The first and only debate between Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance and Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz will take place on Tuesday (Wednesday morning, AEST) at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York.
The VP debate will begin at 9 p.m. EDT (11am AEST), and will be moderated by CBS Evening News anchor Norah O'Donnell and CBS News foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan.
CBS News has laid out the following rules for the debate:
Who will stand where during the VP debate?
On stage left, Walz will stand behind the podium, which is the right side for moderators and screen viewers. On the opposite side is Vance's podium. For the duration of the debate, Walz and Vance must remain behind their podiums. As the incumbent party's candidate, Walz will be introduced first by the moderators.
Are there going to be opening statements?
There will be no opening remarks.
Is there a time limit on the VP debate?
It will take 90 minutes to debate, beginning at 9 p.m. The debate will be broken up into two breaks of four minutes each.
How many people will attend?
There will be no audience, as with the Philadelphia debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Candidates will have how long to answer?
Candidates will have two minutes each to answer each question, and the other candidate will have two minutes to respond. A further one minute will be given to each candidate for rebuttals. Candidate topics may be extended by moderators at their discretion.
Candidates' speaking time will be indicated by lights. Also, each candidate has a countdown clock.
There will be only two moderators in the room who can ask questions.
Final remarks
Candidates will have two minutes to close. On Sept. 26, a coin toss decided the order of closing statements. After winning the toss, Vance elected to go second.
Are mics muted while the other candidate speaks?
The CBS News may muffle the candidates' microphones, but otherwise, they will be hot.
Do candidates get questions beforehand?
Neither questions nor topics will be provided ahead of time.
Campaign staffers cannot interact with Walz or Vance during breaks. Proposals and prewritten notes are not allowed. A pen, paper, and water bottle will be provided.
