The Commission on Presidential Debates has released the debate schedule for later in 2024, providing invited presidential hopefuls with three opportunities to debate before Election Day. The debate will adhere to the same invitation criteria as in previous years.
The schedule, announced this past November, comprises three presidential debates and a single vice-presidential debate.
The three presidential debates are spaced between September and October, with the first general election presidential debate scheduled for September 16, 2024, at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. The second debate will take place on October 1, 2024, at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia. Lastly, the final debate is set for October 9, 2024, at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The sole vice presidential debate will take place on September 25, 2024, at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.
The Commission on Presidential Debates will not announce details on the debate format and its moderators until 2024. All debates are scheduled to begin at 9:00 PM EST and will run for 90 minutes uninterrupted.
However, the Commission did outline its “nonpartisan selection criteria,” comprising three essential requirements that candidates must meet to participate. These include evidence of a candidate’s Constitutional eligibility, proof of ballot access, and indicators of electoral support.
According to the Commission, participants must be at least 35 years old, a Natural Born Citizen of the United States, a legal resident for fourteen years, and otherwise constitutionally eligible. In terms of ballot access, it expects candidates to be on enough state ballots to have a mathematical path to victory in the Electoral College. Lastly it defines indicators of support as “at least 15% of the national electorate,” as determined by five national opinion polls released by polling organizations selected by the CPD.
The Commission further stated that these polling organizations will be selected later in 2024 and must use specific polling methodologies, maintain a certain frequency of polling, and have a reputable standing.
I dont know how Biden and Trump can debate for more than 90 minutes, a RFK Jill Stein and Joe Manchin debating to be would be more intellectual and less interruptions. I suggest letting candidates with 5% nationally or 40% in two states just like gop primary debates along with and being on enough ballots to reach 270. To get on the debate stage
Is it even going to matter? Trump has indicated he wont’ partcipate in any debate. So Eitehr we’ll end up with a Regan v. Anderson as we did in 1980 (which of course I think Clark should have been at) or they change the criteria altogether (which actually could be good for “them” if they really want to help “liberals” win and think Libertarians “steal” votes from Republicans). However I think it is more likely that they will just cancel the debates altogether, as in December of 2023 most everyone has made up their mind already whether they are voting for Trump or Biden, and fewer people will vote for Independents or third parties than they have in like 20 years. That’s all assuming that nothing surprising occurs during the R/D primaries.
@Darryl & @George its’ pretty clear from the article that “on the ballot” means enough state’s such that if the slate of electors’ one the majority of all of the state elections in which the candidates’ name would appear as a choice on the ballot, that candidate should be on the stage. I agree, but then again I’m a Libertarian, of course I agree, that would have put every LP POTUS nominee in my lifetime on the stage.
Historyically the Presidential debates have been on “every channel” and as such there is little concern about their ratings. However if an exclusive contract where given it could well make a difference if Libertarians, and others, where invited. If I recall correctly the rating for CNN’s “Townhall” with Johnson/Weld was nearly double the rating of their Townhall with Trump. Unfortunatley it wasn’t the victory for Libertarians it should have been, what with Johnson & Weld publicly disagreeing on policy issues, not the leas of which was Johnson’s support of a national consumption tax, and Weld’s supprot of replacing the progressive income tax with a regressive flat tax. (While the LP platform indicates that we support no new taxes for any reason).
The complication is that there are 50 state ballots, and as a candidate you get to qualify for each one separately, so many candidates will be on the ballot in some states but not others, so ‘on the ballot’ is ambiguous.
A candidate must have at least 15% support, based on standard polls by reputable groups. There will be specifications on polling. Perhaps this time the specifications will include naming all the candidates who have a mathematical possibility of winning.
An amusing possibility is that one of the major-party candidates will manage to implode in the polls, and fall beneath 15%. Will the rules then be changed?
If a candidate is on the ballot, then they should be invited to the debates.
I wonder if one of the “specific polling methodologies” will be “doesn’t include candidates other than the Republican or Democrat”?