LWVCT Voters' Guides
Watch for our next Voters Guide in 2014!
Every even-numbered year, the LWVCT creates an on-line Voters’ Guide. Guides from earlier years can be obtained from the LWVCT office at lwvct@lwvct.org. Some local Leagues create town-specific voters’ guides every year for each election; check your Local League’s website.
Who’s Included?
In 2012, the Voters’ Guide included Connecticut’s candidates for US Senator and US Representative, state Senator and state Representative. In Presidential election years, the Guide provides links to the LWVUS’s “Vote411” Voters’ Guide, which includes information on the Presidential candidates. In years in which the state executive branch is elected, the Guide includes material from the candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of the State, Treasurer, and Comptroller.
How Are the Candidates Contacted?
Unless one of our local Leagues has already contacted the candidates running in their geographic area, the LWVCT emailed the questions to all the candidates for whom we had email addresses; where we did not have email addresses, we contacted the candidates’ campaign staffs and/or their parties’ headquarters.
What Questions Does the League of Women Voters of Connecticut Ask?
All candidates for a specific office receive identical questions; in 2012, their answers were limited to 150 words for each question. However, in some cases, our local Leagues pose different questions, with different word limits, to the candidates running for state Senate and state House of Representatives from their districts. In those cases, we posted the candidates’ responses to the local League’s questions.
All candidates were also asked to supply a 75-word biography and a link to their website, if they had one and if they wanted voters to be able to make that link through this site.
The League does not edit or interpret candidates’ responses. Answers are published exactly as submitted, except that they will be cut off in mid-sentence where they go over the word limit.
In 2012, the LWVCT sent the following questions to all candidates for US Senator and US Representative:
In 2012, the LWVCT sent the following questions to all candidates for state Senator and state Representative:
We posted the candidates’ responses to the voters’ guide questions as they arrived.
What Order Do We Use for Posting Responses?
We try to post the candidates’ answers to match their positions on the November ballot, but we have been told by the Secretary of the State’s office that some ballot positions may vary. Where a candidate is running on more than one line, we list his or her answers in the order of the first line on which his or her name will appear.
Where Can I Find More Information?
For official instructions on applying for absentee ballots, lists of candidates, etc., go to the Secretary of the State’s website, http://www.sots.ct.gov.
To find the location of your polling place, contact your Town Clerk or Registrars of Voters or the Secretary of the State’s website, http://www.sots.ct.gov.
May I Copy All or Part of a LWVCT Voters’ Guide?
Yes. If you plan to hand out copies or republish our material, please indicate prominently on the printed or e-mailed version “Reprinted with the permission of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut Education Fund, Inc.”
Who’s Included?
In 2012, the Voters’ Guide included Connecticut’s candidates for US Senator and US Representative, state Senator and state Representative. In Presidential election years, the Guide provides links to the LWVUS’s “Vote411” Voters’ Guide, which includes information on the Presidential candidates. In years in which the state executive branch is elected, the Guide includes material from the candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of the State, Treasurer, and Comptroller.
How Are the Candidates Contacted?
Unless one of our local Leagues has already contacted the candidates running in their geographic area, the LWVCT emailed the questions to all the candidates for whom we had email addresses; where we did not have email addresses, we contacted the candidates’ campaign staffs and/or their parties’ headquarters.
What Questions Does the League of Women Voters of Connecticut Ask?
All candidates for a specific office receive identical questions; in 2012, their answers were limited to 150 words for each question. However, in some cases, our local Leagues pose different questions, with different word limits, to the candidates running for state Senate and state House of Representatives from their districts. In those cases, we posted the candidates’ responses to the local League’s questions.
All candidates were also asked to supply a 75-word biography and a link to their website, if they had one and if they wanted voters to be able to make that link through this site.
The League does not edit or interpret candidates’ responses. Answers are published exactly as submitted, except that they will be cut off in mid-sentence where they go over the word limit.
In 2012, the LWVCT sent the following questions to all candidates for US Senator and US Representative:
- Economy: In this time of high unemployment, what would be your priority to improve our nation's economy?
- Campaign Finance Reform: What should be done to rein in the influence of money in political campaigns? Do you support expanded requirements for disclosure of the source of money behind political ads? Why or why not?
- Environment: In your view, has the federal government done enough to address the levels of spent fuel stored at US nuclear plants? If not, what else should be done?
- Gun Laws: What should the US Congress do to insure that guns that were originally purchased legally are not then sold illegally on our streets?
In 2012, the LWVCT sent the following questions to all candidates for state Senator and state Representative:
- Economy: In this time of high unemployment, what would be your priority to improve our state's economy?
- Campaign Finance Reform: What should be done to rein in the influence of money in political campaigns? Do you support expanded requirements for disclosure of the source of money behind political ads? Why or why not?
- Environment: What measures would you support to reduce carbon emissions from transportation in CT?
- Gun Laws: What should the state legislature do to insure that guns that were originally purchased legally are not then sold illegally on our streets?
We posted the candidates’ responses to the voters’ guide questions as they arrived.
What Order Do We Use for Posting Responses?
We try to post the candidates’ answers to match their positions on the November ballot, but we have been told by the Secretary of the State’s office that some ballot positions may vary. Where a candidate is running on more than one line, we list his or her answers in the order of the first line on which his or her name will appear.
Where Can I Find More Information?
For official instructions on applying for absentee ballots, lists of candidates, etc., go to the Secretary of the State’s website, http://www.sots.ct.gov.
To find the location of your polling place, contact your Town Clerk or Registrars of Voters or the Secretary of the State’s website, http://www.sots.ct.gov.
May I Copy All or Part of a LWVCT Voters’ Guide?
Yes. If you plan to hand out copies or republish our material, please indicate prominently on the printed or e-mailed version “Reprinted with the permission of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut Education Fund, Inc.”
