An entire political party's slate of candidates skipped the only all-candidate forum scheduled this election cycle in Hamilton County, leaving voters who showed up on Sept. 15 without a chance to hear from everyone on their ballot.
The League of Women Voters' "Meet the Candidates" event at Anderson Township Center went forward — but with one party completely absent. A League volunteer told the audience this was the only forum of its kind planned for the entire cycle, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. That means voters got one shot to hear candidates answer questions directly, and one party decided it wasn't worth their time.
Hamilton County voters face 45 candidates in contested races this November — governor, Congress, state legislature, judges — all the way down the ballot. Researching that many candidates independently takes hours most working people don't have. Forums exist precisely because voters shouldn't have to do it alone. When candidates skip, they're telling constituents: figure it out yourself.
The Enquirer's contributor, Andrea Granieri, framed the absence as a failure of basic democratic obligation. "When an entire slate of candidates chooses not to participate, that sends a message to voters and to the event organizers: Our time is not worth your time."
She's right, and the stakes are direct: property taxes, school funding, health care costs, the price of everyday necessities. The people elected to those offices will make decisions that hit working Americans in the wallet. Voters deserve to look those candidates in the eye and hear them explain themselves — unscripted, unfiltered by campaign consultants and curated social media.
The Enquirer piece doesn't name which party sat out. That omission matters. Voters deserve to know exactly who showed up and who didn't — names, not just party labels. But the structural problem is clear: campaigns increasingly prefer controlled messaging — attack ads, press releases, friendly interviews — over standing in front of constituents and answering unscripted questions. It's safer. It's also a dodge.
Granieri noted that conflicts and emergencies happen, and that's fair. A single candidate missing one event isn't the story. An entire slate vanishing from the only scheduled forum is a pattern, and it deserves scrutiny regardless of party.
The question isn't whether candidates are legally required to show up. They aren't. The question is whether voters should trust anyone who won't spend an evening answering their questions before asking for their vote. The founders debated representation in taverns and town squares — face to face, accountable, directly. When candidates retreat behind curated media, that democratic contract frays.
Voters can still push back: attend what forums exist, read voter guides, and — most importantly — keep asking why anyone who wants the job won't make time for the people they claim they want to serve.
