Exclusionary political debates are one of the most insidious drivers of our disastrous political context. That is why Open the Debates is on a mission to open up, elevate, and innovate the political debates of our nation by the 250th anniversary of the republic's founding in 2026.

76% of US voters are with us, compared to just 17% who prefer closed debates. We just have to get organized.

In order to ensure free and fair elections, US voters must have the ability to hear from ALL ballot-qualified candidates. A well-informed electorate is the bedrock for healthy self-government. Anyone standing in the way is an illegitimate gatekeeper that must be challenged.

For 32 years, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), an official-sounding private entity running the televised presidential debates, has been rigging the presidential debate process. This year's debate failures are the logical conclusion of their anti-democratic control of the political conversation.

The good news is that the CPD is losing control of the story. This is our opening to inject our voices into the dominant political narrative.

Your donation today will do three things:

  1. It will let U.S. voters (who overwhelmingly want open debates) know they have more than just 2 choices.
  2. It will advance powerful alternative debates that truly serve the American electorate and can help make the CPD obsolete.
  3. It will continue to put Open the Debates on the map in this election & for the long haul, ensuring we can have the political debates & political system we deserve by 2026.

Every dollar you give will be an investment in opening up our political system to more voices and better choices.

#LetThemDebate #LetHerSpeak #OpenTheDebates #OpenThePoliticalSystem #MoreVoicesMoreChoices #MoreVoicesBetterChoices #OpenPresidentialDebate


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    “It's time to Open the Debates & Open the Political System to new ideas, fresh voices, and better choices, once and for all!”

October 14, 2020

Bumping our 2nd Democracy Day Money Bomb to Thursday, Oct 15

With the "official" presidential debates falling apart in front of our eyes, we are bumping our 2nd #DemocracyDay #MoneyBomb back a day to Thursday, October 15 (tomorrow).

That's the day we were supposed to see the second presidential debate, but instead we'll be treated to dueling duopoly town halls. 

We hope to make some noise about ABC & NBC giving free airtime to individual campaigns, no longer protected by the political debate exemption in the Equal Time Rule. 

We hope to find ways of raising our voices together to break the sound barrier and finally let the American electorate (who overwhelmingly favor open debates) know that they have more than just the 2 choices presented by the mainstream press. 

Here are some actions you can take to get us closer to breaking through the noise:

We also have a couple of new petitions you might want to sign and share:

October 8, 2020

Our first Democracy Day Money Bomb fell a little bit short. Let's turn up the volume together!

THANK YOU to the 49 people who have donated an average of $37 to #OpenTheDebates!

THANK YOU to the 34 people who have signed up to volunteer!

We aimed big for our first Democracy Day Money Bomb, and we are grateful to every click, share, dollar, and action taken to get us closer to free and fair elections in the USA. While we fell a bit short of what it would take to break through the noise that is our 2020 election, it is clear that our voice for debates that serve We the People is needed.

We are happy to launch a follow-up moneybomb -- D-Day #2 -- on October 14, 2020, the eve of the second presidential debate in Miami, FL. The shitshow/dumpster fire of last week proved our case that these false binary choices are destroying the very fabric of our nation. 

It's time we come together across our differences to build an unstoppable movement for opening up the debates and our entire political system to new ideas, fresh voices, and better choices.

Let's make 2020 the year we break through the duopoly's fortress of protection!

September 28, 2020

D-Day is here! Democracy Day Money Bomb to #OpenTheDebates!

On the eve of the first televised presidential debate in Cleveland, we are launching a single-day fundraising & friendraising event to recruit 1000 donors & 1000 volunteers to blow open the conversation to more voices and choices.

We're calling on Americans of all stripes and perspectives to come together to fight for a foundational principle of healthy self-government -- that a well-informed electorate requires access to basic information about our actual ballot choices. 

We ask you to join the growing movement for open debates and a political system open to new ideas, fresh voices, and better choices. 

We ask you to recruit a few new donors and volunteers to help spread the word that voters have 4 choices on enough ballots to win the election.

Today's the day to rally the troops and make a stand for fair debates. 

76% of voters want open debates. We just have to get organized and let them know it's within reach.

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