When a political debate occurs, a specific topic is discussed in an open public forum. This is a very important part of democracy because it allows the voters to compare candidates’ ideas and policies on that issue.
In the United States, political debate has been around since Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858, when two competing candidates argued their positions before an audience of 40 to 80 million Americans who listened to the radio broadcast. Over time, debate became a more formal process and was moved from the radio to television, with the League of Women Voters sponsoring the first televised presidential debates in 1952.
There are many different formats for a political debate, with the most common being moderator, panelist and town hall meeting formats. In the moderator format, a single person poses questions to the candidates, directs rebuttals and manages response times. Panelist formats include several people posing questions, and town hall meetings include members of the audience asking the candidates questions.
Regardless of the format, all debates should be held in a nonpartisan manner and must include all declared candidates with a reasonable chance of winning the presidency. This means that the sponsor must be careful not to take an approach so inclusive that it invites candidates with scant support and leads the other candidates to decline the debate invitation.
The dates of debates are determined each cycle by the CPD and announced approximately one year in advance to allow for complete logistical preparation by the sponsors. The CPD carefully considers early voting, religious and federal holidays, and White House television pool contractual conflicts (like Major League Baseball) in selecting debate dates.