Commission on Presidential Debates Announces Format for 2016 General Election Debates The nonpartisan, nonprofit Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) today announced the formats for the three presidential and one vice presidential general election debates it will sponsor this fall. The formats for the 90-minute debates are designed to facilitate in-depth discussion of the leading issues facing the nation. First presidential debate (September 26, 2016, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY) The debate will be divided into six time segments of approximately 15 minutes each on major topics to be selected by the moderator and announced at least one week before the debate. The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. Candidates will then have an opportunity to respond to each other. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a deeper discussion of the topic. All debates will be moderated by a single individual and will run from 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time without commercial breaks. As always, the moderators alone will select the questions to be asked, which are not known to the CPD or to the candidates. The moderators will have the ability both to extend the segments and to ensure that the candidates have equal speaking time. While the focus will properly be on the candidates, the moderator will regulate the conversation so that thoughtful and substantive exchanges occur. The CPD is in discussion with technology and civic groups that will provide data to the moderators to assist them in identifying the subjects that are most important to the public. <Source> The debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on September 26 will be moderated by Lester Holt of NBC.