1,500 Call on CNN & MSNBC to Host Debate Among Independents

A petition calling on CNN and MSNBC to host a presidential debate among independent candidates Gary Johnson, Jill Stein and Evan McMullin, and signed by over 1,500 individuals representing 50 states who stated they were “gravely concerned about the shortcomings of our political process” was submitted to the news organizations today.  The petition was circulated by IndependentVoting.org, the country’s largest association of independent voters.  It stated:

We, the undersigned, want to see and hear from the independent presidential candidates Gary Johnson, Jill Stein and Evan McMullin in a televised debate.

We represent the millions of Americans who are gravely concerned about the shortcomings of our political process so widely exposed in this presidential election: the exclusion of millions from voting in the primary elections because they were independent, the super-delegate system, and the control of the debate process by the Commission on Presidential Debates whose criteria for inclusion is designed to exclude independent candidates.

The popularity ratings of Clinton and Trump represent historic lows. Their nominations were the outcome of receiving a paltry 14% of the vote of eligible Americans. The level of dialogue in the debates has devolved into the candidates exchanging demands for apologies.

More and more Americans are rejecting the two-party system and becoming independent. 

-- 43% of Americans self-identify as independent

-- 50% of voters under the age of 30 are independent

-- 30% of African American voters under the age of 30 are independent

-- 50% of Latino voters are independent

In this political climate, we call on CNN and MSNBC to host a presidential debate with the three independent candidates.