For those who participate in them and watch them, debates are an important part of democratic life. They provide voters with a chance to understand the candidates’ positions, priorities and core political messages. They also allow them to compare alternatives, and clarify distinctions between or among candidates.
However, debates can also create polarization and denigration that makes it difficult to find common ground on important issues. In addition, they can give legitimacy to dangerous far-right ideologies. There are many reasons for this: people who seek public office often learn that they can gain more votes and/or secure more media attention if they spin heavily, exaggerate and engage in personal attacks, disregard evidence or ignore key institutions. This might benefit them in the short term, but it damages democracy and the quality of governance as a whole over time.
The debate process aims to remedy some of these problems through an arrangement that allows all major-party candidates to take part, ensures a generally equal division of time, and provides the opportunity for questions from the public. The debates are typically televised and conducted in one of three formats: a moderator format where the debate is hosted by a single person who poses questions, a panelist format where several individuals are asked to pose questions, or a town hall meeting format where members of the audience ask the candidates questions.
Despite these efforts, the quality of the discourse in debates remains problematic. There is wide agreement that healthy political debate should be honest, constructive, respectful and evidence-based. The latter feature is particularly critical because policy-making is more likely to produce outcomes that serve the public interest over the long term if it is based on reasoned consideration of the effects of alternative options.