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2024 Texas Elections

Texas State released from contract to host debate, as Biden and Trump sidestep tradition

Texas State was slated to be the first Texas university to host a presidential debate before the leading candidates sidestepped the traditional debate schedule

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The space in between the LBJ student center and the Alkek Library is usually one of the busiest places on campus, and yet it is relatively empty on the first day of the fall semester in San Marcos on August 24, 2020.
Texas State University in San Marcos was expected to host the first presidential debate of the 2024 general election. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune

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Any lingering hope that Texas would host a presidential debate this cycle was dashed Monday after the Commission on Presidential Debates released Texas State University from its contract.

The San Marcos campus was expected to host the first debate of the 2024 general election on Sept. 16 until President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump sidestepped the commission, which has historically organized the forums, and brokered their own.

Biden and Trump are expected to debate for the first time Thursday. It will be hosted by CNN in Atlanta.

Lafayette College, Virginia State University and the University of Utah, Salt Lake City were also selected by the commission to host debates in the fall. Like Texas State, they were released from their contracts on Monday.

“It is unfair to ask the four campuses to continue to prepare for their debates, as they have been doing since their November 2023 selection,” commission co-chairs Antonia Hernández and Frank Fahrenkopf said in a statement. “We are grateful to the sites, and we are sorry to come to this decision. We are dismayed that students of the four campuses will not have the opportunity to participate in these historic voter education forums.”

Texas State would have been the first Texas university to host a presidential debate. Officials were expecting to spend about $5 million to host its debate and had appointed Jack Martin, a former chair of the Texas State University System’s Board of Regents, to lead fundraising.

The university said on Monday that it had immediately stopped planning and spending related to the debate when Biden and Trump announced their alternative plans last month.

“We remain steadfast in supporting our students and the entire university community as they continue to learn about democracy, to engage in civil discourse and to participate in the electoral process throughout the upcoming election cycle,” Texas State President Kelly Damphousse said in a statement on Monday, adding that the university had been excited to host the forum as the only Texas university to have graduated a U.S. president and the only Hispanic-Serving Institution selected to host a debate.

While news organizations frequently host debates during the primary, the nonpartisan debate commission was established in 1987 to provide a neutral forum for candidates ahead of the general election.

The commission said in its statement that it would be ready to sponsor debates this election cycle “should circumstances change.”

“The reason for the CPD’s creation remains compelling: a neutral organization with no other role during the general election is well-positioned to offer formats that focus on the candidate and the issues that are most important to the American people,” Hernández and Fahrenkopf said.

In a letter to the commission last month, the Biden campaign said that the commission’s debate format was no longer up to date with contemporary voting trends, with debates scheduled to take place after early voting in many states has already begun. The campaign also said the commission failed to enforce its own rules during the 2020 debates.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to qualify for this week’s debate in Georgia after falling short of criterion CNN set out requiring participants to have qualified for ballot spots in states that totaled at least 270 Electoral College votes — the minimum to win the White House.

Trump and Biden are also expected to debate Sept. 10.

Disclosure: Texas State University System has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

Voting FAQ: 2024 Elections

  • When is the next election? What dates do I need to know?

    Election Day for the general election is November 5, and early voting will run from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1. The deadline to register to vote and/or change your voter registration address is Oct. 7. Applications to vote by mail must be received by your county of residence – not postmarked – by Oct. 25.

  • What’s on the ballot for the general election?

    In addition to the president, eligible Texans have the opportunity to cast their ballots for many Texas officials running for office at the federal, state and local levels.
    This includes representatives in the U.S. and Texas houses and the following elected offices: -1 U.S Senator (Ted Cruz) - 1 of 3 Railroad Commissioners - 15 State Senators - 7 State Board of Education members - 3 members of the Texas Supreme Court - 3 members of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals - 5 Chief Justices and various justices for Texas Courts of Appeals
    - Lower-level judges and local county offices will also appear on the ballot: - Various district judges, including on criminal and family courts - County Courts at Law - Justices of the Peace - District Attorneys - County Attorneys - Sheriffs - Constables - Tax Assessor-Collectors

  • How do I make sure I’m registered to vote?

    You can check to see if you’re registered and verify your information through the Texas Secretary of State’s website. You’ll need one of the following three combinations to log in: Your Texas driver’s license number and date of birth. Your first and last names, date of birth and county you reside in. Your date of birth and Voter Unique Identifier, which appears on your voter registration certificate.

  • How do I register to vote if I haven’t?

    You can request a postage-paid application through the mail or find one at county voter registrars’ offices and some post offices, government offices, or high schools. You can also print out the online application and mail it to the voter registrar in your county.
    Applications must be postmarked by the Oct. 7 deadline. Download your application here.
    Additionally, you can register to vote through the Texas Department of Public Safety while renewing your driver’s license. You may be able to register to vote online if you’re also allowed to renew your license online. This is the only form of online registration in the state.
    After you register to vote, you will receive a voter registration certificate within 30 days. It’ll contain your voter information, including the Voter Unique Identifier number needed to update your voter registration online. If the certificate has incorrect information, you’ll need to note corrections and send it to your local voter registrar as soon as possible.
    The voter registration certificate can also be used as a secondary form of ID when you vote if you don’t have one of the seven state-approved photo IDs

  • What can I do if I have questions about voting?

    You can contact your county elections official or call the Texas Secretary of State's helpline at 1-800-252-VOTE (8683). A coalition of voting rights groups is also helping voters navigate election concerns through the 866-OUR-VOTE (687-8683) voter-protection helpline. The coalition has hotlines available in other languages. Disability Rights Texas also assists voters with disabilities.

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