EVENTS
We are thrilled to sponsor meetings and events for both the public as well as League members, and our programming is designed around our mission statement: we encourage informed and active participation in government, work to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influence policy through education and advocacy.
Upcoming events
PAST EVENTS
2023 candidates debates
The League of Women Voters of New Canaan together with our co-sponsor, New Canaan Public Access Channel 79, held our 2023 Candidates Debates from 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm at the New Canaan Town Hall Meeting Room on Monday, October 23rd.
The program, featuring the First Selectman and Board of Education candidates, is available online to viewers anywhere through the Channel 79 YouTube Channel in addition to being broadcast on Cablevision Channel 79 and Facebook Live. The evening was organized into three separate debates, the First Selectman, followed by the Board of Education (4- and 2-Year Terms). A link to each separate debate video is available below, or directly through NCTV79. Debate Schedule: 6:30 pm - 7:15 pm First Selectman Debate 7:15 pm - 9 pm Board of Education Debate (Both 4- and 2-Year Terms) Questions? Please email us! |
First Selectman Debate
Board of Education 4-Year Term Debate
Board of Education 2-Year Debate
league of women voters of ct debates
The League of Women Voters of Connecticut (LWVCT), in collaboration with Connecticut Public, is presenting a weekly series of political debates between the key candidates in advance of the midterm November 2022 elections, including debates for the statewide offices of Governor and Secretary of the State, as well as U.S. Senate and Connecticut’s five U.S. Congressional districts.
Moderated by Connecticut Public journalists, each debate will take place at a different college or university campus throughout our state and will be broadcast and streamed across Connecticut Public platforms.
Following each debate will be a lively post-debate discussion led by Connecticut Public’s Frankie Graziano with Connecticut’s leading political pundits and journalists.
When to Tune In: Thursdays 9/15, 10/13, 10/18, 10/20 and 10/27, and Tuesdays 10/4, 10/11 and 10/25 at 8 p.m.
See the debate schedule below. Please note, debate dates may change or be canceled so check back for updates (bolded debates reflect races that impact New Canaan):
Learn more on CTPublic.org.
Moderated by Connecticut Public journalists, each debate will take place at a different college or university campus throughout our state and will be broadcast and streamed across Connecticut Public platforms.
Following each debate will be a lively post-debate discussion led by Connecticut Public’s Frankie Graziano with Connecticut’s leading political pundits and journalists.
When to Tune In: Thursdays 9/15, 10/13, 10/18, 10/20 and 10/27, and Tuesdays 10/4, 10/11 and 10/25 at 8 p.m.
See the debate schedule below. Please note, debate dates may change or be canceled so check back for updates (bolded debates reflect races that impact New Canaan):
- Tuesday, October 4, 8 p.m. – 2nd Congressional District (Eastern Connecticut State University, Fine Arts Instructional Center Concert Hall, Willimantic, CT), moderated by Catherine Shen
- Thursday, October 6 – 3rd Conrgressional District – This event will not occur due to candidate viability and scheduling conflicts.
- Tuesday, October 11, 8 p.m. – 1st Congressional District (Manchester Community College, SBM Charitable Foundation Auditorium, Manchester, CT), moderated by Ray Hardman
- Thursday, October 13, 8 p.m. – 4th Congressional District (Norwalk Community College, David Levinson Theater, Norwalk, CT), moderated by Dr. Khalilah Brown-Dean
- Tuesday, October 18, 8 p.m. – *** This debate was rescheduled from September 15th due to unforeseen circumstances. Secretary of the State (University of Hartford, Lincoln Theater, West Hartford, CT), moderated by Walter Smith Randolph
- Thursday, October 20, 8 p.m. – 5th Congressional District (Central Connecticut State University, Torp Theatre, New Britain, CT), moderated by Frankie Graziano
- Tuesday, October 25, 8 p.m. – United States Senate (Fairfield University, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield, CT), moderated by John Henry Smith
- Thursday, October 27, 8 p.m. – Governor (Fairfield University, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield, CT), moderated by Lucy Nalpathanchil.
Learn more on CTPublic.org.
League of women voters of new canaan annual debate
Our annual, virtual Candidates Debate was held on Thursday, October 20th in partnership with NCTV Channel 79.
NEW: You can watch the debate in its entirety above, or click here to find the individual debates for seats that represent your districts.
More places to watch: You can watch the recording on NCTV 79 on your TV, NCTV 79's YouTube page, and on the League of Women Voters of New Canaan's Facebook page. With our new format, you can tune in solely for the debates with candidates running for offices that cover your district. Learn more here.
Debate Schedule:
7:00 pm – 7:30 pm House District 125 Victor Alvarez (D)
Thomas O’Dea (R)
7:30 pm – 8:00 pm House District 142 Lucy Dathan (D)
Don Mastronardi (R)
8:00 pm – 8:30 pm Senate District 26 Toni Boucher (R)
Ceci Maher (D)
8:30 pm – 9:00 pm Senate District 36 Trevor Crow (D)
Ryan Fazio (R)
NEW: You can watch the debate in its entirety above, or click here to find the individual debates for seats that represent your districts.
More places to watch: You can watch the recording on NCTV 79 on your TV, NCTV 79's YouTube page, and on the League of Women Voters of New Canaan's Facebook page. With our new format, you can tune in solely for the debates with candidates running for offices that cover your district. Learn more here.
Debate Schedule:
7:00 pm – 7:30 pm House District 125 Victor Alvarez (D)
Thomas O’Dea (R)
7:30 pm – 8:00 pm House District 142 Lucy Dathan (D)
Don Mastronardi (R)
8:00 pm – 8:30 pm Senate District 26 Toni Boucher (R)
Ceci Maher (D)
8:30 pm – 9:00 pm Senate District 36 Trevor Crow (D)
Ryan Fazio (R)
Harvard Case Method: Martin Luther King and the Struggle for Black Voting
The League of Women Voters of New Canaan and the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society will sponsor a community discussion employing the Harvard Case Method, led by New Canaan High School teachers, Amy Rothschild, Paul Phillips, and Kristine Goldhawk.
The topic, “Martin Luther King and the Struggle for Black Voting Rights,” is a timely reminder of how the long and difficult road to voting equality played out during the 1960s, a time many of us remember. The Harvard Case Method Program brings case method teaching to high schools to deepen students’ understanding of American democracy.
Based on the highly successful experience of Harvard Business School and others that use case-based teaching, Harvard's program is currently being used by New Canaan High School teachers across a range of subjects in history and civics. Cases are painstakingly written by Harvard to show students how to think objectively and critically, and thereby reverse the decline in civics education and civic engagement in the United States.
When: October 6th, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
*Doors open at 6:30 pm
Where: New Canaan Museum & Historical Society
13 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan, CT 06840
The topic, “Martin Luther King and the Struggle for Black Voting Rights,” is a timely reminder of how the long and difficult road to voting equality played out during the 1960s, a time many of us remember. The Harvard Case Method Program brings case method teaching to high schools to deepen students’ understanding of American democracy.
Based on the highly successful experience of Harvard Business School and others that use case-based teaching, Harvard's program is currently being used by New Canaan High School teachers across a range of subjects in history and civics. Cases are painstakingly written by Harvard to show students how to think objectively and critically, and thereby reverse the decline in civics education and civic engagement in the United States.
When: October 6th, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
*Doors open at 6:30 pm
Where: New Canaan Museum & Historical Society
13 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan, CT 06840
Friday, august 6th: Special election forum
The LWV Greenwich, Stamford and New Canaan are pleased to present the Candidate Forum for the Connecticut State Senate District 36 Special Election on August 17th.
Kay Maxwell, Past President of the LWV US and Connecticut, will lead the 60 minute discussion with the candidates: John Blankley (Pt. Cand.), Ryan Fazio (R) and Alexis Gevanter (D) on Friday August 6th beginning at 7pm. All candidates, the discussion leader and timers will be live at Greenwich Town Hall and all audience participants will be virtual via Zoom. Participants are invited to submit a maximum of 2 questions upon registration for the event. Questions must be received by August 1st. The LWV Greenwich will only consider questions that all candidates can address. A Screening Committee of one Republican and one Democrat LWV Greenwich board members will review the questions before submitting them to the Moderator. The Moderator simply reads the questions. To obtain an Absentee Ballot for this election, please go to the New Canaan Town Clerk website, or download an Absentee Ballot here. PLEASE NOTE: Recordings of this event, whether they be in-person or from a computer screen, may not be used without the express written approval of the LWV Greenwich except by media who have registered and are reporting on the event. |
Check your mailboxes! We're sending out a postcard alerting you to the summer's Republican and Democratic caucuses, and letting you know our annual Know Your Reps guide is ready for you to peruse and download.
Summer means...Caucus Time in New Canaan!
cau·cus
/ˈkôkəs/noun
Members of a local political party choose their candidates to run for office during their caucus.
Republican Caucus: July 20th from 6-8pm at New Canaan Town Hall Meeting room, 77 Main Street
Democratic Caucus: July 26th at 7pm, location details at NewCanaanDems.Info
New Canaan Offices up for election Fall 2021:
- First selectman (2-year term)
- Selectman (2-year term)
- Town Clerk (2-year term)
- Town Treasurer (2-year term)
- Board of Education (4-year term)
- Board of Assessment Appeals (2-year term)
- Town Council (4-year term)
- Constable (4-year term)
Municipal Elections = New Canaan’s Direction
Verify your voter registration status on VOTE411.org
Summer means...Caucus Time in New Canaan!
cau·cus
/ˈkôkəs/noun
Members of a local political party choose their candidates to run for office during their caucus.
Republican Caucus: July 20th from 6-8pm at New Canaan Town Hall Meeting room, 77 Main Street
Democratic Caucus: July 26th at 7pm, location details at NewCanaanDems.Info
New Canaan Offices up for election Fall 2021:
- First selectman (2-year term)
- Selectman (2-year term)
- Town Clerk (2-year term)
- Town Treasurer (2-year term)
- Board of Education (4-year term)
- Board of Assessment Appeals (2-year term)
- Town Council (4-year term)
- Constable (4-year term)
Municipal Elections = New Canaan’s Direction
Verify your voter registration status on VOTE411.org
June 2nd, 2021 referendum
Get Informed and Vote! The Referendum on June 2nd will determine whether the Board of Finance will be required to reconsider the Board of Education's budget by $463,337. Our handy pdf below explains what a referendum is, how it is triggered, and the specifics of the June 2nd referendum. It can be downloaded and printed as a landscape document. More information can be found on the town's website NewCanaan.info, or by calling the office of the Town Clerk.
Voting and Elections with Secretary of State Denise Merrill
The Leagues of Women Voters of Darien and New Canaan and Darien Library welcomed Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill on Thursday, April 29, 2021 to discuss how our state facilitates voter access and protects election integrity—before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.
What are the reasons for our existing rules? How did we manage the increase in absentee ballots in our last election? Why should voters trust our system? Secretary Merrill will take us through the different processes, and close with an update on two proposed joint resolutions under consideration in our Legislature that seek to permanently expand access to voting in Connecticut.
What are the reasons for our existing rules? How did we manage the increase in absentee ballots in our last election? Why should voters trust our system? Secretary Merrill will take us through the different processes, and close with an update on two proposed joint resolutions under consideration in our Legislature that seek to permanently expand access to voting in Connecticut.
Our Town government: How it works,
how you can get involved
The New Canaan League of Women Voters presents"New Canaan - How Our Town Government Works". This program discusses how Town Hall works and how residents can learn more and get involved.
Meet & Greet: Making Our Democracy Safe and Secure with league of women voters of norwalk
Sunday, January 31st
2:30 - 4:30 pm on Zoom Join the League of Women Voters of Norwalk for their annual Meet & Greet. The 2021 topic is "Making Our Democracy Safe and Secure," featuring Myrna Perez, Director of the Brennan Center's Voting Rights and Elections Program. All candidates who ran in November 2020 will be recognized, and all members of the public are welcome to attend. Pre-registration is required. |
Voting During COVID-19:
Q&A with CT Sots Denise Merrill
Did you miss our "Voting During COVID-19" Q&A with CT Secretary of State Denise Merrill? Watch it here!