Political debate is a form of communication in which different views are exchanged. Its purpose is to inform and educate the public on issues of importance in our daily lives. This type of dialogue is a key element in any democracy.
Generally, the format of a political debate begins with each leader giving a short opening statement. Then, a set of prepared questions is asked by either one or more debaters or a panel of well-known journalists. The debaters answer the questions, and then time is devoted to a free-for-all “freedom of speech” part of the debate. The moderator typically attempts to exercise control over this portion of the debate so that no debater is able to monopolize the conversation.
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, privately funded organization that does not endorse or support any candidate for public office or political party. Its board includes distinguished Americans who are not affiliated with any party or outside organization. It has long used a set of criteria to select candidates invited to participate in the CPD debates. The current criterion for invitation balances the goal of being inclusive to those with the highest levels of public support against the risk that the debates would become overly partisan or dominated by the leaders of the major parties.