POCATELLO — Idaho State University's Political Science Club, in partnership with citizen group Braver Angels, will host a nonpartisan "Meet Your Candidates" event Sept. 22, giving Pocatello area voters a chance to question their local legislative candidates face to face in a speed-dating-style format.

The event will run from 6 to 8 p.m. in the ISU Pond Student Union Ballroom and will feature candidates for the Idaho Legislature's District 28 and District 29 seats, which cover much of Pocatello and the surrounding area.

Amy Joinville, vice president of the Political Science Club, said the idea grew out of frustration with how inaccessible traditional candidate forums can feel, even to people like her who study politics for a living.

Rather than constructing the format like a traditional candidate forum, organizers are setting up roundtables where candidates rotate through a pair of sessions, each lasting about 15 minutes, answering questions directly from attendees.

Guests will be sorted by legislative district at check-in so they only spend their time with the candidates who would actually represent them.

Joinville said the tables will alternate between Democratic and Republican candidates intentionally to discourage an us-versus-them dynamic in the room.

Campaign materials will be available at tables along the edge of the ballroom for anyone who wants to follow up after the rotations end. QR codes at each table will link attendees to further information, including how voter turnout has trended locally.

The League of Women Voters will be on hand to register voters, and both the Republican and Democratic parties will staff their own informational tables.

Candidates in attendance for District 28 include incumbent Sen. Jim Guthrie and challenger Mandy Peace for the Senate seat, along with Dan Garner and Jayson Meline for House Seat B. District 28 House Seat A candidate Kim Jackman has also been confirmed as a participant, though her opponent, incumbent Rick Cheatum, will not attend.

District 29 candidates include Dustin Manwaring and Mary Shea for House Seat A, and Nate Roberts and Jennifer Miles for House Seat B. Sen. James Ruchti is expected to attend as well, though his opponent, John Crowder, will not.

Organizers said all participating candidates have been briefed on expected conduct, and campus security and volunteers will be present. Hard questions are welcome, Joinville said, but attendees are asked not to demean candidates and to be respectful.

Joinville said the broader goal is to counter political apathy, particularly among younger voters. She recounted how in Haiti, where her husband is from, voting is much more serious, and people there will go to great lengths to have their voices heard. She said many people she talks to believe their vote does not carry weight, especially at higher levels of government.

In a political science class last week, Joinville said a discussion of how government systems function stuck with her — that ambiguity in politics is sometimes built in on purpose, making it harder for ordinary people to make real decisions or fully participate.

"What I was taught in school is that we are for the people, by the people," Joinville said. "If we want that and we believe in that, then we have to do the parts that we have the power to do. If the people who are in power are not representing us, then we have to use our vote to have people there who are representing us."

Joinville said the Sept. 22 event is one piece of a larger push to make civic participation feel less intimidating.

A local nonprofit advocacy group, Idaho Civic Hope Project, is also holding its own event the following day, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the ICCU Bengal Alumni Center. That forum will discuss democracy, individual rights and the Constitution, featuring three judicial speakers.

Joinville also works with the Associated Students of Idaho State University's community relations office and said she is planning an October event pairing a DJ dance party with voter registration, aimed at drawing in younger residents who might not otherwise attend a political gathering.

No RSVP is required to attend the Sept. 22 event, though organizers ask that attendees come prepared to engage directly with the candidates representing their district.