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2020 Presidential and Vice-Presidential Debates Watch Toolkit for Student Organizations

Created September 28th, 2020 by Kaila Sell, Priscila Papias, & Susan Pile

Framing Statement

This toolkit has been created as a guide for students, student organizations or other student groups to engage with the fall 2020 presidential and vice presidential debates. 

This toolkit is part of the university-wide Democracy and Debate theme semester Links to an external site. which offers educational initiatives to engage students, faculty, and staff on an exploration of free speech and exchange of ideas, what it means to be a member of a democratic society, and democratic engagement from a global perspective. Michigan students have a proud history of democratic engagement, and there are many ways to get connected and learn about issues critical to U.S. democracy. In these uncertain and very difficult times, watching the debates may not be meaningful for all students. Many other avenues exist for learning and becoming an educated voter including the Pathways for Civic Engagement Links to an external site. created by the Ginsberg Center. Taking care of yourself is also important so a number of wellness resources are noted below. 

Students are encouraged to host virtual Debate watch events and avoid in-person gatherings. Groups may choose to use Zoom or other technology. More information for student organizations in the pandemic can be found in the Planning Guide Links to an external site. on the Center for Campus Involvement website. 

 

Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates Overview 

The debates are held every four years to facilitate voter education as a permanent part of the U.S. Presidential election cycle and are sponsored by the non-partisan, non-profit Commission on Presidential Debates Links to an external site.. 

Each of the presidential debates and the vice presidential debate will have one moderator (noted below) selected by the Commission On Presidential Debates. The format for each debate will be announced by the Commission and can be found here Links to an external site.. The moderator selects the topics for that debate. 

All debates are 9:00pm - 10:30pm ET without commercials, and will be widely shown on media outlets, CSPAN, social media, on television and live-streamed online.

 

Timeline 

Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020

Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020

Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020

1st Presidential debate 


Moderator:  Chris Wallace, Anchor, Fox News Sunday

Vice Presidential Debate 


Moderator: Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief, USA Today

2nd Presidential debate 


Moderator: Steve Scully, Senior Executive Producer & Political Editor, C-SPAN Networks

3rd Presidential debate 


Moderator: Kristen Welker, Co-Anchor Weekend TODAY, White House Correspondent, NBC News

 

2012 compilation of historical debate moments by the New York Times: 

Trump versus Biden in the first US Presidential debate 09/29/2020

Pence versus Harris in the only US Vice Presidential debate 10/7/2020

 

Preparing to Watch the Debate(s) as a Group 

Consider the following before watching and/or discussing the debate(s) with your student organization or other student groups.  Explore the Dialoguing for Democracy toolkit before getting started.

 

Facilitation

Consider and decide who will facilitate the conversation if watching/discussing virtually with a group to ensure an organized and productive discussion.

Setting group expectations

Establishing ground rules can assist in a productive and insightful conversation in which all parties have agreed to group norms. 

  • These can be a reminder of group norms already set within your student organization.
  • Other potential ground rules to set:
    • Listen respectfully, without interrupting.
    • Listen actively and with an ear to understanding others' views. (Don’t just think about what you are going to say while someone else is talking.)
    • Critique ideas, not individuals.
    • Commit to learning, not debating. Comment in order to share information, not to persuade.
    • Avoid blame, speculation, and inflammatory language.
    • Allow everyone the chance to speak.
    • Avoid assumptions about any member of the class or generalizations about social groups. Do not ask individuals to speak for their (perceived) social group.
    • Be open to other points of view.
    • Show respect. Listen respectfully as others comment.
    • Look for areas of commonality: agree where you can.
    • Be focused: keep your comments focused on the debate itself.

Pre-debate events:

Visit the U-M Democracy and Debate Theme Semester website Links to an external site. for information on events.

U-M Happening @ Michigan Calendar Links to an external site.and search for events using the tag: speakactvoteUM

 

Understanding the Issues 

The University of Michigan has created a number of resources to understand the issues likely to be discussed in the debates. 

10 Types of misinformation (big).png

 

During the Debate: Questions to Consider 

Below you will find a number of questions to consider for the debate. You will notice that the questions are divided into three sections: Before Watching, While Watching, and After Watching. The questions are intended to help start a discussion with your group and offer space for self-reflection. Although there are a number of questions to choose, please select questions that seem fitting for you and your group.   

Before Watching 

Questions to discuss with your student group

  • How does civic engagement connect to the mission of our student organization and/or campus?
  • Which of my identities are most salient when engaging in political dialogue?
  • What topics discussed in the debate(s) most connect to the work of our student organization and/or other activities that I am involved in?
  • What are you hoping to hear more about during the debate(s)?
  • Is watching a presidential debate an effective way to learn about the candidates and their perspectives on important issues? What role do debates play in a presidential election?
  • Does their unscripted format reveal something meaningful about a candidate’s character? 

Questions to consider for yourself

  • Take a moment to reflect on your political identity or understanding of politics. What do you remember most about how politics were discussed in your community? What issues seemed to be the most important or prevalent? How did these experiences shape your own political identity today or how you see politics today?
    • What issues are important to the communities you are a part of? 
  • What are you hoping to gain from watching the debate? (What outcome would you like for yourself? Do you want to learn more about a topic? Are you hoping to learn more about your peers?)
    • How would you like to engage in discussion today and with the debate generally? 
  • What will you watch for during the debate? / Alternative: Is there something (issues) you are watching for during the debate? If yes, what? 
  • Discuss with others: Does this election feel the same to you as previous elections? Why or why not?

While Watching 

  • What are the issues discussed by candidates? How have candidates framed their discussion of particular topics? Were they straightforward, evasive or somewhere in between? Did this impact your opinion of them? If so, how?
  • What resonates most with you about this debate? 

After Watching 

  • What did you learn by watching the debate? What is your biggest takeaway from the debates? What was the biggest surprise in the debate?
  • Was there a dominant theme in the debate? If yes, what was it? Was it relevant to the issues you care about or your community cares about? Why or why not?
  • Did this discussion help you to see how they would carry out their work? Why or why not?
  • What did you learn about the candidates or issues that you did not know prior to the debate? Did you change your mind about a candidate or an issue as a result of watching the debate? Please explain.
  • Were there issues you were hoping would be discussed that were not?
  • What issues would you like to see discussed in subsequent debates?
  • After watching all the debates, do you believe either candidate is fit to be the next president? Why?

Ideas for formatting conversations: 

 

Taking Action Following the Debate(s) 

 

Wellness 

As we move through this tumultuous semester and the election season, it is important to consider your wellness. These resources offer important ways to balance civic engagement (including watching the debates or other actions) with your own welfare. 

How to balance staying informed or politically engaged while protecting your mental health

Campus Wellness Resources:

 

Citations

https://www.debates.org/ Links to an external site. 

https://www.debates.org/debatewatch/hosting-a-debatewatch/ Links to an external site.

https://www.debates.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Virtual-DW-Guidance.pdf Links to an external site. 

https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/education-outreach/debate-watch-teaching-guide.pdf Links to an external site.

https://livingroomconversations.org/host-toolkit-online-choose-a-topic/ Links to an external site. 

https://livingroomconversations.org/topics/talking_politics/ Links to an external site. 

https://www.rockthevote.org/ Links to an external site. 

https://campuselect.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/DebateWatch-Guide.pdf Links to an external site.