It is something that is done in most governmental candidate races. Eventually, a debate is something that happens and allows voters to understand where their possible candidate stands on certain issues.

In the 2016 presidential election, news outlets reported that well over 80 million people tuned in to see Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump face off in the first debate, setting a new record in the 60-year history of televised presidential debates.

Debates are not only important, they are also fun and exciting to watch for the average political junkie.

This week, Democratic Candidate Walt Maddox reached out to incumbent Republican Candidate Kay Ivey to propose a four-part debate that would be held across the state in different cities.

Ivey’s campaign, however, made it clear that no debate would be happening between the two candidates, and that Maddox had a lot of soul searching to do, according to a statement released by Ivey’s campaign.

“Walt Maddox refuses to say if he supports Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, it’s impossible to get a straight answer from him on gun rights, and he’s all over the map on abortion. It seems the person Walt Maddox should be debating is himself,” according to a statement from Ivey’s campaign.

There are issues to discuss when it comes to running this state including employment, poverty, education in the state and state prisons.

How are we to know how one candidate will handle things if elected unless a debate is had?

Some voters wish to know the response these candidates have instead of just blind faith voting because the candidates’ party affiliation fits with their own beliefs.

We encourage a debate. We need a debate to make educated decisions about who we will vote for.