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Allowing debates with only the Republican and Democratic candidates does the electorate a disservice. There are many other political parties that are options.
Debates are the only venue where you can hear from other candidates that do not revolve around money. The electorate does not hear the views and policies of other candidates because they don’t have the money for television advertising or large-scale mailings. For example, the Independence-Alliance Party has a candidate for Minnesota governor that has a new policy idea of “jury democracy,” but the electorate will never hear about it.
One way we can decrease the polarized electorate is to make sure that those alternative ideas be heard. My suggestion is that those groups who schedule the debates always require at least three parties to be represented.
Tom Marpe, Rochester
