According to the Commission On Presidential Debates, the presidential candidates from the Democrat and Republican party will face off in three debate in the month of October.
On October 3 the debate will be at the University of Denver in Colorado. The debate will focus on domestic policy and be divided into six time segments of approximately 15 minutes each on topics to be selected by the moderator and announced several weeks before the debate. The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the topic.
On October 16 the debate will be at the Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. The second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which citizens will ask questions of the candidates on foreign and domestic issues. Candidates each will have two minutes to respond, and an additional minute for the moderator to facilitate a discussion. The town meeting participants will be undecided voters selected by the Gallup Organization.
The final presidential debate will be on October 22, at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL. The format for the debate will be identical to the first presidential debate and will focus on foreign policy.
There will also be a vice-presidential debate on October 11 at Centre College in Daville, KY. The debate will cover both foreign and domestic topics and be divided into nine time segments of approximately 10 minutes each. The moderator will ask an opening question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the question.
Honestly, are we expecting a lot of fireworks in these debates? Probably not. Are we expecting any real solutions to be laid out on the table? Probably not. Are we expecting some mud slinging to take place? My bets are on that for sure.
