UHart to Host Political Debate in Statewide Series
A political debate co-produced by Connecticut Public and the League of Women Voters of Connecticut will be held at the University of Hartford Oct. 18 with candidates running for Secretary of the State.
The event will be part of a series of debates that also include the statewide offices of governor, U.S. Senate, and Connecticut’s five U.S. Congressional districts. The other debates will be held at colleges and universities across the state. They will run for seven weeks through the end of October in advance of the November general elections.
• Tuesday, October 4, 8 p.m. – 2nd Congressional District (Eastern Connecticut State University, Fine Arts Instructional Center Concert Hall, Willimantic, CT), moderated by Catherine Shen
• Tuesday, October 11, 8 p.m. – 1st Congressional District (Manchester Community College, SBM Charitable Foundation Auditorium, Manchester, CT), moderated by Ray Hardman
• Thursday, October 13, 8 p.m. – 4th Congressional District (Norwalk Community College, David Levinson Theater, Norwalk, CT), moderated by Dr. Khalilah Brown-Dean
• Tuesday, October 18, 8 p.m. – Secretary of the State (University of Hartford, Lincoln Theater, West Hartford, CT), moderated by Walter Smith Randolph. Register for your free ticket here. Use code UNITIX. (Please note: This is a new date, as the original Sept. 15 debate was rescheduled.)
• Thursday, October 20, 8 p.m. – 5th Congressional District (Central Connecticut State University, Torp Theatre, New Britain, CT), moderated by Frankie Graziano
• Tuesday, October 25, 8 p.m. – United States Senate (Fairfield University, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield, CT), moderated by John Henry Smith
• Thursday, October 27, 8 p.m. – Governor (Fairfield University, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield, CT), moderated by Lucy Nalpathanchil
Students, professors, clubs, and classes are encouraged to participate.
Each debate will feature a live audience and be broadcast and streamed on Connecticut Public platforms, including CPTV, ctpublic.org, YouTube and Facebook Live, as well as the LWVCT website and YouTube channel. The debates will also be simulcast on Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR 90.5, WEDW and WVOF 88.5, WPKT 89.1 and streaming at ctpublic.org). Each debate will be moderated by Connecticut Public journalists. The debate series will also be produced as podcasts, accessible via the App Store, Google Play and other common podcast platforms.
In addition, a live stream will be offered to any media outlet or organization in the state that would like to stream the debates through their platform.
“We are thrilled for the opportunity to collaborate with the League of Women Voters to bring these debates to the people of Connecticut, '' said Tim Rasmussen, Chief Content Officer of Connecticut Public. “This ambitious, comprehensive debate series will provide voters with direct access to candidates—something that is essential for a healthy democracy and building trust in our election process. As Connecticut’s non-profit public media source, Connecticut Public and our journalists are highly trusted by our viewers and listeners, and we are pleased to be able to help inform and educate our electorate and hold our elected representatives accountable.”
”The League is very excited to partner with Connecticut Public to bring these debates to the public,” said Laura Smits, President of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut. “We both share a vision of offering voters direct access to the candidates in a straightforward and non-partisan way. Right now, in a world with so much access to information, it’s important that voters can hear from voices they can trust. Connecticut Public’s reputation for solid journalism combined with our expertise in hosting fair debates is a terrific combination and should give voters confidence that, in the century-old tradition of the League, we will ensure the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.”