Election 2000, the Presidential Debates, and Nader

Abstract

The impact of the vote for Ralph Nader in the 2000 U.S. presidential election will be debated for years. Nader garnered enough votes to affect the outcome of the election even though he was not able to participate in any of the televised presidential debates. With this article, the author hopes to bring the issue of participation in the presidential debates into any election reform discussion. Who really is permitted to speak in a candidate debate? The Commission on Presidential Debates has enacted a “realistic chance criteria” standard to assist in the decision making process. This article examines the creation of the Commission on Presidential Debates and the fairness of the Commission's criteria. Furthermore, this manuscript discusses whether these criteria may be a violation of the free expression rights of all third parties and their candidates. The effect of debate participation will be discussed and analyzed with respect to the 2000 election.