Two Candidate Forums hosted by LWVLL and 10/11 Now

We are very excited that the League of Women Voters Lincoln/Lancaster County is partnering with 10/11 NOW to present two Candidate Forums prior to the Spring City General Election. The events are on Tuesday, April 22 for City Council and Airport Authority candidates and Wednesday, April 23 for School Board candidates. The election is on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

The events will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Unitarian Church of Lincoln at 6300 A Street. The two events are designed to accommodate eight candidates each: Tuesday – six City Council and two Airport Authority; Wednesday – eight Lincoln Public School Board.

10/11 NOW will livestream each forum as well as make them available as On Demand content. 10/11 NOW streaming anchor Danielle Shenk will moderate both events. Questions will be prepared in advance, as well as accepted from the physical and online audiences. 10/11 NOW will use Vote411.org as its voters guide for this election.

Volunteers are needed to assist with each event:

Greeters/ushers to welcome guests and direct to seats.
Hosts to welcome and accompany each candidate to a guest room before the event.
Question retrievers to pick-up index cards containing audience questions.
Question reviewers to monitor online platforms and review written questions before providing them to the moderator.

Please sign-up for the evening(s) you are available to volunteer:

Civic Nebraska, Let’s Talk Alliance, NAACP Lincoln Branch, Nebraska Appleseed, and the YWCA have been invited to participate as supporters of these events. As of March 18, Civic Nebraska and the NAACP Lincoln Branch have accepted the invitation.

Read the Candidates Forum Ground Rules

Forum Invitation

All candidates who are invited to the forum shall be issued invitations in the same manner and at the same time.

The forum invitation shall include the exact time and place of the forum and all other relevant information. It also shall include a full explanation of the format and a copy of the ground rules.

Accepting a Forum Invitation

Each invited candidate should be given at least two weeks after receipt of the invitation to decide whether he or she will attend.

Declining a Forum Invitation

If a candidate does not accept the invitation to the forum, that candidate has an obligation to notify the League of Women Voters of Lincoln-Lancaster County (LWVLL) in a timely manner and to provide an explanation in writing.

The LWVLL shall include the candidate’s reasons for declining the invitation when distributing releases to the news media and public announcing forum participation. If a candidate declines a forum invitation but then changes their mind before the forum is held, the LWVLL shall determine whether the candidate can be included due to timing and logistics.

Communication

Any communication from LWVLL about the forum relevant to the public, news media, or the candidates shall be provided to all the candidates simultaneously.

Early and Equal Access

Each candidate, or appointed representatives of each candidate, shall have supervised access to the forum site and stage area 15 to 30 minutes before the forum begins.

Campaign Materials

Candidates participating in the forum are allowed to bring enough copies of one piece of campaign material for the anticipated audience. These materials will be available on a table away from the forum site but accessible to audience members to pick up on their own. Candidates are not allowed to bring into the room any other materials, such as buttons, banners, signs, posters, hats, or balloons.

Assistance from Others

The candidate shall not have access to any person during the forum other than the moderator, and, in the case of an emergency, a member of the production crew, safety volunteers, or LWVLL.

Audience Composition

To ensure that there is not an unfair imbalance of audience members, the LWVLL will allow up to two campaign workers or staff members in the room where the forum is held. In addition, candidates may bring spouses, children, siblings, and parents. Audience members may not use signs, banners, posters, or balloons.

Audience Reaction

The live audience will be instructed not to applaud or make noise during the forum or do anything visible or audible to express support or opposition to any candidate during the forum.

Candidate Introductions

The moderator will introduce the candidates. The introduction will include: (a) the candidate’s name, as provided by the candidate; (b) the candidate’s current public office title (if applicable), former public office title (if not currently a public official) and/or a fair, brief description of their current occupation; and (c) the candidate’s political party affiliation, if applicable. Candidates will be introduced in surname alphabetical order.

Candidate Titles

After the introductions, candidates will be referred to as “Mr.” “Ms.” “Mrs.” or “Mx.”

Order of Statements

When there are two candidates participating, the order of opening and closing statements shall be determined alphabetically. Candidates who open first will close second. Candidates who open second close first. When there are multiple candidates, the order of opening and closing will be determined alphabetically. The order of closing statements shall be the reverse of the opening statements.

Time Limits

Time limits on statements and answers will be monitored and enforced. Opening statements are 90-seconds; closing statements are 60-seconds; and question responses are 90-seconds.

Timekeeping

The timekeeper shall be someone other than the moderator. In statements or answers that are 90-seconds or less, two signals will be given to candidates: the first when there are 30-seconds remaining, and the second, a “stop” signal, when time has run out. In statements that are 60-seconds or less, two signals will be given to candidates: the first when there are 15-seconds remaining, and the second, a “stop” signal, when time has run out. If necessary, the timekeeper shall ring a bell two to three seconds after the final “stop” signal is given and the moderator shall immediately interrupt the candidate and discontinue the statement or answer.

Rule Enforcement

The moderator shall enforce all rules and time limits, The moderator may interrupt any participant to enforce the rules and format requirements. The moderator may also take as much time as is needed to explain that a rule has been violated and that the rule was agreed to in advance by all participants.

Disruptive Behavior

If a candidate demonstrates unreasonably disruptive behavior including candidate interruptions, and repeatedly violates the rules, the moderator shall have the right to stop the program, turn off the candidate’s microphone, and ask the candidate to leave the forum. If a candidate is asked to leave the forum, the remaining candidate or candidates shall be allowed to continue to the end of the program. If a candidate is asked to leave the forum, the moderator shall have the right to allow

the candidate to reenter.

If any member of the live audience or any person in the forum facility, invited or not, demonstrates unreasonably disruptive behavior, the moderator shall have the right to stop the program and ask the person or persons to leave the forum room and facility.

Adherence to Subject Matter

The moderator may interrupt any candidate if he or she believes the candidate is straying from the subject matter of a question.

Candidate Interruptions

The candidates shall not be allowed to interrupt one another. It is the moderator’s responsibility to enforce this rule.

Audience Questions

Each audience question must relate to one subject only and shall be clearly stated. Audience will submit questions on provided index cards, which will be collected by LWVLL volunteers for review before passing to the moderator.

Restating Questions

The moderator may restate any question that is unclear.

Question Disclosure

In advance of the forum, all candidates will be given topics or questions that could be included in the forum. Otherwise, neither the moderator nor any LWVLL member or volunteer shall disclose any other topic or question they may ask during the forum to any candidate or representative of any candidate’s campaign, or to any person who may communicate the information to any candidate or representative of a candidate’s campaign. Any information shall be disclosed at the same time to all candidates who are expected to participate in the forum.

Moderator Pre-Forum Statements

Forum moderators, after their selection shall make no public statements indicating support or nonsupport, preference or disrespect, for any candidate expected to participate in the forum.

Accommodating Physical Limitations

The set, format, and staging of a forum shall reasonably accommodate the physical limitations of all participating candidates.

No Indication of Preference

The set, format, and staging of a forum shall in no way show any preference, opposition, or disrespect to any of the candidates.

Cameras

Except for professional photographers or camera crews approved by the LWVLL, no one in the forum room shall be allowed to use flash cameras or motor-driven cameras during the forum program.

No Distraction

The LWVLL and 10/11 NOW shall make every effort to prohibit anything that may be a distraction to the candidates participating in the forum. This includes adjusting lighting, fixing microphones, opening and closing doors, moving camera equipment and furniture, etc.

Media Access

The LWVLL shall make every effort to accommodate members of the news media but in a way that does not disrupt the program or distract the candidates. To accomplish this, an area for the news media should be assigned to allow for arrival and departure photographs for the candidates and post-forum interviews.

Candidate Positions

Each candidate is to remain behind the table where he or she is seated.

Water

A bottle of water will be provided on the table or nearby.

Candidate Materials

Candidates are allowed to bring their own writing instrument and may write notes for their own use throughout the forum program. They may also bring in a notebook or folder of notes. Candidates are not allowed to use charts, graphs, signs, or other audio or visual material.