BCEE 2019 City Council Candidate Questionnaire Process FAQs

How did BCEE decide to develop this questionnaire?

  • We believe that organizations like ours can play an important role in an election year by informing voters on candidates' views on education and fostering discussion on education equity issues facing Boston

  • Our members decided on a candidate questionnaire as a mechanism for our involvement, because it’s an effective tool for ensuring that the Coalition’s mission and issue areas are part of the citywide decision-making conversation on what matters to voters in a city council candidate--AND it’s also an effective way to let candidates know what issues are of concern to education voters in Boston.

Will BCEE be issuing any endorsements? 

  • While we won’t be formally endorsing in the upcoming city council races, we do think it’s vital to have a clear understanding of where all of our prospective city councilors stand on one of the most important issues for all Bostonians. 

What was the questionnaire design process like?

  • We have established a firewall within our organization so that only members who are unaffiliated with any candidate in a contested race will be able to participate on the questionnaire working group or view the questionnaire before the final version is sent to candidates. 

  • We also won’t share any candidate’s answers outside of the questionnaire working group before the final questionnaire responses are published in the first week of September 2019. 

How will you distribute the questionnaire and communicate with candidates? 

  • We will be distributing questionnaires to all candidates running for Boston City Council in 2019

  • We will be using contact information obtained from the city elections office (name)

  • We will be releasing questionnaire on August 8, 2019

  • Questionnaires will be due back on August 28, 2019

  • Candidates or their campaigns may ask us questions. We will only answer questions about the questionnaire process or clarify the meaning of a question, but will share no  information beyond that to avoid the appearance of coaching the candidates on their answers.

When and how will questionnaire results be distributed?

  • Results will be released and posted on our website on Monday, September 9, 2019.

  • Candidates who do not submit a questionnaire by the deadline will be listed as "No Response" on questionnaire web page, snapshot pages and press releases.

  • Candidates who do not respond to an individual question will be listed as "No Response" for that question.

  • For updates and more information on our questionnaire process, please visit BosEdEquity.org 

How will you decide who to invite to Facebook Live conversations?

  • BCEE members will review all questionnaires completed by the deadline to select candidates who make it through to the final election to participate in a series of Facebook Live conversations from September 25th through October 25th. 

What will the Facebook Live conversations be like?

  • Facebook Live conversations with individual candidates will be hosted by BCEE members.

  • After the questionnaire results have been published, BCEE membership will develop, by consensus, a set of standard interview questions to be asked to all invited candidates.

  • Additional questions may be added for individual candidates, where questionnaire responses require more clarity or raise additional questions. 

  • Members of the audience will also have the chance to ask questions during a brief Q & A period