2012 Presidential Debate Schedule

The Commission on Presidential Debates, the organization that has sponsored all presidential debates since 1988, has provided the format, schedule, and moderators for the 2012 Presidential Debates. 2012 Election Central also gives a good rundown of the 2012 Presidential Debate Schedule. I have briefly summarized this information below. All debates will be aired on major local and cable networks (NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, C-Span, CNN, MSNBC, FOX, etc.) and live streaming will be available. Please mark your calendars accordingly and be sure to tune in so that you can make an informed decision on election day.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012 (Presidential Debate #1 - Domestic Policy)
Time: 9:00-10:30pm EST
Participants: President Barack Obama (Democrat) and Mitt Romney (Republican)
Moderator: Jim Lehrer (Executive Editor, PBS Newshour)
Location: University of Denver (Denver, Colorado)
Format & Topics: Six segments, 15 minutes per segment (topic choices announced by moderator) - three segments on the economy, one segment on health care, one segment on the role of government, and one segment on governing. Per the CPD, "The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the topic."

Thursday, October 11, 2012 (Vice Presidential Debate - Foreign & Domestic Policy)
Time: 9:00-10:30pm EST
Participants: Vice President Joe Biden (Democrat) and Congressman Paul Ryan (Republican)
Moderator: Martha Raddatz (Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent, ABC News)
Location: Centre College (Danville, Kentucky)
Format & Topics: Per the CPD, "The debate will cover both foreign and domestic topics and be divided into nine time segments of approximately 10 minutes each. The moderator will ask an opening question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the question."

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 (Presidential Debate #2 - Foreign & Domestic Policy)
Time: 9:00-10:30pm EST
Participants: President Barack Obama (Democrat) and Mitt Romney (Republican)
Moderator: Candy Crowley (Chief Political Correspondent, Anchor CNN State of the Union)
Location: Hofstra University (Hempstead, New York)
Format & Topics: Per the CPD, "The second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which citizens will ask questions of the candidates on foreign and domestic issues. Candidates each will have two minutes to respond, and an additional minute for the moderator to facilitate a discussion. The town meeting participants will be undecided voters selected by the Gallup Organization."

Monday, October 22, 2012 (Presidential Debate #3 - Foreign Policy)
Time: 9:00-10:30pm EST
Participants: President Barack Obama (Democrat) and Mitt Romney (Republican)
Moderator: Bob Schieffer (Chief Washington Correspondent, Moderator CBS Face the Nation)
Location: Lynn University (Boca Raton, Florida)
Format & Topics: Per the CPD, "The format for the debate will be identical to the first presidential debate and will focus on foreign policy."

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