Open Debates Files FEC Complaint

2/18/2004

From: Chris Shaw of Open Debates, 202-628-9195; e-mail: cshaw@opendebates.org; web: http://www.opendebates.org/

News Advisory:

WHAT: A news conference to announce the filing of a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against the Commission on Presidential Debates. Previously unreleased secret documents demonstrating how the major party candidates collude with the Commission on Presidential Debates will be made public.

WHO:

GEORGE FARAH, executive director of Open Debates, and author of the forthcoming book No Debate

ALAN KEYES, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and current chairman of the Declaration Foundation

KERT DAVIES, director of research at Greenpeace USA

ROB RICHIE, executive director of the Center for Voting and Democracy

PAUL WEYRICH, chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation, and founding president of the Heritage Foundation

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 19, 10 am

WHERE: National Press Club, First Amendment Lounge, Washington, DC

BACKGROUND: Presidential debates were run by the non-partisan League of Women Voters until 1988, when the national Republican and Democratic parties seized control of the debates by establishing the bi-partisan, corporate-sponsored Commission on Presidential Debates. Federal Election Commission regulations require presidential debate sponsors that accept corporate contributions to be "nonpartisan" and to employ "pre-established objective" candidate selection criteria. The Commission on Presidential Debates is in violation of these federal regulations because it allows the Republican and Democratic candidates to dictate the terms of the presidential debates.

For more information, contact Chris Shaw (202-628-9195; cshaw@opendebates.org)