Working With the League of Women Voters as a Candidate for Office
About the League
We encourage informed and active participation in government. We work to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influence public policy through education and advocacy.
Non-Partisan
We do not support or oppose any political party or any candidate. We do take positions on issues that impact our community and country. Sometimes our positions may align with a party or candidate and sometimes they may not.
Running for Office and the League
As a candidate for office, we believe it is important for voters to understand who you are and the policies that you plan to pursue if elected to office. This means that we want to ask you questions that represent what voters are asking — questions that will help them decide “who should I vote for.”
We will always ask as fairly and impartially as we can. We will always attempt to give every candidate in a race an equal opportunity to engage with voters.
Voting Guide
VOTE411 is a widely used and trusted website developed by the League to provide voting information across the country. It truly is a one-stop solution to find information about registering to vote, absentee voting, upcoming elections, and information about candidates on the ballot. About 1/3 of the voters in Tippecanoe County use VOTE411 to learn about the candidates and make choices before heading to the polls.
How it Works for Candidates
Each election cycle we will work with community stakeholders to prepare questions for each office. We will reach out to you via email and ask you to participate in VOTE411.
If you express interest, we will send you a secure link to submit your responses. Your answers are posted unedited and translated into Spanish alongside the English.
Candidate Debates
We organize candidate debates for national, state and local offices. These structured events (often broadcast) give voters an unbiased look at the candidates. It’s your opportunity to address voters and draw a contrast with your opponent(s).
How Do We Decide on Debates?
Debate decisions depend on voter interest and candidate requests. We also work with media partners and community stakeholders to assess which races are of most interest.
No Empty Chairs
It’s League policy that we cannot hold “empty chair” debates (a debate where only one candidate shows up). This would appear like an endorsement. We do hold debates for multi-candidate races as long as at least two candidates appear.