SUNY Fredonia is one of the few spots in New York State where the public can attend a DebateWatch voter education program sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The university is hosting a public discussion of campaign issues following the 90-minute televised debate of presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry on Thursday, Sept. 30.
 
This is the first presidential debate of the 2004 campaign, and will be held at the University of Miami at Coral Gables, Fl. Jim Lehrer of PBS's The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, is the moderator.
 
The Fredonia program starts at 8:30 in the Williams Center Multipurpose Room, where the debate, which starts at 9, will be aired on a big screen.
 
Discussion afterward will be led by Political Science Professor David Rankin, and Communication Professor Linda Brigance. Student political groups and the League of Women Voters will have informational tables set up. Campus sponsors at Fredonia include two student groups, the Political Science Association and the Applied Communication Association.
 
Debate Watch 2004 is part of a nationwide effort to foster voter education and participatory democracy. In 2000 more than 300 participated in the event on campus. Other DebateWatches in New York State are planned at SUNY Brockport, Onondaga Community College, Hunter College, Hamilton College, and Western Sullivan Public Library in Jeffersonville.