League services

League of Women Voters
of Camden County (NJ)

A non-partisan political organization of women and men, promoting political responsibility through informed and
active participation in government.

Services provided by the League

Moderating and time keeping
The League can provide a moderator and timekeeper for forums and debates. A League member cannot moderate in a forum or debate wherein he or she would be voting for the candidates. Thus for a countywide forum (such as Freeholder), a League moderator from another county would be needed. For local races we can usually find a member of the Camden County League who lives in the county but not in the district in question.

The League will only agree to moderate a debate or forum that is set up in a fair and reasonable way. We can provide guidelines and assistance in doing that. Normally the organizer/sponsor of the debate should be a community organization that does not endorse candidates. In rare instances two parties can work together to sponsor a forum, but this is difficult. In a primary election, the party is potentially an appropriate sponsor, unless the party committee has already endorsed some of the candidates over others, in which case the party may be perceived as biased.

Since the League is providing a specialized service, and has expenses to meet as an organization, we do charge for providing a moderator. The exact amounts vary depending on the type of event, but an ordinary moderating job, with most of the preparatory work done by the sponsor, costs $100. If the forum lasts over 2 hours the fee is typically $150.

Organizing a forum or debate
In some cases the League or a League moderator will provide more extensive services to a group setting up a forum or debate. We can do some of the organizing, make some of the contacts, etc. This is not our usual method -- normally it is the job of the sponsoring organization to do these tasks, with the League assisting by providing sample documents and giving advice.

If you need more than just a moderator, contact the League. Note that we may not be able to find someone to do that level of work, and also that the fee for doing so will be higher than simply for moderating.

Monitoring housing elections
The League can provide someone to help set up and monitor HUD elections and other housing elections that require a neutral outside person as a monitor. We also charge for this service.