Election Day is just six weeks away. Still not sure who will get your vote?
Debates can be a great way to learn about the many candidates in a general election and where they stand on the issues, all at one time. Candidates work with the Utah Debate Commission to appear alongside their opponents in structured situations, where their beliefs and stances can be directly compared to one another.
“The purposes of [debates],” according to the commission’s website, “are to educate voters about viable candidates and their issue positions, promote a civil exchange of ideas among the leading candidates, and elevate the discussion of the most important issues confronting the State of Utah.”
The commission invites candidates who reach the required polling threshold to participate. This means the debates include only candidates who received at least 10% of the vote in a public opinion poll, according to a commission press release. But, with a 4.38% margin of error, candidates who received 5.62% qualified for an invitation.
Be sure to look into the debates for the seats you will be voting to fill this November. Here’s a complete schedule of the key races, from Salt Lake County to the White House:
Utah Debate Commission Schedule
1st Congressional District Debate
Thursday, Sept. 24, from 6-7 p.m.
Candidates: Darren Parry (D), Blake Moore (R)
Moderator: Rod Arquette
Utah Governor Debate
Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 6-7 p.m.
Candidates: Spencer Cox (R), Chris Peterson (D)
Moderator: Doug Wright
Vice Presidential Debate
Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 7-8:30 p.m.
Candidates: Kamala Harris (D), Mike Pence (R)
Moderator: Susan Page
4th Congressional District Debate
Monday, Oct. 12, from 6-7 p.m.
Candidates: Ben McAdams (D), Burgess Owens (R)
Moderator: Doug Wilks
3rd Congressional District Debate
Thursday, Oct. 15, from 6-7 p.m.
Candidates: John Curtis (R), Devin Thorpe (D)
Moderator: David Magleby
2nd Congressional District Debate
Monday, Oct. 19, from 6-7 p.m.
Candidates: J. Robert Latham (L), Chris Stewart (R), Kael Weston (D)
Moderator: Pat Jones
Utah Attorney General Debate
Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 6-7 p.m.
Candidates: Sean D. Reyes (R), Greg Skordas (D)
Moderator: Jennifer Napier-Pearce
Presidential and Vice Presidential Debate Schedule
Debates will air live on every major network and cable news channel, including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and C-SPAN, and will stream live on YouTube.
First Presidential Debate
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 7-8:30 p.m.
Location: University of Notre Dame
Moderator: Chris Wallace, anchor of Fox News Sunday
Vice Presidential Debate
Wednesday, Oct. 7, from 7-8:30 p.m.
Location: University of Utah
Candidates: Kamala Harris (D), Mike Pence (R)
Moderator: Susan Page, USA Today Washington Bureau chief
Second Presidential Debate
Thursday, Oct. 15, from 7-8:30 p.m.
Location: University of Michigan
Moderator: Steve Scully, political editor of C-SPAN
Third Presidential Debate
Thursday, Oct. 22, from 7-8:30 p.m.
Location: Belmont University
Moderator: Kristen Welker, NBC News White House correspondent
