Press Release
Home What We Do Press Room Debates Work Group Release

Clean Elections moves forward with Debate Work Group Recommendations: Community engagement, format changes to refresh Arizona’s official debates

Phoenix, AZ - June 26, 2023

Clean Elections, Arizona’s nonpartisan election agency, is refreshing its candidate debates after Commissioners gave unanimous approval to the report of its Candidate Debates Work Group late last week.

“Candidate debates are a critical part of our Voter Education Program,” said Clean Elections Commission Chair Mark Kimble, an independent from Pima County, said. “The work group confirmed that debates matter: for bringing information to voters and for ensuring candidates engage with ideas, with each other, and with the public.”

Clean Elections sponsors Arizona’s official debates and the work group’s recommendations will help set the stage for 2024 and future election years. The work group met in public meetings five times throughout the spring.

"Our work group included leaders from the political parties, former and current elected officials and candidates, community advocates, and experts in elections and campaigns. Members represented a broad cross-section of our state, all of whom are committed to our democratic process,” said Voter Education Director Gina Roberts.

The group also heard expert testimony from Janet H. Brown, executive director of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Commission on Presidential Debates, which has hosted presidential debates for decades.

The comprehensive report makes recommendations on topic ranging from debate conduct to voter outreach. Key initiatives from the report include:


Read the full report on Clean Elections’ website, azcleanelections.gov. As the state’s nonpartisan debate sponsor and voter education leader, Clean Elections has spent more than two decades improving voter information accessibility and creating tools to support informed participation in elections.


About the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission (Clean Elections). The Citizens Clean Elections Commission was established by Arizona voters to restore citizen participation and confidence in Arizona’s political system, to improve the integrity of state government and to promote freedom of speech under the U.S. and Arizona Constitutions. Visit www.azcleanelections.gov to learn more.