Chamber to Host Candidate Forums
The McPherson Chamber of Commerce Civic Awareness Committee will host candidate forums at Kansas Municipal Utilities, 2090 East Ave. A on Thursday, October 5. The forum for the USD #418 school board will be held at 6 p.m., followed by the city commission forum at 7:30. Citizens are invited to come for one or both. The forums will be broadcast live on Ad Astra Radio 98.9 KMCP and streamed live on the McPherson Chamber’s Facebook page for those unable to attend.
The format is question-and-answer as opposed to debate. Questions will be accepted from the audience as they arrive, and candidates will have the opportunity to answer them. The questions will be screened for duplication, legibility, and must be appropriate for ALL candidates. Candidates will have one minute to address each question. Facebook will not be monitored for questions so anyone wishing to submit a question must attend in person.
The McPherson Chamber of Commerce is not a political action committee, nor does it endorse candidates in elections. It has been hosting these forums for many years as a service to allow candidates seeking public office to express their views openly so community members can understand their positions and make informed voting choices. All ten candidates who filed for the four open school board positions and four candidates for the two open city commission positions have been invited to participate.
October 17 is the last day to update voter registration or register to vote for those not already registered. This can be done at the county clerk’s office, 117 N. Maple, or online at ksvotes.org. Advance in-person voting will start October 18 at the county clerk’s office during business hours (M-F 8 a.m.-5 p.m.). Advance voting will end at noon November 6, and the general election will take place November 7, with all polling places open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more McPherson County election information, including who has filed, click here.
