District of Columbia Code
Part C-i - Fair Elections Program
§ 1–1163.32g. Debate requirement

(a) The Director of Campaign Finance shall conduct at least one debate for each contested primary, special, and general election in an election cycle for the covered offices of Mayor, Attorney General, Chairman of the Council, member of the Council elected at-large, and member of the State Board of Education elected at-large.
(b)(1) For a contested primary election for a covered office listed in subsection (a) of this section, all partisan participating candidates in that primary election shall participate in the debate.
(2) For a contested special election or general election for a covered office listed in subsection (a) of this section, all participating candidates shall participate in the debate.
(3) If there is no other participating candidate, or other candidate who is not a participating candidate who is willing to participate in a debate under this section, for a covered office, then the requirements of subsection (a) of this section shall be waived for that covered office.
(4) Any candidate who has qualified for ballot access for a covered office listed in paragraph (1) of this subsection, in accordance with the procedures required by the Elections Board pursuant to § 1-1001.08, and who is not a participating candidate, may participate in a debate for that covered office held pursuant to this section.
(Apr. 27, 2012, D.C. Law 19-124, § 332g; as added May 5, 2018, D.C. Law 22-94, § 2(b)(5), 65 DCR 2847; Sept. 11, 2019, D.C. Law 23-16, § 1042(n), 66 DCR 8621.)
Section 3 of D.C. Law 22-168 amended section 3 of D.C. Law 22-94, removing the applicability restriction impacting this section. Therefore the creation of this section by section 2(b)(5) of D.C. Law 22-94 has been implemented as of November 7, 2018.
Applicability of D.C. Law 22-94: § 3 of D.C. Law 22-94 provided that the creation of this section by § 2(b)(5) of D.C. Law 22-94 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 1042(n) of Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Support Congressional Review Emergency Act of 2019 (D.C. Act 23-112, Sept. 4, 2019, 66 DCR 11964).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 1042(n) of Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2019 (D.C. Act 23-91, July 22, 2019, 66 DCR 8497).
For temporary (90 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(h) of Fair Elections Emergency Amendment Act of 2019 (D.C. Act 23-50, May 22, 2019, 66 DCR 6583).
For temporary (225 days) amendment of this section, see § 2(h) of Fair Elections Temporary Amendment Act of 2019 (D.C. Law 23-13, Aug. 24, 2019, 66 DCR 8058).

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