The debates are a critical part of the campaign to educate voters about candidates and issues. They provide a forum for discussion that is not possible in other public settings or in the media.

Since its founding in 1987, the CPD has worked to create debate formats that focus maximum time and attention on the candidates’ positions. Each cycle, debate sites submit bids in response to formal site selection guidelines; the final site and date are announced approximately one year in advance of the debates. The majority of debates are held on college and university campuses, which gives students an opportunity to participate in the civic education process.

People’s perception of the quality of political debate is a powerful influence on how they feel about politics, and how hopeful or pessimistic they are about America’s future. One study found that, in a nationally representative sample, Americans significantly overestimate how frequently they and other Americans engage in political debates with strangers online. This misperception has psychological costs, and may contribute to increased feelings of hopelessness about the state of American politics.

When discussing politics, high-quality counterarguments are more effective at changing attitudes than lower-quality ones. Yet, testing the effects of different approaches to political debate at the micro level is difficult. Most people are interested in or have knowledge of only a small number of political issues, so it is difficult to use experimental approaches that control for the many other factors that can influence debate quality.