The first rule of Presidential Debate Rules is: you don’t acknowledge the rules of the Presidential debate.  Yes, the Presidential debate commission does put “rules” in place for the candidates participating, but these rules are commonly ignored.  The rules specify how long each candidate gets to respond to questions and each other’s answers – and in some instances the production includes a buzzer to tell them when their time is up.  If you have watched any of the earlier debates in this Presidential Election season, you already know that candidates talk over time and simply ignore the moderators requests to follow the debate rules.

Presidential debate rules also specify who can participate based on the first debate – and perhaps others.  This leaves us with a Clinton vs. Trump Presidential Debate schedule headed into the final weeks before Election day 2016.  We’ve already seen from the primaries, neither one of these candidates likes to follow the Presidential debate rules.

We can expect both Clinton and Trump to ignore debate timers, and to talk over both each other and the moderator several times during the debates.  Why do the candidates talk over each other in Presidential Debates despite the rules?  In most cases, this move is not necessarily to make a great point on important political issues, but instead to assert dominance over their opponent in a show of force.  Would it change your opinion of the candidate if they followed the Presidential debate rules instead?

Is it the moderators fault that the candidates end up ignoring the Presidential Debate rules and talk over each other?  Not necessarily.  The moderators for Presidential Debates tend to remind the candidates of the rules, but not enforce them strictly.  This is because they don’t want to upstage a candidate, or have the candidate publicly scold them in an effort to show authority on a national stage.  Candidates are expected to behave “Presidential” during the first part of the 2016 debates, but you can expect the gloves to come off before the final round is over.

Despite the fact that Presidential Debates don’t change minds, the 2016 televised battles are expected to be among the highest watched events of all time.  In true American fashion, this Presidential Election has become more about entertainment than policy.  Despite this, there is still a very real election just around the corner, and voters want to get more involved – starting with the Presidential debates.  That’s why so many people have been taking part in Presidential Polls online – and will be voting during debates live!

You can take part during the debate by voting in Presidential Polls, and the best part is that there are no rules!  Unlike the debates our Presidential election poll has no rules – anyone can vote online regardless of Age, Race, Ethnicity, Sexual Preference, Citizenship, Criminal History – Anyone!  All you have to do to vote in our Presidential Poll during the debate is click to select your candidate, verify your ballot, and see who is currently winning the race!