Nationally televised debates are a highlight of the presidential race during the closing weeks of the campaign.

Presidential debates have been a mainstay of the U.S. election process since 1976 when they were resumed following the first televised debate in 1960 between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy. Voters consistently cite debates as an influential factor in deciding their votes, and in close races—like the 2004 presidential race—they take on increased significance. President Bush and Senator Kerry faced off in 90-minute debates in Florida on September 30 and in Missouri on October 8, and were to meet on October 13 in Arizona. Meanwhile, the vice presidential candidates, Vice President Dick Cheney and Senator John Edwards, held a debate October 5 in Ohio, another hotly contested state in the election.

Since its founding in 1987, the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) has organized the debates and set the rules for candidate participation and conduct. The CPD prescribed guidelines to ensure fairness and transparency. This year, the first and third debates were to follow a single-moderator format with clear rules for time limits and candidate actions. For example, candidates were not to pose direct questions to each other and were to be prohibited from walking around onstage or manipulating the stage to improve their own appearance. The second debate was a town hall meeting where audience members could pose questions directly to the candidates. The third debate returned to the format of the first debate.

Although the impact of presidential debates is difficult to quantify, they clearly play a crucial role in the U.S. election process. This year's debates have already exceeded the estimated 37.5 to 46.6 million people who tuned in to the 2000 presidential debates. There is "no question that the very large number of people who watch the debates and the fact that they learn from the debates ... makes them an extremely important piece of the general election process," said CPD Executive Director Janet Brown.