What Third Party Candidates Must Do To Participate In The Presidential Debates

Republican presidential candidate, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson speaks during an interview Monday morning, Dec. 12, 2011 in the lobby of a Hampton Inn and Suites in Clearwater, Fla. Johnson was in Clearwater t... Republican presidential candidate, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson speaks during an interview Monday morning, Dec. 12, 2011 in the lobby of a Hampton Inn and Suites in Clearwater, Fla. Johnson was in Clearwater to speak at a public event organized by local Libertarian party members, the Save America Foundation, and the 1787 Network. (AP Photo/St. Petersburg Times, Jim Damaske) MORE LESS
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The Commission on Presidential Debates announced Monday which national polls will be used to determine whether a presidential candidate meets the 15 percent polling threshold to participate in the general election debates.

The five polls the commission will use are ABC/Washington Post, CBS/New York Times, CNN/ORC, Fox News and NBC/Wall Street Journal, according to the commission’s announcement.

An Aug. 9 national poll from ABC/Washington Post, the most recent release of those pollsters, showed Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson polling at 8 percent, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein trailing at 4 percent in the four-way presidential poll. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton lead the GOP’s Donald Trump in that poll, 45-37.

The commission did not provide a specific date for when a candidate must reach the 15 percent threshold, saying only that the criteria will be applied in mid-September.

To be a part of the debate, candidates also have to meet constitutional eligibility requirements to hold office, and have their name appear on enough state ballots to have a mathematical chance at gaining a majority in the Electoral College, according to the commission’s rules.

The first presidential debate is scheduled for Sept. 26 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, followed by an Oct. 9 debate at Washington University in St. Louis, and the final debate on Oct. 19 at University of Nevada in Las Vegas.

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