Legal Guidelines for PTA Voter Registration Drives and Get-Out-the-Vote Drives
When hosting a candidates’ forum or publishing a candidate questionnaire, it is important to make sure every candidate is given an equal opportunity to answer each question. When publishing questionnaires do not edit or change any candidate’s responses; simply print them as
you received them. During a candidates’ forum, be sure to let everyone have equal time to respond to questions. Using a stop watch to time responses can help achieve this.
Below are some suggested questions that can be adapted to use for candidates’ forums or candidate questionnaires. Try to include questions of local interest. You can give the questions to candidates before a forum, giving them time to prepare answers.
- What will you do to address the problems schools face with declining funding as they also try to meet the challenges of growing enrollments, children with special needs, and new educational technology?
- What specific plans would you recommend to support and improve public schools?
- What actions will you take to help reduce children’s exposure to violence in schools, in their neighborhoods, and on television?
- What specific actions will you take to increase the role of parents in decision making and promote parental involvement in schools?
- If elected, what would you do to address the childhood obesity problem?
- What will you do to help attract highly qualified teachers to our schools?
- Do you believe that art and music are part of a quality education, and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure these programs remain in our schools?
- Between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. many children and adolescents are left unsupervised at home. These hours are the peak hours for juvenile crime and other destructive behaviors. What do you plan to do address this problem?
- What is your view on voucher programs that allow parents to use public funds to send their children to private schools?
- What does being a supporter of public education mean to you?
