Editor’s note: The following announcement was provided by the organizations listed below.
Immediately following the August primary elections, a committee representing the nonpartisan
organizations of the League of Women Voters (LWV) -Janesville, LWV-Beloit, LWV-Whitewater Area, LWV-Dane County,
and the NAACP of Beloit began work to set up candidate forums for EIGHT county-wide and
state legislative races:
● Rock County Sheriff
● Senate Districts 11 and 15
● Assembly Districts 31, 33, 43, 44, and 45
The following in-person candidate forums will take place as both candidates have agreed to
participate:
● Rock County Sheriff: Curt Fell (D) vs. Craig Keller (I) on Wednesday September 28,
6:00-7:30 pm, Hedberg Public Library, Janesville (broadcast live, live-streamed on
YouTube, and recorded by JATV)
● Assembly District 33: The forum that had been scheduled for October 6 has been canceled.
● Assembly District 45: Clinton Anderson (D) vs. Jeff Klett (R) on Wednesday, October
12, 6:00-7:30 pm, School District of Beloit School Board Room (video recorded)
Regrettably, the other six forums had to be canceled because only one of the candidates
running in each of those races agreed to participate. Candidates who agreed to participate
are:
Curt Fell (D), Craig Keller (I), Brienne Brown (D), Steven Doelder (D), Mark Spreitzer
(D), Jenna Jacobson (D), Sue Conley (D), Donald Vruwink (D),
Clinton Anderson (D), and Jeff Klett (R).
Candidates who are not participating in the League’s invitation are:
Scott Johnson (R), Ellen Schutt (R), Steve Nass (R), Mark Trumfimchuck (R), Marisa Voelkel (R), and
Spencer Zimmerman (R).
When a candidate in a contested election declines to accept a League forum invitation, the
event must be canceled because proceding with only one candidate would give an unfair
advantage to the sole participating candidate, risking the League’s compliance with FEC
and/or IRS rules as well as the League’s nonpartisan policy.
The failure of candidates to participate in League of Women Voters forums deprives the voters
of an opportunity to hear the candidates’ responses to voters’ questions, and deprives their
opponents of an opportunity to share their views in a fair and impartial setting.
The League of Women Voters’ mission, “Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy,” is made
more difficult when candidates for office deny voters opportunities to learn their positions.
We encourage members of the public to go to VOTE411.org to find candidate
responses from those who participated in the nonpartisan website’s request for candidate
information on important issues.
