Dear Chairmen Fahrenkopf and McCurry and Directors of the Commission on Presidential Debates:

We write to urge you to reconsider and revise your decision to exclude Gov. Gary Johnson from the first presidential debate at Hofstra University on September 26.

As you know, the Commission is able to set whatever criteria it wants regarding participation of candidates in the debates. The 15 percent threshold established by the Commission is arbitrary, and does not conform to the standard set with regard to Ross Perot, the most recent, prominent, competitive third party presidential candidate. In addition, the Commission’s decision as to what polls to consider, and whether to consider the margin of error, is arbitrary. The Commission is fully able to waive these criteria, and it should, given the extraordinary nature of the 2016 election.

Please consider the following:

• According to 62 percent of those polled by Quinnipiac in August, Gov. Johnson should be included in the debates;
• A strong majority of voters have unfavorable opinions of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump;
• The most recent Quinnipiac poll shows Gov. Johnson with 13 percent support, which could easily be as high as 16 percent, given the poll’s margin of error;
• The most recent NBC News poll shows Gov. Johnson with 11 percent support, and several recent iterations of the poll reflect support in the 11-12 percent range;
• The most recent IBD/TIPP poll shows Gov. Johnson with 12 percent, which could easily be as high as 15 percent, given the poll’s margin of error;
• Younger voters, in particular, support Gary Johnson, according to some data more than does Donald Trump— but have been underrepresented in certain major polls;
• The Commission is non-partisan, and given its tax status, has a duty to behave in a way that does not confer partisan advantage. The arbitrary, contrived narrowing of the debate field to just Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump confers an automatic advantage on Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party, one that the Commission should be eager to avoid, given the obligations conferred by its tax status.

Irrespective of the Commission’s founding and funding by the Democratic and Republican Parties, it has an ethical and civic obligation to help to inform the electorate, and show voters the range of options available to them— which, in all 50 states, include Gov. Johnson. The Commission’s decision prevents it from fulfilling this mission, and only helps entrench political establishments with which a wide swath of American voters are thoroughly fed up, and believe actively rig the system against them.

We recognize that the Hillary Clinton campaign, in particular, does not wish Gov. Johnson to appear on the debate stage and would heavily object to any reconsideration of your decision regarding his participation. However, we believe it is vital, to protect the Commission’s reputation, tax status, and to enable it to fulfill its supposed mission in terms of facilitating voter education, and enhancing American democracy.

Please revise your decision, and allow Gov. Johnson to appear at the debate on September 26.

Yours respectfully,