200,000 sign petition asking for Jon Stewart to host 2016 debate
GOP in a Panic As 200,000 Demand Jon Stewart Host a 2016 Presidential Debate:
The concept of a comedian moderating a presidential debate is something thats currently being tested after more than 200,000 people signed an online petition to have Jon Stewart, the former host of The Daily Show, host one of the three debates that would take place prior to the general election in November 2016. The petition was started by Mariel Waters on the Change.org website, you can check it out and sign it
here.
Waters got the idea after a pair of similar petitions in 2012 in favor of Stewart hosting gained some substantial support. Change.org has generally been viewed as a Democratic-leaning organization. An interesting reason some want Stewart to host the debate is because they believe it will boost the number of young voters watching, and perhaps inspire many to get out and vote in the 2016 election.
That opinion is based on the viewing demographics of The Daily Show, which skewed heavily toward younger viewers. If the number of young voters increased enough as a result of Stewarts participation, it would most likely benefit Democrats. Last year, the lowest youth voter registration and turnout took place, an election that saw Republicans re-take the Senate.