In preparation for the 2022 election, Science Debate and the National Science Policy Network are working with state coalitions across the country to develop regionally tailored, nonpartisan questions for all candidates related to science, technology and health policy priorities. All responses from candidates are posted online so voters are informed about their candidates’ positions prior to Election Day.

Who can participate?
Every state team is unique, built through collaborations between NSPN chapters, students, professionals, non-government organizations, and concerned citizens. If you want to get involved where you live, contact us at contact@scipolnetwork.org to develop questions in your state or be connected with team members already active there.

Are there already active coalitions working on this?
Yes! There are several coalitions already reaching out to candidates across the country:
Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin.

When to start?
Every timeline is different. Early states in our pilot program launch have already submitted questions to candidates and published responses. Others are thinking about their first steps.

If you’re interested in participating, contact us at contact@scipolnetwork.org to get connected!

What does the workflow look like?

The project workflow can be broken down to three distinct stages:

1) Question developments: State teams will draft questions related to science and technology to ask candidates for elected office at any desired level of state or local government. Questions should be designed to reflect the priorities of the state or region of each team. It is recommended that input be solicited from local non-profits.

2) Candidate outreach: After questions are finalized, teams will reach out to campaigns asking them to consider these topics and to reply with answers to the questions for online publication.

3) Publishing of answers: Once answers are received, webpages will be created to publish results received by candidates, alongside outreach to relevant media outlets.

At each step of the way, NSPN and Science Debate will offer guidance and ideas to help the progression of the project and to maintain non-partisanship.

Use #StateScienceQs on social media.

RESOURCES
Science Debate-NSPN Engagement Guidelines
Bolder Advocacy 501C3 resource library
Iowa Coalition: Answered question sets
Science Debate 2018 questions

ORGANIZATIONS
SCIENCE DEBATE
Science Debate, founded in 2007, asks candidates, elected officials, the public and the media to focus more on science policy issues of vital importance to modern life. As a registered 501(c)(3), Science Debate is nonpartisan. We encourage everyone to ask their candidates to discuss and debate their science and technology policies for the well-being of our nation and society.

NATIONAL SCIENCE POLICY NETWORK
The National Science Policy Network (NSPN) is a non-profit representing early career science policy, advocacy, and diplomacy groups distributed across the country, focused on providing a platform for sharing resources, building relationships, and training the next generation of scientists and engineers to be pivotal voices in all levels of policy making.