CONTACT:
Free and Equal Elections Foundation
Christina Tobin, Founder & President
Phone: 312-320-4101
Email: christina@freeandequal.org
Web: www.freeandequal.org
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. Senatorial Candidate Debate at Northern Illinois University to be Rescheduled.
CHICAGO – The date and location of the first U.S. Senatorial candidate debate organized by Free and Equal Elections Foundation will be rescheduled due to unforeseen conflicts with back-to-school activities at Northern Illinois University at DeKalb.
Free and Equal is working with the University and sponsor, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, to reschedule the event as soon as possible. Tentative dates include: August 24, 25, 26 or September 8.
Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity officials also are accepting additional co-sponsoring organizations to speed along the rescheduling process. Free and Equal previously has organized three gubernatorial debates in Illinois, the most recent of which was sponsored in part by Kappa Alpha Psi at Chicago State University.
“On behalf of Free and Equal, I would like to apologize to the invited candidates, the press and attendees for any confusion or inconvenience this delay has caused,” said Christina Tobin, CEO and founder of Free and Equal Elections Foundation. “Free and Equal hopes to release the new date, time and location for the debate within the next week.”
All candidates who filed enough signatures to appear on the ballot have been invited to participate in the debate, including: Alexi Giannoulias, Democrat; Mark Kirk, Republican; LeAlan Jones, Green; Will Boyd, Independent; Corey Dabney, Independent; Mike Labno, Libertarian; Carl Officer, Practical; and Randy Stufflebeam, Constitution.
“Free and Equal is committed to giving all qualified candidates an equal voice in the debate,” Tobin said. “Illinois voters deserve a diversity of choices on the ballot. This all-partisan debate is meant to show the voters the kinds of choices they could and should have in November.”
Charles Thomas at Chicago’s ABC-7 WLS-TV and Sam Hudzik at Chicago Public Radio WBEZ 91.5 reported this week about the struggles some of these candidates still face getting on the ballot.
Free and Equal’s third Illinois gubernatorial debate, that took place in July, was covered by dozens of media outlets, including public radio stations WBEZ in Chicago, WSIU in Carbondale, and WILL in Champaign, along with the Chicago Sun-Times, Southtown Star, Huffington Post, Dekalb Daily-Chronicle, Chicagoist and the Chicago Tribune Media Group’s ChicagoNow. A live feed of the U.S. Senatorial debate will be available at freeandequal.org.
“The response to the last debate, from people in attendance and from those watching at home on their computers, has been tremendous,” Tobin said. “There is a hunger out there for more discussion and debate about the substantive issues that we all face. Free and Equal is looking to provide Illinois voters with more opportunities to learn about their political choices.”
Free and Equal will continue to organize all-inclusive candidate debates in Illinois and other states throughout this election season. September will kick-off a string of University hosted, student group sponsored and Free and Equal organized candidate debates across California. Additional information regarding California debates will be released as it becomes available.
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Free & Equal is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, public-policy advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the rights of the politically marginalized and disenfranchised, particularly those of third party and Independent candidates.