Late Scheduling of Congressional Debate Negatively Impacts Voter Choice, Sparks Concern from CD2 Candidate Peter Crosby

On Thursday, the Utah Debate Commission released the dates of the four congressional debates ahead of the November 3rd general election. While the debates for all other congressional districts are scheduled to take place before mail-in ballots go out on October 13th, the debate for CD2 is scheduled for October 20th — one full week after the ballot release. Democratic candidate Peter Crosby expresses deep concern, as it means some voters will make decisions without having the opportunity to evaluate each of the candidates in the only public forum facilitated by a trusted authority.

In an environment where Utah voters are feeling increasingly disenfranchised by the political system, the belated timeline after ballots have been released is just one more way information is being held back from Northern Utah citizens who want to make informed decisions about their government. Citizens deserve timely information and the opportunity to consider their choices before casting ballots.

The Peter Crosby for Congress Campaign has reached out to the Utah Debate Commission to lodge a formal protest but has not received a response. The Campaign is appreciative of the work of the Utah Debate Commission to host fair debates and acknowledges the complexity of scheduling. While the Campaign is not requesting to choose a specific date for the debate, we do request it be moved before ballots arrive in voters’ mailboxes. According to the Office of the Lt. Governor, in the 2024 general election, 29% of Utah voters had already returned their ballots one week before election day. These numbers show the importance of ensuring voters have the ability to make informed choices once ballots are in hand.

Voting is our core civic duty, and we as voters can’t do that responsibly if we don’t have all of the information. These debates are the only time voters will see all of the candidates on the same stage responding to questions. They deserve to know who wants to represent them before being asked to cast their vote.

Peter Crosby

It is imperative that the Utah Debate Commission continues to uphold a standard of fair, unbiased debate among candidates. It is a service that citizens depend on and helps hold candidates accountable to their constituents. The Campaign publicly requests the October 20th debate be rescheduled prior to the mail-in ballot release on October 13th and looks forward to a fair and spirited event.

Peter Crosby is a first-time congressional candidate, and is the Democratic nominee in Utah’s Congressional District 2. He is running a grassroots campaign — Peter is not accepting corporate PAC donations or funding from PACs aligned with foreign interests, and already has more named small-dollar, individual donors than the Moore Campaign. The Campaign is fully volunteer-supported with over 300 registered campaign volunteers. Peter believes citizens of Northern Utah deserve a representative that lives in the district, listens to their concerns, and puts the people of Utah ahead of party or the pursuit of personal power. He is holding public town halls throughout the district, with at least one in Cache, Box Elder, Davis, and Weber counties each month. More information is available at petercrosbyforcongress.org.