The League of Women Voters of Kent kicked off Democracy Day two days early this year by hosting a candidate meet-and-greet on Saturday at the United Methodist Church of Kent.
Potential voters had the opportunity to meet candidates running for Kent City Council, Kent City Schools Board of Education and the Portage County Municipal Court Judge. Potential voters were encouraged to ask questions about specific concerns they had with each candidate.
Iris Meltzer, a member of the League of Women Voters, was a facilitator during the event.
“I think it’s important because it gives potential voters an opportunity to interact with the candidates, to hear candidly from the candidates and to have a much better sense of who those candidates are than if they get a flyer or television commercial,” Meltzer said.
According to Meltzer, the League of Women Voters has hosted a candidate meet-and-greet for 12 years.
Prior to the conception of the event, the league hosted forums where candidates created short presentations about their campaign and would answer potential voters’ questions through note cards that were hand-picked by facilitators.
The league recognized the faults of limiting face-to-face contact between potential voters and candidates.
“We realized that folks were not getting their personal questions necessarily answered,” Meltzer said. “So we came up with a speed-dating with candidates kind of model.”
As a result, the league switched from the forum model to a new, more personable way to meet local candidates. According to Meltzer, the Kent chapter was the first to do so and many other LWV chapters followed suit.
The set-up resembled a speed-dating setting. Groups of voters settled at a table while candidates went up to each group and listened to concerns and issues. After 10 minutes, each candidate would switch to a different table and the process would repeat.
According to Vice President of the Kent chapter Jackie Peck, over 80 people participated in the event. The League assumes that the participants will spread the information to neighbors and friends.
“I’m confident they have a network of people they talk with and they will share their perceptions,” Peck said.
Peck also mentioned that voters were introduced to a reputable source for voting information, VOTE411.org.
The website aids people in creating a voting plan by showing them their polling location, upcoming elections in their area and whether or not they are registered to vote.
Lexie Blatnik is a beat reporter. Contact her at [email protected]