Ohio Debate Commission Inc

OUR MISSION IS TO FOSTER FAIR AND SUBSTANTIVE DEBATES THAT ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN OUR DEMOCRACY, AND OUR VISION IS OF A STRONGER OHIO, WITH WELL INFORMED VOTERS AND HIGHLY QUALIFIED PUBLIC SERVANTS, CANDIDATES, AND ELECTED OFFICIALS.

THE ODC DEBATE PLAYBOOK, A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE FOR HOW TO CONDUCT A CANDIDATE DEBATE, IS DESIGNED TO AID OTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR AND CONDUCTING CANDIDATE DEBATES AT ANY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT WHERE THERE ARE RACES FOR ELECTED OFFICE (I.E., SCHOOL BOARD, STATE LEGISLATOR, OR A STATEWIDE SEAT LIKE GOVERNOR OR SECRETARY OF STATE). THE PLAYBOOK INCLUDES NARRATIVE DESCRIPTIONS OF EACH PHASE: PLANNING, ORGANIZING, CONDUCTING, BROADCASTING, AND DISTRIBUTING CANDIDATE DEBATES. THE PLAYBOOK ALSO INCLUDES TEMPLATES AND SAMPLE CHECKLISTS, LETTERS, EVENT CLOCKS, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS USED THROUGHOUT THE WORK. THE PLAYBOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR FREE ON OUR WEBSITE IN FIVE LANGUAGES (ENGLISH, SPANISH, FRENCH, ARABIC, AND CHINESE); USERS CAN DOWNLOAD BOTH THE ENTIRE PLAYBOOK OR A ONE-PAGE SUMMARY DOCUMENT TO SHARE WITH THEIR MEMBERSHIP.

IN 2021, DEBATE PROGRAM WORK INCLUDED PLANNING AND ORGANIZING UP TO SEVEN CANDIDATE DEBATES FOR THE OFFICES OF U.S. SENATE, OHIO GOVERNOR, AND CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE OHIO SUPREME COURT TO WHICH ALL CANDIDATES WOULD BE INVITED IN 2022, AND DEBATE PARTICIPATION THEN WOULD BE DETERMINED BASED ON ODC CANDIDATE PARTICIPATION CRITERIA. THE CRITERIA INCLUDE MEETING REQUIREMENTS FOR BEING ON THE BALLOT AND LEGALLY QUALIFIED TO BE A CANDIDATE, RESULTS OF INDEPENDENT POLLS, AND DEMONSTRATING AN ACTIVE CAMPAIGN WITH EVIDENCE OF ACTIVITIES LIKE HAVING A HEADQUARTERS, RAISING A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF MONEY FROM A MINIMUM NUMBER OF DONORS, BEING ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH A CERTAIN NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS, ENGAGING IN VOTER ACTIVITIES LIKE HOUSE PARTIES, PARADES, MEET AND GREETS, ETC. PROGRAM TIME WAS SPENT ON VENUE VISITS AND SELECTION, AND THEN WORKING WITH THE CHOSEN VENUE IN PREPARATION FOR THE DEBATES, MODERATOR CONSIDERATION, FORMAT DECISIONS, DISCUSSION OF QUESTION SOLICITATION AND AND SELECTION PROCESS, DESIGNING VOTER OUTREACH PLANS, HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT PLANNING, CANDIDATE COMMUNICATIONS, MEDIA ENGAGEMENT AND PRESS RELATIONS, SELECTING AND WORKING WITH A PRODUCTION TEAM, AND PLANNING FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE DEBATES ACROSS ALL EIGHT OHIO MEDIA MARKETS, AS WELL AS MULTIPLE OTHER TYPES OF OUTLETS (E.G., UNIVERSITIES, BAR ASSOCIATIONS, AARP, CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS).