Americans have more options
Photo from flickr.com
This election cycle has led to major frustration for many. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have isolated many of their party members, leading to the success of Bernie Sanders and third-party candidates such as Jill Stein or Gary Johnson. These third party candidates have policy preferences different enough from the two major parties to give voters real options, but they have not had the same opportunities to be heard. The Commission on Presidential Debates limits debate participants to those who receive an average of 15% in national polls in addition to being on enough state ballots for a candidate to win. This commission was created by the two major parties in 1987 and has set the rules for general election debates since then.
By only allowing those candidates who reach 15% of the national polls to debate, this policy creates a "chicken and egg" problem: to reach these polling numbers, debate visibility is crucial for third-party candidates who often have less funding and institutional support. Gary Johnson came close to 15% in some polls, leading his campaign to take on the slogan “let Gary debate.” Johnson gained his support because of his fiscally conservative platform, drawing in some Republican voters while also picking up some former Bernie Sanders supporters with similar anti-war, pro-marijuana and civil liberties stances.
Instead of having the opportunity to share his ideas with 50 million Americans alongside his competitors, however, Johnson was shut out of all three debates. Johnson instead appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live after the third debate to try and share his ideas. This interview did not allow him to directly address his opponents, and it was certainly not as distinguished a venue.
By not presenting the American public their full range of ideas, this commission is inhibiting freedom of speech in one of the most important ways—how we elect our leaders.
In 1992, the Commission on Presidential Debates allowed an independent candidate to debate for the first and last time. This was against the will of the CPD, though, as Perot was only polling around seven percent. The two major-party candidates of the election, George Bush and Bill Clinton, both believed that allowing Perot to debate would be to their benefit and pressed the CPD to allow him in on the action. Perot ended up with nineteen percent of the popular vote after receiving the same treatment of the other candidates. A twelve percent jump in the polls after the debate inclusion suggests that this is not a trivial issue.
Later, in the 1996 election, Ross Perot again had seven percent in the polls and wanted his chance to debate. This time, however, the major-party candidates did not see his participation as beneficial. Therefore, he was rejected and left with only eight percent of popular votes on Election Day. It’s time that the Commission on Presidential Debates lowers their threshold for debate criteria and allows the American people to see all their options.
