A political debate is a face-to-face public confrontation between candidates. It is meant to be neutral, and there are rules governing who can participate, how much time they are given, and the format. The goal is to give voters a chance to hear directly from the candidates without having to rely on filtered news media coverage.

For instance, presidential debates are a major event in the campaign season and can have significant effects on the outcome of an election. In addition to being broadcast live, they are widely distributed in newspapers, radio and television. They can also impact social media, where a single debate-related post may be shared 17 million times or more.

Political debates are an important part of the electoral process in many countries, but there is a lot to learn about how they can be effective or not. One obvious point is that the lack of spontaneity can kill a debate, turning it into an over-rehearsed press release with little interaction between candidates.

In the early days of TV debates, candidates exploited a loophole that allowed them to use a televised debate as long as it was hosted by a “bona fide news organization.” A candidate could risk embarrassing themselves and losing their lead if they turned down a debate. But it was still better than a scathing newspaper article.

Research has shown that debates can affect vote choice formation for some voters, but they can also have a counterproductive effect. Specifically, they can increase the number of people who believe misinformation that was spread during the debate, despite fact-checking messages in post-debate news coverage and other sources. This is especially true for younger voters who are more likely to follow third-party sources on social media and can have more trouble forming independent opinions.