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Face it; third party candidates have virtually no chance under our current campaign system.
Most people who intend to vote recognize that under the current system of campaigning the two major parties get all of the Debate invites and pretty much all the media coverage, leaving other contenders out in the cold. This creates a two-party system where most people end up either voting Party line or for the lesser of two evils among the two major party candidates.
Part of the problem is requiring 15% ratings in national polls to be invited to national debates, something few, if any, third party candidates have achieved.
Now we can't really open the debates up to ALL contenders for a couple of reasons. First, we don't want or need another Republican example of 16 candidates all vying for the limited time available during a debate. Second, most third party organizations are either local rather than national, or are literally fringe groups with no real appeal (Communist Party, American Nazi Party, etc.).
My suggestion:
Require debates to use a step selection process to ensure up to five (5) candidates are allowed to participate in every national debate.
Step 1: Retain the 15% polling minimum to assure a guaranteed slot.
Step 2: Add the top remaining candidates drawing less than 15% in order of largest poll number to smallest poll number.
What do you think?
I don't see that more candidates and parties will change much. There were plenty of candidates albeit not so many Democrats and lots of debates for all. The voters however, managed to pick an unbelievable last three. That was the voter and much less the voting system. That is, what is so disquieting.
Face it; third party candidates have virtually no chance under our current campaign system.
Most people who intend to vote recognize that under the current system of campaigning the two major parties get all of the Debate invites and pretty much all the media coverage, leaving other contenders out in the cold. This creates a two-party system where most people end up either voting Party line or for the lesser of two evils among the two major party candidates.
Part of the problem is requiring 15% ratings in national polls to be invited to national debates, something few, if any, third party candidates have achieved.
Now we can't really open the debates up to ALL contenders for a couple of reasons. First, we don't want or need another Republican example of 16 candidates all vying for the limited time available during a debate. Second, most third party organizations are either local rather than national, or are literally fringe groups with no real appeal (Communist Party, American Nazi Party, etc.).
My suggestion:
Require debates to use a step selection process to ensure up to five (5) candidates are allowed to participate in every national debate.
Step 1: Retain the 15% polling minimum to assure a guaranteed slot.
Step 2: Add the top remaining candidates drawing less than 15% in order of largest poll number to smallest poll number.
What do you think?
You are talking about the Primary campaigns for the party candidates.
I am talking about the National Election campaign period. The period where each party has chosen it's candidate and now they are competing for Presidential and other national level elections.
yeah, third party candidates should be included in the debates if they are above a minimal level of support. i'd rather see gerrymandering banned, though.
Face it; third party candidates have virtually no chance under our current campaign system.
Most people who intend to vote recognize that under the current system of campaigning the two major parties get all of the Debate invites and pretty much all the media coverage, leaving other contenders out in the cold. This creates a two-party system where most people end up either voting Party line or for the lesser of two evils among the two major party candidates.
Part of the problem is requiring 15% ratings in national polls to be invited to national debates, something few, if any, third party candidates have achieved.
Now we can't really open the debates up to ALL contenders for a couple of reasons. First, we don't want or need another Republican example of 16 candidates all vying for the limited time available during a debate. Second, most third party organizations are either local rather than national, or are literally fringe groups with no real appeal (Communist Party, American Nazi Party, etc.).
My suggestion:
Require debates to use a step selection process to ensure up to five (5) candidates are allowed to participate in every national debate.
Step 1: Retain the 15% polling minimum to assure a guaranteed slot.
Step 2: Add the top remaining candidates drawing less than 15% in order of largest poll number to smallest poll number.
What do you think?
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