Commission on Presidential Debates
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The Commission on Presidential Debates is a United States organization was created by the Democratic and Republican parties in 1987 to moderate the U.S. presidential election debates. The Commission has moderated the 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 debates. Prior to this, the League of Women Voters moderated the 1976, 1980, 1984 debates.
Despite its name, the Commission is not an official government organization. The organization is a bi-partisan, nonprofit corporation that is chaired by a member from the Democratic and Republican parties and has a board of directors consisting of equal members from both parties. The Commission publishes the criteria required for a candidate to qualify for the presidential debate, and assists in the negotiations of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the candidates that participate in the debate. The Commission is responsible for the selection of the sites where the debates are located, and in the period between presidential campaign years produces educational material and provides technical assistance to students and foreign countries interested in the debate process. The commission has been accused of unfairly excluding third party and independent candidates by requiring a minimum of 15% support in the presidential election polls. [link]
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