--- title: One Small Change to Fix Our Broken Political System description: Make presidential debates more inclusive to third parties canonical: https://time.com/3921112/presidential-debates/ author: Michael Hayden article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-15T19:42:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:39:00.804Z article:section: Ideas og:title: One Small Change to Fix Our Broken Political System og:description: Make presidential debates more inclusive to third parties og:url: https://time.com/3921112/presidential-debates/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9896052b548e48af/698854a18e060142e7460fa5/presidential-debate.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5376 og:image:height: 3024 og:image:alt: US President Barack Obama and Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney participate in the third and final presidential debate, moderated by Bob Schieffer (C) of CBS, at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, Oct. 22, 2012. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: One Small Change to Fix Our Broken Political System twitter:description: Make presidential debates more inclusive to third parties twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9896052b548e48af/698854a18e060142e7460fa5/presidential-debate.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # One Small Change to Fix Our Broken Political System > Sponsored content. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Michael Hayden](https://time.com/author/michael-hayden/), [Stanley McChrystal](https://time.com/author/stanley-mcchrystal/) and [James Stavridis](https://time.com/author/james-stavridis/) Jun 15, 2015 7:42 PM UTC  US President Barack Obama and Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney participate in the third and final presidential debate, moderated by Bob Schieffer (C) of CBS, at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, Oct. 22, 2012. US President Barack Obama and Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney participate in the third and final presidential debate, moderated by Bob Schieffer (C) of CBS, at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, Oct. 22, 2012. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images by [Michael Hayden](https://time.com/author/michael-hayden/), [Stanley McChrystal](https://time.com/author/stanley-mcchrystal/) and [James Stavridis](https://time.com/author/james-stavridis/) Jun 15, 2015 7:42 PM UTC Our political system is consumed by polarization. Last year, a staggering 66% of Americans [said](http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public%5Fcontent/politics/general%5Fpolitics/april%5F2014/19%5Fthink%5Ffederal%5Fgovernment%5Fhas%5Fconsent%5Fof%5Fthe%5Fgoverned) they did not think the federal government has the consent of the governed, and 86% [said](http://www.changetherule.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/OpinionSurvey.pdf) they felt the political system does not serve the interests of the people. These shortcomings in our democracy directly affect our ability to solve problems, both at home and abroad—in the areas of health care, foreign policy, education, infrastructure, and beyond. In addition, the perception that our system is broken is increasingly shaping the way the world perceives the U.S., eroding the prestige of the American model and our capacity for leadership abroad. Our system needs long-term reform in the areas of campaign finance and redistricting, but in the short term, we can make one small reform that would have a profound and beneficial effect on how we choose our president: Change the rules of our presidential debates to make them more inclusive and competitive. About 43% of Americans today identify themselves as “[independents](http://www.gallup.com/poll/180440/new-record-political-independents.aspx)”—more than ever before, and far more than those who identify as either Democrats or Republicans. About three out of five Americans [said](http://www.changetherule.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/OpinionSurvey.pdf) that they would vote for an independent, but under the current system, it’s unlikely they would get the opportunity. The debate rules are established by a little-known private institution in Washington called the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). To qualify for the debates, a candidate must meet two tests: 1) collect enough signatures to be on the ballot in states with 270 electoral votes or more, and 2) score an average of 15% support in national polls seven weeks before the election. The first test is difficult but reasonable. The second is impossible. Over the past 60 years, only candidates who have participated in major party primaries have managed to cross that 15% threshold in mid-September. That’s because the decision comes too late in the election cycle for an independent to become a legitimate contender, depriving him or her of the media exposure and the legitimacy that comes from participating in the debates. Most Americans don’t fully concentrate on the election until those televised contests start, about five weeks before the election. The exposure is powerful. For example, on the eve of the 1992 debate, independent candidate Ross Perot was polling at 8%. In the election one month later, he received 19% of the vote. Perot would not have qualified for the debates under the CPD’s current rule, which was implemented in 2000. The simple rule change we seek is this: Keep the 270-electoral-vote requirement, and, if more than one independent meets it, reserve a place on the stage for the candidate who gathers the most signatures to qualify to be on ballots nationwide. This small change would encourage the most qualified Americans—from business, academia, the military, and the non-profit sector—to run for president. This would have the much-needed impact of injecting new ideas into the discourse and prompting the two major parties to up their game in order to wrest votes from a third candidate. We’re open to other rule changes that could produce the same results. We understand the potential impact of this change. In the early years of our military careers, inter-service rivalry was hindering the performance of our military with disastrous and sometimes deadly consequences. In February 1982, General David Jones, the retiring chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress, “The system is broken. I have tried to reform it from inside, but I cannot.” A simple change in the rules had a huge impact. In 1986, the Goldwater-Nichols Act required officers to perform joint duty—that is, duty with one of the other services—as a promotion requirement. Previously the services’ best and brightest stayed within their own service as the best track to advancement. With this single change, Goldwater-Nichols fundamentally transformed the culture of the military by encouraging greater cooperation. About 76% of the public no longer [believes](http://www.changetherule.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/OpinionSurvey.pdf) the two major parties can end the political dysfunction. And at several key junctures in American history when our political system was stagnating, independent and third party candidates became the source of new ideas that led to historic policies that remain to this day, including direct election of senators, women’s suffrage, the graduated income tax, and high standards for the civil service. The timing and threshold of the CPD’s rule blocks any independent candidate from mounting a serious campaign for president. A new rule that’s fair to independents would have ripple effects through the system, both by attracting a greater diversity of candidates to run, and building confidence among the many Americans who believe that the current system denies them a voice. Our political system can be better. We owe it to ourselves, and future generations, to make positive changes—and inclusivity is always a good place to begin. _General Michael Hayden served for 39 years in the Air Force and became Director of the NSA and CIA. General Stan McChrystal served 34 years in the Army, including Commander of Joint Special Operations Command and Commander of US Forces Afghanistan. Admiral James Stavridis served 37 years in the Navy and was the 16_ _th_ _Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. They are signatories to the Change the Rule Campaign._ ### See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential  Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Bernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters  Rand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images  Rick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas. David J. Phillip—AP  Bobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Martin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—AP  Marco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014. Melissa Golden—Redux  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Jim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012. Steve Helber—AP  John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—AP  Rick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis  Scott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—AP  Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Lincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race. Alex Wong—Getty Images  George Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo. 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