The Hall Institute is sponsoring a virtual debate for the U.S. Senate campaign.

The virtual debate will provide an unprecedented opportunity for candidates and citizens to engage in an interactive forum on the important issues confronting our state. By creating a platform for thoughtful and constructive discussion, we hope to encourage and facilitate participation in the electoral process.

The Hall Institute already is receiving an enthusiastic response to the virtual debate. The initiative has been featured in news reports throughout New Jersey, as well as in Washington, D.C., and our readers have begun to submit suggestions for debate topics and questions. In order to reach an even wider audience, we will be promoting the virtual debate with an advertising campaign, a series of news releases, and additional activities and events.

The two major candidates - Democrat Robert Menendez and Republican Thomas H. Kean Jr. - have agreed to participate, and invitations have been extended to all other candidates.

How Will It Work?

For the virtual debate, the Institute will submit questions to the candidates and then post the responses on a special section of its website. Candidates will have an opportunity to respond to each other, as well as to members of the public who post comments on the issues.

The questions will be developed from research conducted by the institute and from a synthesis of questions and issues raised by citizens, the media, public officials and leaders from the private and public sectors.

The Virtual Debate will begin in mid-July and run through Election Day in November. The Hall Institute has begun accepting proposed questions at senate06@hallnj.org. A Hall Institute Debate Advisory Committee will review the submissions and formulate the questions that will be submitted to the candidates.

Virtual Debate Format

1. Visitors to the website may submit questions and/or topics for the debate.


2. The Hall Institute's Debate Advisory Committee will review the submissions and then formulate the debate questions from research conducted by the institute and from a synthesis of the questions and issues raised by citizens, the media, public officials and leaders from the private and public sectors.


3. The debate will begin with 1,000-word opening statements from the candidates. These opening statements will be due by 5 p.m. on June 27, 2006, and will be posted on July 4, 2006. The first question will be submitted to the candidates on July 11, 2006, and thereafter a new question will be submitted every 14 days.


4. Candidates will have one week to prepare and submit responses to questions that are posed in the virtual debate. Questions will be submitted to the campaigns on Tuesday by 10 a.m. and responses will be posted the following Tuesday by 10 a.m. If a candidate does not submit an answer, the words "No Response Received" will appear in the space set aside for the response.


5. At the same time they are submitted to the campaigns, questions will be posted on the Hall Institute website to generate additional input from readers.


6. Candidates' responses can be no longer than 1,000 words.


7. Candidates will be allowed to include references to reports and studies related to their responses. Hyperlinks may NOT be included in the text of their responses.


8. Candidates will be permitted to issue rebuttals to their opponents and to comment on postings from citizens. The rebuttals will be posted one week after the original responses. Rebuttals will be limited to 750 words. Responses to citizen postings will be limited to 500 words.


9. Postings from citizens will be reviewed by the Debate Committee, which will have the options of rejecting them outright, posting them as is, or synthesizing them into a general posting.


10. The debate will close with 1,000-word closing statements from the candidates. The closing statements will be due October 24, 2006, at 5 p.m. and will be posted on October 31, 2006 by 10 a.m.

Virtual Debate Schedule

About The Hall Institute

The Hall Institute is a non-partisan, not-for-profit foundation established to explore social, economic, educational and cultural issues. Located in Trenton directly across from the New Jersey State House, the Institute has posted a series of white papers, research essays and op-ed articles on its website at www.hallnj.org in an effort to generate debate and discussion and develop solutions to the problems confronting the state and its residents.