'Debates make a significant difference' says Debates Commission

Chairman of the Jamaica Debates Commission Noel daCosta says a significant majority of those who watch the debates before an election, say it assists them with deciding how they will vote.  A third have even reversed their decision based on the performances in the debates. 

The chairman provided the evidence during a press conference this afternoon, as he responded to questions from Jamaica News Network's, Michael Sharpe. 

He said polls conducted after the elections, since the debates began in 2007, show that more than 67 per cent of those surveyed said watching the debates helped them to decide how they would vote.

"Approximately 30 per cent of the persons polled said that as a result of looking at the debates, they actually changed their voting intention," he said. 

He continued: "We were surprised when we saw that voting number. We were looking for more like five or six per cent, but in the debates that we have done in 2007, 2011 and in the local government debates, we found a similar trend."

"So we do feel that the debates make not only a difference, but a significant difference," daCosta said.

The debates will take place next Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday under strict COVID-19 measures at the Creative Production and Training Centre on Arnold Road in Kingston at 9:00 p.m. each evening.

It will commence Tuesday with the team debates on social issues between the Jamaica Labour Party’s Dr Christopher Tufton, Kamina Johnson Smith and Floyd Green, who will challenge the People’s National Party’s Peter Bunting, Dayton Campbell and Krystal Tomlinson.

On Thursday, the JLP’s Dr Nigel Clarke will spar with the PNP’s Mark Golding, over economic issues; and the final debate on Saturday, August 29, will be a face-off between leader of the JLP, Andrew Holness and president of the PNP, Dr Peter Phillips.

A third of the questions to the debaters will come from the public the commission said. To participate, Jamaicans locally and overseas can visit the commission's website www.jamaicadebatescommission.org, or post their questions to the commission's social media pages. 

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