Community forums like these will not, on their own, heal political wounds. But they are a start, writes guest columnist Jean Henscheid. (Getty Images)
In 2022, the financial publication Moneywise ranked Idaho the 10th rudest state in the nation. Three years on and in the midst of a rancorous election season, media reports and anecdotal evidence suggest that that ranking is unlikely to have improved. According to Moneywise, we have rude drivers and people are mean to service providers. An outburst by a legislative candidate at a North Idaho forum and competing jabs about Proposition 1 give the impression that political interactions in Idaho are also rude.
In many instances that’s just not true.
A recent candidate forum in Caldwell is a case in point. Eight congressional and legislative candidates met for a respectful discussion about the experiences and perspectives that make them the best choice for elective office. Not one candidate shouted or belittled their opponent.
College of Idaho to host public policy forum on open primaries, ranked choice voting
At the end, they all stood, shoulder to shoulder, for a friendly group photo (see it on the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page or on the League of Women Voters of Idaho Instagram). The smile prompt from the photographer was “civility.” Throughout the event, polite audience members from across the political spectrum asked important policy questions.
Even more spectacular, that same evening, was the calm and thoughtful attitude participants brought to a nonpartisan ranked choice voting demonstration from the forum co-sponsor, the League of Women Voters of Idaho. While there was a smattering of under-the-breath comments during the demonstration, the partisan discussion was reserved for the hallways after the forum. That, too, was respectful. The point of the demonstration was not to change minds, it was to help participants better understand what they would be voting for or against.
Local Leagues in Moscow, Kootenai County and Pocatello have all held similarly dignified and civil forums. Three additional events are planned in Boise on Oct. 15, 22 and 24. The League of Women Voters of Idaho does not have a corner on conducting non-contentious candidate events. We ask candidates to follow strict rules based on civil discourse principles and know that other organizations do the same. It does help that the U.S. League has been sponsoring candidate events for more than 100 years (nearly 75 in Idaho).
The lesson here is that people in our state are willing to engage in political conversations with their neighbors when they participate in a structured face-to-face event. In this space, there is no opportunity to hide behind anonymous online posts and negative campaign signs.
Community forums like these will not, on their own, heal political wounds or save American democracy. They are a start. If our collective willingness to be less rude in political spaces migrates to our driving and our treatment of service providers, we may just move the needle on the rudeness rankings overall.
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