Debate Format

PARTICIPANTS:

Moderator:

Role: To MC the debate, to introduce everyone, to explain the reason for the evening and the way that it will work, to ensure fairness and order, and to keep time

Candidates: 

Role:  To answer the questions asked of them and to demonstrate that they are the best candidate to fill the vacant senate seat in their state

Audience:

Role: To evaluate the success of the candidates during their debate

DEBATE FORMAT:

-The moderator will welcome everyone, introduce the state in which the debate will take place, explain why we have a need for this meeting, introduce the candidates, provide any necessary background information on issues they will discuss, and explain any planned deviations from the assigned format of the meeting.

-The moderator will introduce the candidates and their respective parties, then pose his/her first question to one of the candidates. The moderator will allow the first candidate to complete her thought, then allow the second candidate to respond.

-The moderator is responsible for maintaining decorum during the debate. He/she should stop the candidates from interrupting one another and may cut the candidate off at any time if it is necessary (long-winded response, avoiding the topic, etc.).

-After the moderator has asked his 3-4 questions, he will turn to the audience for one question. 

-Once each candidate has had the opportunity to respond to the audience question, the debate is over.

-Although this would not happen in real life, at the end of each debate the moderator will poll the class to assign a winner. In real life, the task of deciding who wins a debate typically falls to the press (or to each candidate’s campaign manager).

DEBATE PROCEDURE:

The debates will cover a wide range of topics, including domestic and foreign policy matters.

Each debate will be divided roughly into three three-minute segments. Each candidate will have 45 seconds to respond to a direct question and then an additional minute for rebuttal and to ask follow-up questions. The order will be determined by a coin toss prior to the debate.

The specific subjects and questions should be chosen by the moderator and not shared with the candidates before the debate.

Each debate will take a total of approximately 10-12 minutes.