In a 1995 task force report, the Twentieth Century Fund (now the Century Foundation) recommended greater diversity among the members of the Commission on Presidential Debates, a variety of formats for the debates each election year, the expansion of debates to more networks and time slots, and—a perennial favorite—"a direct candidate-to-candidate confrontation." From the left, reforms have centered on including independent candidates. A group called the Appleseed Project proposes that the debates include all candidates whom 50 percent of the public would like to see participate or who draw 5 percent of the vote in polls. Another outfit, called Reclaim Democracy, would include all candidates who appear on enough state ballots to have a mathematical chance of getting elected.
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