The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) announced April 1 that it has received proposals from 12 potential 2012 debate sites, including Washington University in St. Louis.
The CPD will conduct site surveys during the next several months and plans to announce the final sites later in the year.
“Hosting debates has been one of the great traditions of Washington University during the past two decades,” says Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. “In a small way, this has been our contribution to the national dialogue surrounding important issues of our time.
“Most importantly for us, however, has been the profound impact on our students, as they have been significantly involved in all of the previous debates held at Washington University in St. Louis. It is a great honor to once again be among those institutions being considered to host a debate in 2012.”
WUSTL has been the successful host of presidential debates in 1992, 2000 and 2004, and hosted the only vice presidential debate in the 2008 campaign. It also was selected to host a presidential debate in 1996 that eventually was canceled.
The commission is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that has sponsored all of the general election presidential and vice presidential debates since 1988.
A summary of the selection process is available on the CPD web site at debates.org.