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# Nationally Streamed Open Presidential Debate Happening March 4
- URL: https://ivn.us/nationally-streamed-open-presidential-debate-happening-march-4/
- Published: 2020-02-26T19:51:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-22T20:06:56.000Z
- Author: Alexa Mikalaski
- Tags: News

We’ve all heard of the debates between top democrats, but what about all the other candidates running for President?  

Elevate the Debate is a collaborative effort between [Free and Equal Elections Foundation](https://freeandequal.org/?ref=ivn.us) and [Open the Debates](https://www.opendebates.org/?ref=ivn.us), who have teamed up to produce at least two Open Presidential Debates this year, including a first-of-its-kind cross-partisan debate during the primary season on [March 4th in Chicago](https://freeandequal.org/presidential-debate-2020/?ref=ivn.us) at 2pm CST.

### There are [21 confirmed](https://freeandequal.org/presidential-debate-2020/?ref=ivn.us) presidential candidates from across the political spectrum that will be participating in the March 4 debate, including Libertarians, Green Party members, and Independents.

The goal of the open debates is to “shift the political discourse toward a constructive, respectful, and solution-oriented debate,” according to the hosts.  

> [Christina Tobin](https://freeandequal.org/2020/02/21-presidential-candidates-will-tee-off-march-4-in-nationally-streamed-open-presidential-debate/?ref=ivn.us)

With [two out of three Americans](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/hiddencommonground/2019/12/05/hidden-common-ground-americans-divided-politics-seek-civility/4282301002/?ref=ivn.us) believing we need to make it easier for third-party and independent candidates to run for office, this Open Presidential Debate will help voters learn about candidates that would have otherwise not been heard from at all.

  
Currently, the [Commission on Presidential Debates](https://ivn.us/posts/the-fight-against-the-rigged-presidential-debates-continues) (CPD) represents a bipartisan monopoly on who can and can’t reach out to millions of voters. The presidential debates provide a significant amount of press coverage, but the CPD has [rigged the rules](https://ivn.us/posts/the-biggest-legal-case-in-politics-that-no-one-is-talking-about) governing who can participate, ensuring that no candidate other than the Democratic and Republican nominees will be invited to the debate stage.  
  
As a matter of fact, no candidate, other than a Democrat and a Republican, has qualified to participate in the presidential debates since the CPD adopted the 15% polling threshold in 2000.

> [Eli Beckerman](https://freeandequal.org/2020/02/21-presidential-candidates-will-tee-off-march-4-in-nationally-streamed-open-presidential-debate/?ref=ivn.us)

**The live stream will be available at** [**https://freeandequal.org/**](https://freeandequal.org/?ref=ivn.us) **on March 4, 2pm CST for those who are interested in watching at home.**