Free & Equal Elections Foundation
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The Free & Equal Elections Foundation (Free & Equal) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization in the United States, the mission of which is to empower American voters through education and advocacy of electoral reforms.
Presidential debates
2008
During the 2008 presidential election, Free & Equal hosted a presidential debate at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C., on October 23, 2008. Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin and independent candidate Ralph Nader participated in a debate moderated by journalist Chris Hedges.[citation needed]
| Free & Equal debates, 2008 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N° | Date | Host | Location | Moderators | Participants | |||||
| P Participant N Non-invitee A Absent invitee | Democratic | Republican | Libertarian | Green | Constitution | Independent | ||||
| Senator Barack Obama of Illinois | Senator John McCain of Arizona | Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia | Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney of Georgia | Pastor Chuck Baldwin of Florida | Advocate Ralph Nader of Connecticut | |||||
| 1 | October 23, 2008 | Mayflower Hotel | Washington, D.C. | Chris Hedges | A | A | A | A | P | P |
2012
In 2012, Free & Equal sponsored an October 23, 2012 debate among four third party candidates for President of the United States, moderated by former Larry King Live host Larry King and Christina Tobin. It was televised by RT TV, Al Jazeera English, and C-SPAN. A second debate, between Green Party nominee Jill Stein and Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson, was held on November 5, 2012.[citation needed]
| Free & Equal debates, 2012 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N° | Date | Host | Location | Moderator | Participants | |||||
| P Participant. N Non-invitee. A Absent invitee. | Democratic | Republican | Libertarian | Green | Constitution | Justice | ||||
| President Barack Obama of Illinois | Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts | Governor Gary Johnson of New Mexico | Doctor Jill Stein of Massachusetts | Congressman Virgil Goode of Virginia | Mayor Rocky Anderson of Utah | |||||
| 1 | October 23, 2012 | Hilton Chicago | Chicago, Illinois | Larry King of Ora.TV | A | A | P | P | P | P |
| 2 | November 5, 2012 | RT America | Washington, D.C. | Thom Hartmann of RT | N | N | P | P | N | N |
2016
Free & Equal hosted an open debate along with Student Voices Count at the University of Colorado Boulder's Macky Auditorium on October 25, 2016.[better source needed] All candidates with ballot lines representing at least fifteen percent of potential voters were invited to attend.[better source needed]
| Free & Equal debates, 2016 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N° | Date | Host | Location | Moderators | Invited participants | |||||||
| P Participant. A Absent invitee. | Republican | Democratic | Libertarian | Green | Constitution | Reform | PSL | Independent | ||||
| Businessman Donald Trump of New York | Secretary Hillary Clinton of New York | Governor Gary Johnson of New Mexico | Doctor Jill Stein of Massachusetts | Lieutenant Darrell Castle of Tennessee | Businessman Rocky De La Fuente of California | Activist Gloria La Riva of California | Director Evan McMullin of Utah | |||||
| 1 | October 25, 2016 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, Colorado | Ed Asner | A | A | A | A | P | P | P | A |
2020
Primaries
Early on March 4, 2020, the Free & Equal Elections Foundation held a debate at the Hilton Chicago Hotel. Various third-party candidates, as well as minor candidates affiliated with the Democratic and Republican parties attended. [better source needed]
| 2020 Free & Equal debates | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date & Time | Location | Moderators | Invited participants | ||||||||
| P Participant. | Democratic | Libertarian | Green | Constitution | American Solidarity | Life and Liberty | Transhumanist | |||||
| Businessman Mark Stewart of Connecticut | Activist Dan Berhman of Texas | Carpenter Erik Gerhardt of Pennsylvania | LNC Vice Chair Arvin Vohra of Maryland | Activist Sedinam Moyowasifza-Curry of California | Financial Advisor Charles Kraut of Virginia | Educator Brian Carroll of California | Activist J.R. Myers of Alaska | Activist Ben Zion of Arizona | ||||
| 1a | March 4, 2020 2:00 pm CST | Chicago, Illinois | Christina Tobin | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
| P Participant. | Republican | Democratic | Libertarian | Green / Socialist | PSL | Independent | ||||||
| Futurist Zoltan Istvan of California | Attorney Mosie Boyd of Arkansas | Lieutenant Ken Armstrong of Hawaii | Lecturer Jo Jorgensen of South Carolina | Corporal Adam Kokesh of Indiana | Activist Vermin Supreme of Massachusetts | Tradesman Howie Hawkins of New York | Activist Gloria La Riva of California | Activist Mark Charles of the District of Columbia | ||||
| 1b | March 4, 2020 6:30 pm CST | Chicago, Illinois | Christina Tobin | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
General election
Two debates were held prior to the general election. The first was on October 8, 2020, in Denver, Colorado, with only candidates on the ballot in at least eight states eligible to participate.[better source needed] A second debate open to the same group of candidates occurred on October 24, 2020, in Cheyenne, Wyoming.[better source needed]
| 2020 Free & Equal debates | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date & Time | Location | Moderators | Invited participants | |||||||||
| P Participant. A Absent Invitee. | Republican | Democratic | Libertarian | Green / Socialist | PSL | Alliance / Reform | Constitution | American Solidarity | Independent | ||||
| President Donald Trump of Florida | Former Vice President Joe Biden of Delaware | Lecturer Jo Jorgensen of South Carolina | Tradesman Howie Hawkins of New York | Activist Gloria La Riva of California | Businessman Rocky De La Fuente of California | Businessman Don Blankenship of West Virginia | Educator Brian Carroll of California | Entrepreneur Brock Pierce of Puerto Rico | Producer Kanye West of Wyoming | ||||
| 2 | October 8, 2020 6:00 pm MDT | Denver, Colorado | Christina Tobin | A | A | A | P | P | A | P | P | P | A |
| 3 | October 24, 2020 6:00 pm MDT | Cheyenne, Wyoming | Christina Tobin | A | A | A | P | P | A | A | P | P | A |
2024
Primaries
On January 18, 2024, the Free & Equal Elections Foundation held its first ever Democratic Party primary debate. Candidates were invited if they had ballot access in at least four states. Although eight candidates were invited,[better source needed] only Gabriel Cornejo, Frankie Lozada, Stephen Lyons, and Jason Palmer participated.[better source needed]
On February 29, 2024 Free & Equal held its first independent presidential debate, with two Libertarian candidates (Chase Oliver and Lars Mapstead), two Green Party candidates (Jill Stein and Jasmine Sherman) (also nominee of The Unicorn Party), and Party for Socialism and Liberation nominee Claudia De la Cruz. Independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr and Cornel West were invited but declined to attend.
| 2024 Free & Equal debates | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date & Time | Location | Moderators | Invited participants | |||||||
| P Participant. A Absent Invitee. | Democratic | ||||||||||
| President Joe Biden of Delaware | Entrepreneur Gabriel Cornejo of New York | Entrepreneur Frankie Lozada of New York | Plumber Stephen Lyons of California | Entrepreneur Jason Palmer of Maryland | Congressman Dean Phillips of Minnesota | Media host Cenk Uygur of California | Author Marianne Williamson of California | ||||
| 1 | January 18, 2024 6:00 pm PDT | Los Angeles, California | Christina Tobin Kwame Jackson | A | P | P | P | P | A | A | A |
| P Participant. A Absent Invitee. | Libertarian | Green | PSL | Independent | |||||||
| Businessman Lars Mapstead of California | Sales executive Chase Oliver of Georgia | Activist Jasmine Sherman of North Carolina | Doctor Jill Stein of Massachusetts | Activist Claudia De la Cruz of New York | Attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of California | Academic Cornel West of California | |||||
| 2 | February 29, 2024 8:00 pm EDT | New York City, New York | Jason Palmer Caitlin Sinclair Christina Tobin | P | P | P | P | P | A | A |
Presidential debates
Free and Equal hosted a second debate on July 12, 2024, at FreedomFest in Las Vegas, Nevada moderated by the foundation's chair, Christina Tobin and congressman Thomas Massie.[better source needed] Biden, Kennedy, Oliver, Stein, Randall Terry, Trump and West were invited to the debate,[better source needed] while Oliver, Stein, and Terry participated.[better source needed]
Free and Equal hosted a third debate on October 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California moderated by the foundation's chair, Christina Tobin and former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker.[better source needed] Chase Oliver, Jill Stein, Randall Terry, Claudia De la Cruz, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, and Cornel West were invited. Oliver, Stein, and Terry participated again.
Electoral reform symposia
Since 2009, Free & Equal has hosted electoral reform symposia to unite intellectuals and experts to share and debate reforms to the U.S. electoral system. Past panelists and speakers include president of the League of Women Voters of Colorado Nancy Crow, deputy secretary of state of Colorado Suzanne Staiert, FairVote founder Rob Richie, Nexus Earth founder Colin Cantrell, and Ballot Access News founder Richard Winger.[better source needed]
United We Stand tour
In 2014, Free & Equal launched United We Stand, a festival and tour uniting the younger generations with musicians, artists, and thought leaders to promote political and cultural change. Since its inception, the tour has made stops at Belasco Theater in Los Angeles in 2014 and 2015, University of Colorado Boulder in 2016, and Texas A&M University in 2018. The 2019 tour included Indiana, Texas, Colorado, Oregon, and Tennessee.
External links
- , official website
- . Published March 5, 2024.