NOTE:
The League of Women Voters regularly sponsors candidate forums or debates as part of its mission of encouraging informed and active participation in government. This policy guidance is intended to provide guidelines and information to ensure debates and forums
are fair and well executed.
The Federal Election Commissions (FEC) provides rules governing public debates that apply to League sponsored debates and/or forums. FEC regulations defines a debate as an event that:
• includes at least two candidates; and
• is staged in a way that does not promote or advance one candidate over another.
In this document, the terms “debate” and “forum” are used interchangeably. The FEC also requires that candidates are selected based on pre-established objective criteria and, for general elections, nomination by a particular party may not be used as the sole objective
criterion.
I. The League of Women Voters of Maryland (LWVMD) is responsible for organizing debates for any of the statewide offices; namely, Governor, Lt. Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General and U.S. Senator.
II. Prior to the primary and/or general elections, it is the role of the LWVMD to initiate and manage League-sponsored debates for any of the statewide races. Debates affecting those offices should not be sponsored by Local Leagues (LLs) without LWVMD Board approval. LLs may hold forums for the U.S. House of Representatives, the State Senate, the House of Delegates and local county, city or municipal offices. Local leagues that share an election district for any of these offices should collaborate when planning these forums.
III. LWVMD may respond favorably to requests from other organizations to cosponsor additional gubernatorial and senatorial debates if they are nonpartisan and if candidates meet League criteria for participation. Caution should be exercised when co-sponsoring with
other organizations, especially single-issue organizations. LWVMD will not cosponsor a debate with an organization that endorses candidates, if those endorsements are made before the debate. Co-sponsored events should not conflict with any State League- managed debates called for in the previous paragraph, in the timing, personnel, or financial resource requirements. In order to ensure the largest audience without straining League resources. LWVMD will cosponsor a debate only if it will be video recorded and the recording made available on a sponsoring organization’s website. This same policy applies to requests from organizations for assistance with other debates, (e.g., timekeeping, moderating or furnishing questions).
IV. Debates aim to serve the following purposes:
A. Educate the public about issues.
B. Allow face-to-face comparisons of the candidates and their positions.
V. When the League is the sole or lead cosponsor:
A. A decision on criteria for candidate participation will be made not later than the filing deadline for the statewide primary election. If LWVMD decides to sponsor a debate(s) for a specific statewide office(s), the President will appoint a Candidate Forum Committee.
B. The committee should estimate how much the debate(s) will cost so that money can be budgeted and donations can be solicited to cover costs beyond those already in the prepared budget.
C. The media should be informed shortly after the decision that the LWVMD plans to sponsor and manage one or more debate(s). Efforts should be made to obtain broadcasting coverage throughout the state.
D. The debate(s) should occur prior to the beginning of early voting, if at all possible.
VI. To be invited to participate in a LWVMD debate for the Primary Election a candidate
must:
A. Be legally qualified, if elected, to hold the office under federal and state law; AND
B. Have filed and met all requirements to be on the ballot according to Maryland's election laws and complied with applicable state and federal laws regarding disclosure of campaign finances; AND
C. Have demonstrated significant voter interest and support by:
1. Receiving at least 2% public support in a recognized, nonpartisan statewide public opinion poll; OR
2. If no such poll exists, the candidate must:
• Provide examples of campaign coverage (discussing candidate’s views on the issues) by at least two major media sources in different geographical areas of the state; AND
• Demonstrate that a formal campaign is being conducted by the existence of campaign headquarters and staff or an active (updated at least weekly) social media presence (i.e., website, Facebook, Twitter) and reporting campaign contributions from at least 100 donors.
VII. To be invited to participate in a LWVMD debate for the General Election a candidate
must:
A. Be legally qualified, if elected, to hold the office under federal and state law and complied with applicable state and federal laws regarding disclosure of campaign finances; AND
B. Have filed and met all requirements to be on the ballot according to Maryland's election laws; AND
C. Have demonstrated significant voter interest and support by:
1. Being nominated by a recognized political party in Maryland; OR
2. Being one of the top 3 candidates with at least 5% public support in a recognized, nonpartisan statewide public opinion poll (or, if the difference between the 3rd and 4th place candidates is less than the margin of error, all 4 candidates); OR
3. If no such poll exists, the candidate must:
• Provide examples of campaign coverage by at least two major media sources in different geographical areas of the state; AND
• Demonstrate that a formal campaign is being conducted by the existence of campaign headquarters and staff or an active (updated at least weekly) social media presence (i.e., website, Facebook, Twitter) and reporting to the State Board of Elections or Federal Election Commission campaign contributions from at least 100 donors.
VIII. Broadcasters Exception:
It is the policy of the League of Women Voters of Maryland that candidate debates and forums should be inclusive of all candidates who have met the criteria outlined in VI and VII above. However, if the debate or candidates' forum is co-sponsored by a broadcasting station and the station is not able to provide coverage if all candidates are included, the forum must include at least those candidates who meet the following criteria:
A. Be legally qualified, if elected, to hold the office under federal and state law; AND
B. Have filed and met all requirements to be on the ballot according to Maryland's election laws and complied with applicable state and federal laws regarding disclosure of campaign finances; AND
C. For a primary election contest, demonstrate significant voter interest and support by:
1. Receiving at least 5% of public support in a recognized, nonpartisan statewide public opinion poll; OR
2. If no such poll exists:
a. Provide multiple examples of campaign coverage by at least two major media sources in different geographical areas of the state AND
b. Demonstrate that a formal campaign is being conducted by the existence of campaign headquarters and staff or an active (updated at least weekly) social media presence (i.e., website, Facebook, Twitter) and reporting to the State Board of Elections and/or the Federal Election Commission campaign contributions from at least 100 donors.
D. For a general election contest, demonstrate significant voter interest and support by:
1. Being one of the top 3 candidates receiving at least 5% of public support in a recognized, nonpartisan statewide public opinion poll (or, if the difference between the 3rd and 4th place candidates is less than the margin of error, all 4 candidates); OR
2. If no such poll exists:
a. Provide multiple examples of campaign coverage by at least two major media sources in different geographical areas of the state; AND
b. Demonstrate that a formal campaign is being conducted by the existence of campaign headquarters and staff or an active (updated at least weekly) social media presence (i.e., website, Facebook, Twitter) and reporting to the State Board of Elections and/or the Federal Election Commission campaign contributions from at least 100 donors.
The broadcaster exception does not apply to webcasting a debate by a college or other nonprofit entity.
Revised & Accepted: 16 December 2021