IV
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 263
Expressing the sense of Congress that any Presidential candidate should
be permitted to participate in debates among candidates if at least
5 percent of respondents in national public opinion polls of all eligible
voters support the candidate’s election for President or if a majority
of respondents in such polls support the candidate’s participation in
such debates.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOVEMBER 6, 2001
Mr. JACKSON of Illinois submitted the following concurrent resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on House Administration
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress that any Presidential can-
didate should be permitted to participate in debates
among candidates if at least 5 percent of respondents
in national public opinion polls of all eligible voters sup-
port the candidate’s election for President or if a major-
ity of respondents in such polls support the candidate’s
participation in such debates.
Whereas there is increasing public concern over the rising
dominance of private wealth and corporate soft money in
our elections and the corresponding decline in the quan-
tity and quality of political participation by citizens;
•HCON 263 IH
Whereas the private Commission on Presidential Debates
(CPD) will require presidential candidates to post a level
of support of at least 15 percent in national public opin-
ion polls before they may join the debates, a requirement
which is deeply problematic;
Whereas the CPD places the cart before the horse by basing
the exclusion of outsider candidates on the preferences of
a public who has not yet seen or heard from these can-
didates in a debate, while at the same time many voters
will still be uncommitted to a single candidate at the time
of the debates;
Whereas the 15 percent rule is both arbitrary and too high,
and there is no basis in law for the 15 percent threshold;
Whereas the American people do not agree with the CPD, as
revealed in a poll which said that a majority of Ameri-
cans believe that the CPD’s 15 percent threshold is inap-
propriate;
Whereas polls often underestimate the role of independents
because polling firms regularly base their opinion surveys
on ‘‘likely voters’’ as determined by past voting practice,
and such determinations ignore the possibility that the
debates may, in fact, create new likely voters;
Whereas general election debates serve a greater purpose for
voters than merely contrasting the two candidates who
stand the best chance of winning the presidency;
Whereas general election debates also can provide meaningful
political discourse, advance and crystallize the ideas and
issues which are important to the American public, and
force the candidates to address the issues about which
Americans care most deeply;
•HCON 263 IH
Whereas the debates should be an opportunity for voters to
see a serious discussion among the candidates from
whom they wish to hear and about issues they care to
hear discussed, not just among the candidates they may
choose to vote for;
Whereas voters should have an opportunity to hear can-
didates before they decide whom they will support;
Whereas the public will get the benefit of a candidate’s views
which are important to the political dialogue even if that
candidate does not have enough support to win the presi-
dency;
Whereas a 5 percent level of support is based in Federal elec-
tion law, mirroring the 5 percent level of support re-
quired for eligibility for Federal campaign funding;
Whereas while past electoral performance should not be the
sole criteria for guaranteeing debate participation, def-
erence is due to the only national legislative standard re-
garding candidate seriousness; and
Whereas the criteria which should be used to determine par-
ticipation in debates should be those which respect the
opinion of the entire electorate, and a criterion based on
the opinions of all eligible voters (not just those deemed
by a pollster to be likely to vote) will allow for voices rep-
resenting all potential voters to be heard and will recog-
nize the possibility that the debates can have an impor-
tant impact on who chooses to go to the polls in Novem-
ber: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that any
•HCON 263 IH
Presidential candidate should be permitted to participate
in debates among candidates if—
(1) at least 5 percent of respondents in national
public opinion polls of all eligible voters support the
candidate’s election for President; or
(2) if a majority of respondents in such polls
support the candidate’s participation in such de-
bates.
Æ