Whether your goal is to communicate complex policies in an understandable way or respond quickly to attacks, thorough debate preparation gives you the tools to deliver your core message and connect with voters. The rigor of debate preparation also helps you manage your stress and anxiety, allowing you to appear composed and confident onstage.
Political debates can provide valuable insight into the candidates’ positions on a variety of issues, and have become one of the most important aspects of presidential campaigns. However, many viewers feel that the current format of timed answers and a single moderator fails to provide a full picture of the candidates or to clarify distinctions between or among them.
In addition, the lack of flexibility built into debate scheduling often means that the first debate takes place well after the beginning of early voting and insufficient time is left for undecided voters to make up their minds. A Hart Research survey found that 63% of Americans support moving the first debate to mid-September before early voting begins.
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) sets debate dates and sites over a year in advance, so there is not much room for flexibility. But there is precedent for introducing more flexibility: In 1996, four Clinton-Bush debates were held outside of the CPD’s announced schedule over nine days.
The CPD’s rules state that to be included in the presidential debates, a candidate must have a “statistically feasible chance of winning the presidency.” That translates into being on enough states’ ballots to win 270 electoral votes, and reaching 15% or higher in independent national surveys during a period of time defined by the CPD.