Magna Carta News
Friday, February 13, 2004
The Citizens' Debate Commission is a nonpartisan organization that was established to sponsor future presidential debates. The Citizens' Debate Commission consists of national civic leaders from the left, center and right of the political spectrum who are committed to maximizing voter education. The Citizens' Debate Commission has an Advisory Board comprised of over fifty civic organizations that broadly reflect the composition and concerns of the electorate.
The nonpartisan Citizens' Debate Commission was formed because the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which has sponsored presidential debates during the past four election cycles, fails to adequately serve voters' interests. The Commission on Presidential Debates, which was created by the Republican and Democratic parties, secretly awards control of the presidential debates to the Republican and Democratic candidates, limiting voter choice and restricting subject matters of political discourse. Through the Commission on Presidential Debates, the Republican and Democratic candidates eliminate revealing debate formats, exclude popular third-party candidates, and avoid many pressing national issues. The result is diminished voter education and comfortable silence on critical issues of bipartisan agreement. The major party candidates never pay a political price for their antidemocratic practices because the Commission on Presidential Debates shields them from public criticism. For more information about the shortcomings of the Commission on Presidential Debates, please visit Open Debates.
