The political debate is a crucial component of our democracy. Longer than a tweet, more substantive than an ad and embodying democratic ideals of civic participation, debates educate and inform voters in ways that other mediums do not.
Debates are also a way for citizens to get to know their candidates in ways that they cannot from campaign events and through the press. A debate can help voters understand what a candidate stands for and how that philosophy will translate into policy-making. In addition, a debate allows voters to see how candidates respond to challenging questions from the audience and how they interact with each other.
The CPD’s goal is to provide a forum where the members of the public can sharpen their views of candidates for the presidency in a focused debate format. To do so, the CPD selects candidates for invitation based on pre-established objective criteria. This includes a polling threshold of 15 percent, which balances the need to be sufficiently inclusive to ensure that candidates with a reasonable chance of winning are invited without being so inclusive as to allow debates to become forums for campaigns without substantial public support.
The debates are structured with the help of a panel of nationally respected Americans, including individuals not affiliated with any party. The panel’s advice is used by the Judge, attorneys and the moderator to guide the order of the questions and to ensure that one candidate does not monopolize time for lengthy or repetitive arguments. Candidates are allotted a set amount of time to answer each question, and to open and close the debate with statements about their own platform and vision. Colored lights resembling traffic signals indicate how much time each candidate has remaining as the debate progresses.