Presidential debates 2020 are starting from Nov 29 at 9:00 am EST. The second and third debate will be on Oct 15 and 22, with the only VP debate on Oct 7, 2020.
In the middle of the pandemic, the commission on presidential debates will commence the presidential debates for 2020 soon for the November elections.
The incumbent president, Donald Trump, will face the former vice president, Joe Biden, in a series of debates that will kick off with the first debate on Sept 29, 2020.
Later on, both presidential nominees will face each other again on Oct 15 and Oct 22 for the second and third presidential debates, respectively. The only vice-presidential debate will be on Oct 7, where Kamala Harris and Mike Pence will face each other. Here is everything you need to know about the presidential debates 2020.
Presidential debates 2020: 1st Debate:
Location: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
Date and day: Tuesday, Sept 29, 2020
Time: 9-10:30 Eastern time zone
Moderator: Chris Wallace, anchor of Fox News Sunday
Presidential debates 2020: 2nd Debate:
Location: Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, Florida
Date and day: Thursday, Oct 15, 2020
Time: 9 pm-10:30 pm Eastern time zone
Moderator: Steve Scully, Political Editor and executive producer at C-SPAN networks
Presidential debates 2020: 3rd Debate:
Location: Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee
Date and day: Thursday, Oct 22, 2020
Time: 9 pm-10:30 pm Eastern time zone
Moderator: Kristen Welker, Anchor Weekend TODAY and White House Correspondent, NBC News
Vice-presidential debate:
The only VP debate will have the following schedule.
Location: The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Date and day: Wednesday, Oct 7, 2020
Time: 9 pm-10:30 pm Eastern time zone
Moderator: Susan Page, Bureau Chief, USA Today
How to watch: All major channels will telecast the live presidential debates.
Structure of the presidential debates 2020:
In the wake of the pandemic, the changing dynamics of the US presidential elections are evident. Whether the changing priorities of the presidential nominees during the current economic downfall or the psychological impact of the prevailing virus, everything is changing at a rapid pace.
The format and the structure of the presidential debates 2020 will look something like this.
First presidential debate:
There will be six segments in the first presidential debate having a duration of fifteen minutes each. Each segment will be dedicated to a separate topic, which will be announced by the moderator of the debate at least one week before the debate.
Each segment will start with the question from the moderator, and both of the candidates will have the time to respond to the questions. Both the presidential nominees will have the opportunity to respond to each other. Based on the time left in the segment, the moderator can drive discussion of the topic further for a deeper understanding by the general public.
Second presidential debate:
The second debate will be different from the first and third debate in the sense that it will be a sort of town meeting.
The citizens from South Florida will have the opportunity to ask questions of the presidential nominees.
On these questions, both of the nominees will have two minutes to respond, followed by an extra minute for the moderator to facilitate the discussion. The citizens will be chosen under the supervision of Dr. Frank Newport of Gallup and will be uncommitted voters.
Third presidential debate:
The third presidential debate will be structured like the first debate.
It is pertinent to note here that all the debates will be ninety minutes long without any commercial break.
Vice-presidential debate:
There will be nine sections in the vice-presidential debate, each having a duration of ten minutes.
Like the first and third presidential debates, the VP debate will also start with the question, followed by a two-minute discussion by each nominee. After that, the moderator will use the remaining time to drive the discussion further.
Like always, only moderators will have the authority to decide the questions to ask. The questions will even be unknown to the commission.
Moderators will also have the ability to extend the segment based on the direction of the debate and give equal time to the candidates. Not only this, but they will also be able to regulate the conversation to make sure that the debates are going in the proper directions.
Presidential debates 2020 is going to be extremely interesting amid all the prevailing hot issues. This year’s debates will also be arranged on the format of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections with the extended segments so that candidates could focus on real and critical issues.
Read more about 2020 debates:
5 Likely things to watch in 2020 debates
Top and Hot Topics to watch for Presidential Debates
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.