duties.

Second Meeting

1. Determine candidates to invite (If elections are being held for multiple offices such as mayor, council, and sheriff, will you invite candidates in all races to attend?).
2. Select a date. (The sooner the better. Later in the campaign the candidates will be inundated with request for appearances.)
3. Determine location.
   1. Accessible by public transportation.
   2. Physically accessible
   3. Specific disability related accommodation - assistive listening devices, etc.
4. Select moderator for Town Hall meeting
5. Develop format for Town Hall/Candidates Forum

Third Meeting

1. Extend invitations to the candidates.
2. Speak to candidate’s appointment secretary to get your event on the candidate’s calendar.
3. Provide candidates with information on issues he should be prepared to address. (Most won’t have seen or heard any of this before. The ones who are receptive to being educated are the ones to invest a vote on.)
4. Provide candidates with the number of voters represented by your group; people with disabilities, parents, spouses, children, uncles, aunts, social workers, and doctors, etc.
5. Establish a time before or after the forum the candidate will be available for reporters to interview.

Fourth Meeting

1. Contact Media - Provide media with the same list of issues and educational material given to the candidates.
2. Go over the schedule with the media contacts.
3. Line up interviews with advocates.
4. Fax individual candidates’ schedule to media.
5. Assign duties for the day before the Town Hall Meeting and the day of the Town Hall Meeting.

The Day Before

1. Contact all the Candidates for any last minute details or changes.
2. Contact the media. Go over the schedule and interviews. Fax media packages.
   1. Disability appropriate terminology
   2. Disability demographics and prevalence
   3. Questions and background material given to candidates.
3. Walk through
   1. Site and sound check.
   2. Review planning committees’ duties.

THE DAY

1. Arrive at the site early.
2. Position greeters.
3. Begin on time.
4. Introduce sponsoring organizations.
5. Introduce candidates.
6. Opening statements.
7. Questions from the audience.
8. Closing statements.
9. Candidates available to the media.
10. Voter registration.

Evaluation

1. What was the overall effectiveness of the event?
2. Was the candidate’ response what we had hoped for?
3. What was the media’s response to the event?
4. Would you use the facility again?
5. What will you keep and what will you change for your next Town Hall Meeting?
6. Begin planning for the next election!!!!!!

Keep in mind:

• Clearly define what action you want your candidate to take.
• Legislators have the responsibility to not only pass new laws, but to oversee the effectiveness of existing programs.
• What’s government spending relative to your issue? Follow the money!
• What’s the overall economic climate?
• You and your issue should be visible to your legislator:
  • Provide updates on the work of your group.
  • Put him/her on your newsletter mailing list.
  • Work his/her campaigns.
  • Give him/her an award.
  • Determine what motivates your opposition. How can you counter that resistance?
• Is your region conservative or liberal?
• Finally, politics makes strange bedfellows! Who can you form a coalition with?