Connecticut Public and the League of Women Voters of Connecticut (LWVCT) have scheduled a series of eight debates featuring candidates from races for governor, U.S. Senate, secretary of state, and the five congressional districts.

The seven-week series will begin Thurs., Sept. 15 and will end with the gubernatorial debate on Thurs., Oct. 27th. A live audience will attend each debate, which will be moderated by a Connecticut Public journalist.

The schedule is as follows:

• Thursday, September 15, 8 p.m. – Secretary of the State (University of Hartford, Lincoln Theater, West Hartford, CT), moderated by Walter Smith Randolph
• Thursday, September 22, 8 p.m. – 1st Congressional District (Manchester Community College, SBM Charitable Foundation Auditorium, Manchester, CT), moderated by Ray Hardman
• Thursday, September 29, 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, 8 p.m. – 3rd Congressional District (Gateway Community College, Curan Community Center, New Haven, CT), moderated by Lisa Hagen
• Thursday, October 13, 8 p.m. – 4th Congressional District (Norwalk Community College, David Levinson Theater, Norwalk, CT), moderated by Dr. Khalilah Brown-Dean
• 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.

The debates will all be broadcast and streamed on Connecticut Public platforms, including CPTV, ctpublic.org, YouTube and Facebook Live, as well as the LWVCT website and YouTube channel. The debates will also be simulcast on Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR 90.5, WEDW and WVOF 88.5, WPKT 89.1 and streaming at ctpublic.org).
Organizers said the debate series wll also be produced as podcasts, accessible via the App Store, Google Play and other common podcast platforms.

Tim Rasmussen, Chief Content Officer of Connecticut Public, said in a prepared release that this series will give voters access to candidates.

Laura Smits, President of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut, added that both Connecticut Public and the League want to present this access in a non-partisan way.

“Connecticut Public’s reputation for solid journalism combined with our expertise in hosting fair debates is a terrific combination and should give voters confidence that, in the century-old tradition of the League, we will ensure the fairness and transparency of the electoral process,” Smits said.