Following the 2012 election cycle, those who plan the presidential debates began work all over again. After discussing how the debates went last time, it appears that there is room for improvement.
The group, comprised of several people from past campaigns and debate experts, is looking to have the debates be more effective in 2016. With the growth of social media and absentee voting, this group believes there are serious changes that need to be made in order to have the best turnout.
These power players are looking at the timing, the location, the format and the moderators all as potential areas for change. Perhaps a certain formatting will be best to engage debate viewers on social media platforms. Or maybe having the debates earlier in the election cycle could be more helpful for those who will be voting early.
The group has already had two meetings so far this fall and it looks to continue into the spring. They have been in talks with the Commission on Presidential Debates to provide data from a study looking at their options.
What the group has agreed on is that there is room for improvement. They hope to have a list of their recommendations by the end of spring. It seems like these ideas are actually really great, and could have a huge impact on the 2016 election. We will just have to wait and see what the conclusions of their study are and how this will affect the next election’s debate system.
