Tonight, the final Presidential debate takes place between Democratic incumbent Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney. And although those are the two candidates for America’s highest office that you hear about the most, there are actually other people running to be President.
You won’t see them at tonight’s debate (third parties haven’t been invited since Ross Perot in 1992), but you can watch them debate each other, live, on YouTube.
Participants in the minor candidate debate include Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party), Jill Stein (Green Party), Virgil Goode (Constitution Party), and Rocky Anderson (Justice Party). You can watch the debate on the Ora TV YouTube channel starting at 9 pm ET on Tuesday, October 23rd. Al Jazeera will also carry the live stream. No major television networks will carry the “Free and Equal” debate.
Former CNN host and broadcasting legend Larry King will moderate the contest. Interested viewers can still submit possible debate questions to Larry King via Facebook, Twitter, and reddit. You can find those submission portals here.
The third-party debate is being sponsored by Free and Equal Elections, a non-profit organization whose goal is to “ensure an fair an open electoral process for all.”
“It is our belief that a true democracy fosters a climate where all voices are heard regardless of political party or persuasion,” they say. “An electoral process where every individual has a chance of winning is vital in a democracy and we here at Free and Equal will continue to ensure every voice is heard by making the electoral process fair and open for every participant.”
No matter your political beliefs, I think most of us can agree that the more ideas, viewpoints, and solutions that we allow to break into the public discourse, the better. This is just another example of the internet succeeding where television failed.