Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance and his Democratic counterpart, Tim Walz, are gearing up for tonight's debate hosted by CBS. The debate will last for 90 minutes, with two breaks of four minutes each, and will not have a studio audience present.
The rules for the debate have been outlined by CBS. Both candidates will stand behind podiums throughout the event, with Walz positioned on stage left/screen right and Vance on stage right/screen left. Each candidate will have two minutes for their closing statements, with Vance opting to go second after winning a virtual coin toss held on Sept. 26.
During the debate, when a candidate is asked a question, they will have two minutes to respond, followed by a two-minute rebuttal from the other candidate. Each candidate will then have one minute for further rebuttals, with the possibility of an additional minute granted by moderators to continue a discussion.
No props or pre-written notes will be allowed on stage. Candidates will be provided with a pen, a pad of paper, and a bottle of water. Campaign staff are prohibited from interacting with candidates during breaks, and no topics or questions were shared in advance with the campaigns.
Time limits will be strictly enforced, with lights indicating the time remaining: green until 15 seconds, solid yellow until five seconds, and flashing red at five seconds before turning solid red at zero. The network also reserves the right to turn off candidate microphones if necessary to enforce timing agreements.
