Will You Tune in to Wednesday's Debate?

Tonight—Wednesday, Oct. 3—the 2012 presidential debates kick off with a face-to-face meeting between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at the University of Denver.

The 90-minute debate, the first of three between the Democratic and Republican nominees for president, will begin at 9 p.m. ET and last approximately 90 minutes. It will be broadcast simultaneously on multiple networks including NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, Fox, and Fox News. Univision will also carry the debate translated into Spanish in real time.

Tonight's debate focuses on domestic policy and will consist of six time segments of approximately 15 minutes each on topics selected by moderator Jim Lehrer. Lehrer will open each segment with a question, allow the candidates two minutes apiece to respond, and then use the remainder of the time for a more open discussion of the topic.

With the election just 34 days off, many Americans will be tuning in tonight to hear the candidates articulate their visions for the presidency and the country over the next four years. In Maryland, Patch will be hosting one of many debate viewing parties for its readers—details here.

Below, find a full rundown of this year's presidential and vice presidential debate schedule courtesy of the Commission on Presidential Debates.

2012 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE SCHEDULE

First presidential debate

• Wednesday, Oct. 3, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
• University of Denver, Denver, CO
• Moderated by Jim Lehrer, Executive Editor of the PBS NewsHour

The debate will focus on domestic policy and be divided into six time segments of approximately 15 minutes each on topics to be selected by the moderator and announced several weeks before the debate.

The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the topic.

Vice presidential debate

• Thursday, Oct. 11, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
• Centre College, Danville, KY
• Moderated by Martha Raddatz, Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent, ABC News

The debate will cover both foreign and domestic topics and be divided into nine time segments of approximately 10 minutes each. The moderator will ask an opening question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the question.

Second presidential debate

• Tuesday, Oct. 16, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
• Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
• Moderated by Candy Crowley, Chief Political Correspondent, CNN and Anchor, CNN's State of the Union

The second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which citizens will ask questions of the candidates on foreign and domestic issues. Candidates each will have two minutes to respond, and an additional minute for the moderator to facilitate a discussion. The town meeting participants will be undecided voters selected by the Gallup Organization.

Third presidential debate

• Monday, Oct. 22, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
• Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL
• Moderator: Bob Schieffer, Chief Washington Correspondent, CBS News and Moderator, Face the Nation

The debate will focus on foreign policy and be divided into six time segments of approximately 15 minutes each on topics to be selected by the moderator and announced several weeks before the debate.

The moderator will open each segment with a question, after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a discussion of the topic.

Will you be watching tonight's debate? Where from? What are you looking to hear from either candidate? Let us know in the comments.