Published: August 26, 2008 08:05 pm            

TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORIAL: Putting voters’ mark on the debate process

Citizens can set agenda for debates

TERRE HAUTE — When the curtain goes up next month on this fall’s series of three Indiana gubernatorial debates, potential voters will see major changes in the way the events are handled.

The most dramatic change is that citizens will have far greater access to the debates and involvement in the topics to be discussed.

A stated mission of the new Indiana Debate Commission, the only state organization of its kind in America, is “putting voters first”, and one way that’s being done is by inviting voters to submit questions, topics and issues.

Here’s how it works:

• Citizens can submit questions for the candidates by filling out a simple online form or sending them to the commission by mail.

• The online form can be accessed at www.indiana

debatecommission.com.

• Submit mailed questions to Indiana Debate Commission, 3909 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis IN 46208, Attn: Indiana Governor’s Debate.

The deadline for submission for the first debate — scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville — is Friday, Sept. 12. The commission’s nonpartisan review committee will consider all questions.

The other scheduled debates are Sept. 23 at the Jasper Arts Center in Jasper, and Oct. 14 at the IU Auditorium on the campus of Indiana University-Bloomington. Video feeds of the events will be made available free of charge to Indiana’s public and commercial television and radio stations for the widest possible exposure to voters.

Different formats will be used for each debate. At Merrillville, a single moderator will read e-mails and mail-in questions submitted by the public. At Jasper, a town-hall style meeting will be conducted with voters asking direct questions of the candidates. At Bloomington, a single moderator will interact with the candidates in a conversational format.

Voters who submit questions may be invited for VIP seating at one of three debates, a nice touch by the commission, which is a diverse coalition of citizen and media groups that incorporated last fall.

Having such access to gubernatorial debates is unprecedented for Hoosiers. Helping set the agenda for discussion during the debates should get voters even more involved.

We encourage everyone to seize the opportunity to participate in this vital process.

        

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