Presidential Debates: A Chance for Change
Editorial Note: This piece was originally published on my Huffington Post blog.
Editorial Note: This piece was originally published on my Huffington Post blog.
Tonight is the first 2012 presidential debate, and the media has whipped itself into a frenzy over the latest poll numbers. The pre-Election rush has officially arrived. Here at the League, that means working overtime for these last critical days to make sure as many voters as possible are registered and ready to participate.
My election season travel is truly in full swing. I’ve been on the road for nearly a month, visiting Ohio, Colorado, Missouri, and now Michigan, and after a few quick days back home in Georgia, I’m hitting the road again visiting a few more states before the Election Day.
“[Debates] are the only opportunities the voters have to see and hear the candidates talk about the same things at the same time — and to take a real time comparative measure of them.”
According to Nielsen—the company that spends millions of dollars each year to examine the actual television viewing habits of the American public—98 percent of people’s video time is spent with traditional television. That means on a TV set with their remote control. Not on their laptop, not on their smartphone, not on their tablet—on a television set.
The League of Women Voters has a long history with candidate debates. Between 1960 and 1984, the League sponsored every presidential and vice presidential candidate debate. The League may no longer sponsor these televised debates, but state and local Leagues across the country continue to sponsor candidate debates at the state and local levels, just as they always have.