How this works

The short version

Every candidate sits alone with the camera and answers the same questions in the same order with the same clock running. We publish all of it at once. The order you see them in came out of a random draw, not out of anyone’s opinion.

Who is invited

Every candidate certified to appear on the Portsmouth ballot for City Council or School Board in this election is invited. Not a selection. Not a shortlist. If a candidate qualifies for the ballot, the invitation goes out.

Participation is voluntary. If a candidate declines or does not respond, their name still appears on this site with a plain note that they did not participate. No characterization, no speculation about why.

The questions

Every candidate for the same office gets the same questions in the same order. Questions are sent to candidates in advance, and they are published on this page at the same time, so you can see exactly what was asked before you watch anyone answer.

There are no follow-up questions and no cross-examination. This is not a debate.

The recording

Individual interview. No other candidate is in the room.
Same location, same lighting, same audio, same camera framing for everyone.
Same time limit per answer, timed the same way for everyone.
One retake per question, available to every candidate on the same terms.
No notes are provided, no scripts are read for the candidate, and no questions are supplied outside the published set.

The edit

We cut the top and tail, keep the answers intact, and add a plain lower third with the candidate’s name and the office they are seeking. No music, no b-roll, no graphics, no highlight clips, and no captions written by us that characterize what was said.

Every video gets corrected English captions. Spanish subtitles are reviewed by a fluent speaker before they go up.

Publication order

Order is set by a random draw held by the OTBA Legislative Committee. The draw result is published here before the videos go live. Order is not alphabetical, not by incumbency, and not by anything else. It is the draw.

All videos publish at the same time. Nobody goes first in time.

What happens after

Videos stay up through the election and remain available afterward as a public record. We do not take a video down because a candidate later dislikes their answer. If a candidate leaves the race, we mark the record and leave the video up.

Nothing on this site is a recommendation. We publish what they said. We do not tell you what to think about it.

The questions

City Council

01 Introduce yourself. Who are you, what do you do, and how long have you been in Portsmouth? 1:00 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.
02 What is the single biggest problem facing Portsmouth right now, and what would you actually do about it in your first year? 1:30 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.
03 Portsmouth's small business corridors, including Olde Towne, have struggled with vacancy and turnover. What is the city's role in fixing that, and what is not the city's role? 1:30 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.
04 Council has had public conflict in recent years. How do you work with colleagues you disagree with? 1:30 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.
05 Where should the city spend more, and where should it spend less? Be specific. 1:30 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.
06 What is one thing the current Council got right that you would continue? 1:30 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.
07 Why should a Portsmouth voter choose you? 1:00 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.

School Board

01 Introduce yourself. Who are you, what do you do, and how long have you been in Portsmouth? 1:00 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.
02 What is the most urgent problem in Portsmouth Public Schools, and what would you do about it in your first year? 1:30 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.
03 How should the division measure whether it is succeeding? What number do you watch? 1:30 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.
04 What is the School Board's job, and what is the superintendent's job? Where is the line? 1:30 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.
05 Portsmouth Public Schools operates on a budget funded largely by city and state dollars. Where would you put more money, where would you cut, and how do you defend that to a taxpayer who disagrees? 1:30 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.
06 What is one thing the division got right that you would continue? 1:30 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.
07 Why should a Portsmouth voter choose you? 1:00 to answer. The same limit for every candidate in this race.

Every candidate in a race is asked these questions, in this order, with the same clock running. There are no follow-up questions and no cross-examination. Candidates receive them in advance, at the same time as they are published here.