The Hopkinsville League of Women Voters has set the schedule for candidate forums prior to the November general election, and members of the public have an opportunity to suggest questions that will be posed to the candidates.
Using an online Jotform, interested voters can submit questions for the candidates running for Hopkinsville City Council, the Kentucky House of Representatives and Christian County Board of Education.
The candidate forums will occur on Oct. 14, 21, and 24 in council chambers at the Hopkinsville Municipal Center, 715 S. Virginia St. A complete schedule for the forums will be released soon, league co-president Nikki Chambers told Hoptown Chronicle.
There are four contested Hopkinsville City Council races on the ballot. Those are:
- Ward 1 — Vance Smith (R); Markeeta Wilkerson (D); Natasha Francis (R, incumbent) write-in
- Ward 9 — Brittanie Bogard (R); Angelique Victor (D); Duana Shepard (I)
- Ward 10 — Michael Velez Sr. (R); Andra Gold (D)
- Ward 12 — Elizabeth Draude (R); Samuel Goodman (D)
Three of the five seats on the Christian County Board of Education are on the ballot. The candidates are:
- District 1 — David K. Webster; Erin Westerfield (incumbent)
- District 2 — Ambrea Watkins (incumbent); Margo Pickens
- District 4 — Caleb Ballard; Rebecca Pepper (incumbent)
There is one contested state House race with incumbent Republican Rep. Myron Dossett, of Pembroke, facing Democratic challenger Twyla Dillard, of Hopkinsville.
Voter education efforts
The league is working on additional ways to communicate information about the voting process in Christian County.
With that goal in mind, the guest speaker for the league’s next regular meeting will be County Clerk Melinda Humphries.
Prior to her election as county clerk in the November 2022 general election, Humphries was a deputy clerk and served as the county’s election coordinator for approximately 20 years.
The league meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16, in the Fiscal Courtroom on the second floor of the Christian County Courthouse, 511 S. Main St.
Meet and greet candidates
Another league event will give members of the public a chance to meet with candidates about three weeks ahead of the Nov. 5 general election.
Ballots and Brews, a time for voters to speak with candidates and elected officials, is scheduled 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Hopkinsville Brewing Co., 102 E. Fifth St. Guests will be asked to make a $10 donation to help cover the cost of refreshments.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
