The Campaign Finance Board (CFB) serves the public interest by enhancing the role of New York City residents in the electoral process. In addition to matching city residents’ small contributions with public funds, the CFB helps provide voters with the information they need to make educated decisions at the polls. Together with the Voter Guide, the Debate Program is a cornerstone of the CFB’s voter education efforts.

The Campaign Finance Act requires candidates for citywide office who join the Campaign Finance Program to take part in debates before each election. The Debate Program is administered by the CFB, in concert with various civic and media partners who sponsor the debates. The Debate Program provides the public with an opportunity to hear candidates discuss the issues of the day, giving potential voters a greater ability to play an active and informed role in the democratic process.

The Debate Program

The Debate Program grew out of public frustration generated during the 1993 mayoral campaign, when Rudy Giuliani and then-Mayor David Dinkins failed to meet in a public debate, even though they accepted more than $3 million in taxpayer funds between them.  From the beginning of the general election campaign, Giuliani refused to participate in a debate that included George Marlin, nominee of the Conservative and Right to Life parties, while Dinkins similarly refused to participate in a debate that excluded Marlin.

Public outrage followed the lack of a public debate. Newspapers, former candidates, public officials, and citizens’ groups united to demand that debates be mandatory for citywide candidates who seek public funds. At the Board’s 1993 post-election hearings, then-Mayor-elect Giuliani testified that citywide candidates who qualify for public campaign funds and participate in the Program should be required to “satisfy some of the public frustration with the fact that a million or two million dollars can be given to a candidate [without] a requirement for debate.”

Additional proponents of mandatory debates included, among others, Gene Russianoff, senior staff attorney at New York Public Interest Research Group, who testified that “debates are the return on the investment of tax-dollars in campaigns that voters have a right to expect.”

Opponents of the debate requirement warned that the addition of new requirements, like mandatory debates, could deter candidates from joining the voluntary Campaign Finance Program, and weaken the city’s landmark campaign finance reform program.

Nevertheless, Council Speaker Peter Vallone introduced legislation requiring debates for Program participants. The measure, backed by the Council Committee on Governmental Operations in a 6-0 vote, passed the full Council on November 14, 1996. Vallone commented that the requirement for debates "will help strengthen and improve the democratic process in New York City."

Shortly thereafter, Mayor Giuliani signed the legislation into law. The Debate Program was first in effect for the 1997 elections, and has been a part of each citywide election since.

The Law

The purpose of the debate law is to ensure that citizens are provided the opportunity to hear from candidates in forums that allow for substantive discussions of the issues.   

The law requires two debates be held before each primary and general for the offices of mayor, comptroller, or public advocate. In the case of a run-off for citywide office, the law requires that one run-off debate be held. Each debate must be at least an hour. Candidates who join the Campaign Finance Program are required to take part in all CFB debates for which they are eligible.

To be eligible, candidates must achieve a minimum threshold of funds raised and spent. Additionally, sponsors may work with the CFB to determine other non-partisan, objective and non-discriminatory criteria.

The second debates in the primary and general elections for each office are limited by law to the “leading contenders” for each office. Leading contenders are determined by additional non-partisan, objective and non-discriminatory criteria determined by the sponsor after consultation with the CFB.

Debate sponsors may invite candidates who do not join the Campaign Finance Program to participate in any of the debates, as long as they satisfy the same criteria applicable to all participating candidates.

Sponsors

Although the Debate Program is administered by the CFB, the debates themselves are sponsored by various media, educational and civic groups. The CFB solicits debate sponsor applications from hundreds of academic, civic, community, and news organizations.  Debate sponsors may be any organizations not affiliated with a political party or candidate. In 2009, the CFB received applications from nineteen organizations, some of which submitted joint proposals.

The CFB reviewed each applicant’s ability to reach a wide audience, its creativity, its sensitivity to the diverse New York City population, and ability to present a fair, impartial, and non-partisan debate. After a period of thorough review, the CFB selected two groups as debate sponsors for the 2009 elections: NY1 News, NY1 Noticias, WNYC, Daily News, Citizens Union, and Time Warner Cable; and WABC-TV, League of Women Voters of the City of New York, 1010 WINS, and UNIVISION.