Political debate is a process of discussing the issues that affect citizens’ lives. It is an important part of democracy because it allows voters to hear from candidates directly and compare their positions on the issues. It is also used as a tool to educate voters on the differences between candidates and help them make informed decisions at the polls.
Traditionally, political debate has focused on the candidates for president and other major elections. However, there are now debates for gubernatorial and other local office campaigns as well. Debates can also be held with independent or third party candidates. Regardless of the type of debate, there are some basic rules that apply.
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) sets the format and rules for debates. It is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that receives no government funding and is not affiliated with any political party or PAC. Its board of directors includes prominent Americans who are not politicians.
Each cycle, the CPD carefully considers early voting, religious and federal holidays and other milestone events, as well as White House television pool contractual conflicts (like those of Major League Baseball) when selecting debate dates. The CPD also uses the results of public opinion polling to determine which candidates should be invited to participate. The decision to use a 15 percent level of support as the threshold for invitations balances the goal of being inclusive without inviting candidates who have only scant public support, which would jeopardize the voter education purpose of the debates.