Opinion: Candidates and their civic responsibility

To the editor:

The League of Women Voters of South Coast, previously known as the League of Women Voters of Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester, has been organizing candidate debates, forums and meet-and-greets for over 35 years. LWVSC has scheduled a candidates’ event on Oct. 17 at the Old Rochester Regional High School Auditorium from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Throughout all these years, we have never encountered a situation where a candidate running for a significant office failed to respond to our invitations to participate in an event.

LWVSC has made efforts to reach out to Mr. Joe Pires, sending a letter on Sept.12 and an email on Oct. 3, inviting him to participate in the Oct. 17 candidates’ event. However, we have not yet received a response from Mr. Pires.

The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization that operates at the national, state and local levels. Its primary purpose is to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation in government which includes hosting voter registrations and providing voter education on candidates that enables informed voter decision-making during elections. 

The League of Women Voters faces challenges in its voter education initiatives when candidates lack interest in engaging with potential constituents. This absence of engagement impedes the LWVSC’s ability to facilitate candidate introductions, provide summaries of their qualifications to voters and the general public, elucidate their suitability for the sought-after office and offer insights into their comprehension of their role, the job’s scope and associated responsibilities.

Sincerely,
Kris Eastman and Eileen J. Marum, LWVSC co-chairs