{news} LWV To Greens: No Debates For You

[David Bedell]

Mark Pazniokas' blog in the Courant:

http://blogs.courant.com/capitol_watch/2008/09/lwv-to-greens-no-debates-for-y.html

LWV To Greens: No Debates For You
By Mark Pazniokas
 on September 23, 2008 2:06 PM

The League of Women Voters is barring the Green Party from its congressional
debates in Connecticut, saying that the candidates do not meet its
standards.

G. Scott Deshefy, the Green running in the 2nd District, said the Greens
were invited, then disinvited in similar or identical form letters.

Here is the letter sent out yesterday by Pat Donovan of the League to
Richard Duffee, the Green running in the 4th District:

    On September 17, 2008 a committee of the LWVCT Board of Directors met to
    review materials submitted to us by candidates for the office of
    Representative in Congress and to assess their eligibility for
participation
    in League-sponsored candidate debates.

    Using criteria reaffirmed by the League of Women Voters in April of
2007,
    and re-affirmed in April 2008, the committee made a determination that
your
    candidacy does not meet all of our criteria. Therefore, unfortunately,
we
    must deny your eligibility to participate in League-sponsored debates
during
    the 2008 election season.

    We made this difficult decision only after careful consideration of the
    materials that you submitted. Although we congratulate you on attaining
    ballot access, our committees had several observations about your
    submission. First, they were unconvinced that your campaign is funded
    adequately to undertake an election for a competitive Congressional
seat.
    Committee members also did not find sufficient documentation - in
position
    papers, writings, or other publications - addressing the many issues
related
    to your district and to your district's voters, beyond those broader
    national issues important to your political party. Finally, the
committee
    did not believe that your submitted material showed sufficient evidence
of
    the voter outreach activities so necessary in a highly competitive
election
    to federal office.

    The League has the utmost respect for candidates who devote time, money
and
    energy toward running for office. We regret that we cannot give each and
    every one a chance to make their case to the public in a live debate
format.

    However, we note that you have taken advantage of our On-line Voters
Guide.
    In 2006, the On-line Voters' Guide received more than 100,500 hits and
we
    expect the circulation to be even wider this year. We trust that this
will
    afford you an opportunity to put your views before the voting public.

    Best wishes for your campaign.

The League referred all questions to Donovan, who was not immediately
available for comment. The organization's guidelines for participating in
their debates is online.
[http://www.lwvct.org/elibrary/Local%20League%20Reference%20Series/5-debates
-forums.htm ]

The League has debates scheduled next month in the 2nd, 4th and 5th
Districts.