On September 14th, 2016, the Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson displayed a full-page which proposed allowing his participation in the primary debates, despite falling short of the requirement. This advertisement raised an important question. Should we allow third-party candidates to participate in televised debates, even if they don't pass the 15% requirement?
The answer is not as clear as it may seem. While the United States government functions on a mainly two-party system, there are multiple third parties which have presidential candidates every election year. In this upcoming election, the two third party candidates are Jill Stein of the Green Party and Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party. The current rule for third party candidates, set by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), is that to participate a candidate must have 15% of voter support or over in five national polls. However, this has proved complicated in the past - as third parties are never as advertised on both television and print media in comparison with the Democratic and Republican parties. This ad brings attention to that, as well as the fact that recent polls have shown voter discontent with the two primary candidates, Hillary Clinton (Democrat) and Donald Trump (Republican).
The ad itself proposes that Gary Johnson be allowed to participate in the upcoming primary debate to make his case to the American public. It also states "If, in the polls that follow, we fail to meet that 15% standard, we'll make no further efforts for inclusion in subsequent debates." Allowing him to participate could produce mixed results. In speculation, if the American people find Johnson's policies and morals attractive, it would split the votes for either the Republicans or the Democrats. An even divide into both sides would be exceptionally rare, and could allow Johnson to secure the Presidency, but as it stands right now the most likely scenario is, for example, the voters supporting Donald Trump find Johnson's policies and morals more suitable and vote for him, splitting the Republican candidate's votes and, in theory, creating a win for the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. This split could happen to any party.
With the above in consideration, I personally feel that third party candidates should be given a chance to show the American people where they stand on the pressing issues for this, and any election. In this particular election, it is even more important since many have expressed dissatisfaction with both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. While it is unlikely, there's a chance that Gary Johnson, or even Jill Stein offer something different; a change which will prove effective but not necessarily controversial. This is another instance where the future of representation in political debates and elections rests on the people. If you feel third party candidates deserve a chance to speak out during debates and present their case, it's up to you, as a voter and citizen, to project that desire through the polls. The same goes for if you would rather they not be given the chance to participate. So, should third party candidates be given the chance to speak in the primary debates?
