Republican candidates decline upcoming Muscatine County forums

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The following was sent to the Advocate News Aug. 10, courtesy of League of Women Voters of Muscatine County President Sue Johannsen.
League of Women Voters of Muscatine County (LWVMC) has canceled the Candidate Forums 2020 for the State Senate and State House races. The candidates received information in June and have now indicated they will not participate. According to the “empty chair” policy and FCC/FEC guidelines, a forum cannot be conducted if only one candidate has confirmed they can participate.
Equality in air time is required in all forums due to our nonprofit status. Due to this, the State Senate and State House forums are now canceled.
State Senate Candidate Acceptances:
Tom Courtney, District 44
Chris Brase, District 46
State Senate Candidate Declines:
Tim Goodwin, District 44
Mark Lofgren, District 46
State House Candidate Acceptances:
Lonny Pulkrabek, District 73
Sandy Dockendorff, District 88
Kelcey Brackett, District 91
State House Candidate Declines:
Bobby Kaufmann, District 73
David Kerr, District 88
Mark Cisneros, District 91
The League is proud to be nonpartisan, neither supporting nor opposing candidates or political parties at any level of government, but always working on vital issues of concern to members and the public. We believe in the education of the voters so they can make an informed determination of whom they wish to vote for in the upcoming election. As a non-partisan organization, we respect each candidate’s individual decision to be a part of the forums although we strongly encourage participation.
LWVMC was able to conduct successful forums for County Auditor, County Sheriff, and Board of Supervisors races with over 1,000 views each from all over the world. You can view these forums on Channel 5 and LWVMC Facebook group page. In the near future, we will also have videos called “Candid with Candidates.” The candidates involved in the forums are interviewed in an additional 15-minute segment at a local small business. We hope this will not only assist our voters but also help our community thrive.

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