League of Women Voters, city staff outline candidate forum plans and language access

Carol Echolkamp, president of the League of Women Voters (Austin), and Mia Warner, the mayor and council liaison with Austin Communications and Engagement, briefed the Ethics Review Commission on the League's role organizing candidate panels and on city support for logistics and access.

Echolkamp emphasized the League's long nonpartisan history of preparing questions, translating the voters' guide and recording forums that are made publicly available. "Our job is not to ask gotcha questions," she said, describing training in writing nonbiased questions and the League's practice of not giving candidates the questions in advance.

Mia Warner outlined the three components candidates may use to qualify for certain campaign financing: the questionnaire, the nonpartisan panels facilitated by the League, and the filmed candidate statements produced by ATXN and posted to the city's YouTube channel with translated captions. Warner said the city identified locations within the districts up for election and that runoff panels would be scheduled in a window before early voting (presentation cited November 18–23 as available dates for runoffs). Warner encouraged commissioners to help promote forums via social media and press releases and cited the city's voter information page (austintexas.gov/voterinfo) as the current source for details.

The exchange clarified that translations and live interpretation support are available for the forums, that panels start around 6:30 p.m., and that the League accepts public question submissions by phone and email. Commissioners thanked the League for the ongoing partnership and indicated they would assist with promotion when dates and locations are finalized.

Why it matters: Candidate forums and accessible voter information are a routine but important part of local election administration and voter outreach; the city and LWV stressed nonpartisanship, translation and public availability of forum content.