Strength Through Diversity

Emphasis on Experiences

Voter Guidance

Evaluating a Person Seeking to be a Public Servant | Scheduled Webinars

Unlike traditional candidate forums, this webinar will not include direct questions to the public servant. Instead, voters will be encouraged to share their opinions and experiences using “I” statements — for example, “I believe…”, “I’m concerned about…”, or “In my experience…”.

VOTERS MUST REGISTER FOR EACH PUBLIC SERVANT WEBINAR

After registering an invitation will be sent to join the webinar on the date and time.

Voter Guide – PDF file for printing (opens in new tab/window)

1. The camera and microphone are disabled.
2. Listen through the speakers.  Check the audio settings using the bottom left button.
3. The moderator will control the what is seen.
4. Submit “I” messages through the Q&A feature.  The Q&A window can be detached/attached to the main window using the icon in the upper right.  The icon is a box with an upper-right arrow or lower-left arrow.
5. Keep the Q&A feature open and upvote any of the “I” messages by clicking on the thumbs up button.  The “I” messages with the most upvotes will be presented to the person seeking to be a public servant for their response.
6. React to what is being said through the Reaction button.  Choose any one of the six emojis.  There are three setting for the emojis:  1)Full – floating up; 2) Brief – Visible for a second; and Hidden.

Public servant candidates will then respond thoughtfully to the “I” messages, not just policy questions. This format allows voters to get to know the public servant candidate on a more personal level — how they listen, how they relate, and how they respond to real-life concerns from real people.

A Zoom registration link will be available at scheduled webinars. All public servant webinars will be live streamed and saved to our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@publicservantwebinars

It’s not just about issues. It’s about connection, empathy, and character.

Guidance for Evaluating a Person Seeking to be a Public Servant

As a voter, consider the following when evaluating a public servant candidate—especially during a webinar or public engagement:

1. Understanding:
   Does the public servant candidate clearly understand your beliefs, concerns, or lived experiences? Pay attention to how they respond to voters using “I” messages during the webinar.
2. Track Record:
   If the public servant candidate is an incumbent, review their voting history. If they are not, consider their past professional, civic, or personal experiences. Have they shown awareness or alignment with your beliefs or concerns in the past?
3. Alignment and Representation:
   • If there is alignment between your views and the public servant candidate’s past actions or experience, you may feel more confident voting for them.
   • If there is no such alignment, reflect on which public servant candidate seems most likely to represent your interests going forward.
4. Independence and Integrity:
   Consider how committed the public servant candidate appears to be in representing your needs, especially when they may face pressure from their political party or outside lobbyists. A good representative is someone who listens to constituents and balances that with broader responsibilities.