OUR
AMERICA
INITIATIVE
ANNOUNCES
FAIR DEBATES COALITION
September
3, 2015, Salt Lake City, UT -- Our America Initiative today announced
the formation of the “Coalition for Fair Debates”, comprised of
political parties, media outlets and advocacy groups who oppose the
exclusion of qualified candidates from nationally-televised
presidential debates.
Fair
Debates (https://www.fairdebates.com), is
a project of the Our America Initiative (https://www.ouramericainitiative.com),
a
national
advocacy organization, which has long supported opening the
general election presidential debates to all candidates who are
constitutionally eligible to serve and who appear on enough states’
ballots to potentially achieve a majority in the Electoral College. In
2012, those criteria would have allowed participation by the
Libertarian and Green Party nominees in addition to the Republican and
Democrat candidates.
The private Commission on Presidential Debates, created by the
Republican and Democratic Parties in 1987, uses polling criteria that
effectively limit participation in the nationally-televised debates to
only the Republican and Democrat nominees.
Joining in the Coalition for Fair Debates are the Libertarian and Green
parties, as well as organizations ranging from the Liberty Roundtable
to Downsize DC. Independent media outlets joining the coalition include
Truth in Media, the 1787 Radio Network, Ballot Access News and others.
Announcing the coalition, Ron Nielson Senior Advisor said, “For more
than 20 years, the Commission on Presidential Debates -- a private
organization created by the Republican and Democratic national parties
-- has monopolized the nationally-televised general election
presidential debates. They have intentionally excluded other qualified
candidates from participating by applying arbitrary polling criteria
that are virtually impossible to meet by independent or ‘third party’
candidates.
“Today, a majority of Americans do not believe the Republican or
Democrat parties represent their views, and are more ready than ever to
consider alternatives to the status quo. They deserve the opportunity
to see and hear from all the viable candidates -- not just the
Republican and the Democrat. The Our America Initiative is fighting for
fair, open debates, and we are proud to have such a diverse group of
organizations, political parties and others joining that fight.”
In addition to a major grassroots effort to achieve reform of the
presidential debates, the Our America Initiative is leading a legal
challenge to the “monopoly” on televised debates exercised by the
Commission on Presidential Debates.