The Free & Equal Elections Foundation will hold a Gubernatorial Debate for 2010 Candidates in Du Quoin, IL this FRIDAY, October 9th, 2009 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.
Beginning at 6 PM on Friday, the Gubernatorial Debate will be streamed LIVE on www.FreeAndEqual.org.
The debate will be held as part of the Midwest Liberty Fest. Free & Equal Founder and Chair Christina Tobin will serve as the moderator for the debate.
“This debate will be unique in that ALL the candidates are invited to participate, not just the Democrats and Republicans.” said Tobin. “We are excited that voters all across Illinois will have the opportunity to hear the candidates speak in person, or online via web stream.”
The debate will include members of the Democratic and Republican parties as well as the Constitution and Green Parties, and one Independent.
As of Wednesday October 7th, the following SIX candidates have confirmed:
Adam Andrzejewski
Republican Party Candidate
Dan Proft
Republican Party Candidate
Randall Stufflebeam
Constitution Party Candidate
Bill “Dock” Walls, III
Democratic Party Candidate
Michael White
Independent Candidate
Rich Whitney
Green Party Candidate
ALL 13 candidates who have announced their intentions of running in the race are invited to participate.
Two candidates, Republicans Bill Brady and Frank Edwards, did not reply despite repeated attempts to contact them.
Other candidates expressed interested, but could not accommodate the debate schedule.
“Free & Equal is committed to giving all candidates a forum, regardless of political ideology or partisan affiliation,” said Tobin. “It is imperative that the voters have a chance to hear all the candidates, not just those who may appear in the headlines regularly.”
The Free & Equal Elections Foundation is a non partisan, non-profit 501 (c)4 public policy advocacy organization dedicated to eliminating restrictive ballot access laws that target Independent and Third-Party Candidates.
Free & Equal is committed to reforming restrictive ballot access laws across the nation, so that all candidates have a chance to be heard, regardless of political affiliation.
During the 2008 election, Free & Equal held an independent Presidential Debate in Washington, DC. The Free & Equal debate was the ONLY Presidential debate featuring Independent and Third-Party candidates held during the 2008 election to be broadcast to a national audience. The debate was broadcast Live by C-SPAN.
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All,
The Illinois Gubernatorial Debate will indeed be posted on the site sometime in the next couple of days. We are in the process of editing the raw video. Thanks for all of your support!
Any chance that this Illlinois Governor Debate will be made available for viewing like the Presidential and VP debates are at: http://www.freeandequal.org/debates/ ?
If so, how soon do you anticipate that folks might be able to view it?
I am supporting William Dock Walls III for Governor, but if he were not in the race, I would support Rich Whitney. I did in the last race for governor. There are not enough platforms and focus on the issues of the 1 in 5 people who are disabled in this country. We are a forgotten constituency except with Bill Dock Walls and the Green Party. Dock has always made us feel worthy and at home. Illinois needs a change that I can live with and see. Not one candidate except Walls has come to the aid of Illinois paratransit riders, marched in the Disability Pride Parade (not one elected official has ever in 6-year history, but the Green Party has marched and rallied with us represented by Jack Ailey, Alberto Bocanegro, and Paloma Andrade of Cook County Greens; Cook County Greens have been there throughout our fight with Pace on ADA Paratransit since 2008. Paratransit riders face catastrophic challenges if Pace board passes a fare hike of $4.50 (double current fare on people who have incomes at or near poverty level) in Chicago and $3.50 in the suburbs. We (IMPRUVE and paratransit riders) are having a press conference, prayer vigil and rally Wed. October 14 at 2 pm at Pace headquarters 550 Algonquin Road in Arlington Heights followed by seating at 4 pm for Pace board meeting at 4:30 pm on the fare hikes, service cuts and elimination of the monthly pass. It’s outrageous and the powers that be are sitting back ignoring the plight of people who are disabled, including seniors and children, as well as low wealth and working class people!! The inhumanity, outrageous fare hikes and lack of accommodation by Pace will set people with disabilities back 25 years in terms of access to transportation in NE IL. I am appalled that the Illinois legislature, governor, Chicago City Council, Cook County Board, FTA and Department of Justice are not trying to help partransit riders. Obama need sto hera about this, nit just his press secretary! FTA and DOJ sat on our complaints during the Bush administration. There is a class action in IL as well as New York. Paratransit civil rights and human rights issues are a national discussion.
will the government debates be rebroadcast.
Thank you & When?
William Dock Walls is someone who will work to solve the concerns of Illinois residents
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