Congress, or congressional debate, is a unique format in which students role play as members of the federal legislature. Parliamentary procedure is observed, with bills being brought to the floor or tabled, and motions proposed, seconded, and voted on. While this means the pace can often be slower than in other debate formats, the room itself can often be far more involving.
In Congress, schools or individual representatives present present bills or resolutions that they have crafted themselves. These are introduced with a speech followed by a brief period of questioning, after which the floor is opened to debate via speeches alternating for and against the bill. Like an ideal legislature, once debate has concluded the bill will be voted upon. Competitors thus do not win an individual round, but are scored on their individual speeches.
Although Representatives are considered to be individual debaters, there is something of a team aspect to the event, as the chamber comes together to elect a presiding officer (PO) who oversees portions of the round. The PO must have a knowledge of parliamentary procedures, and be generally skilled and liked. It is not a pure popularity contest, but also a recognition of skill.
Please reference the
sample ballot. This is a blank ballot printed using the software that runs Wyatt tournaments, and is what your ballot will look like on tournament day. The following areas of the ballot will already be filled out when you receive it:
- Your name
- Round location and start time
- List of participants in the round
The following areas of the ballot will be your responsibility to fill out:
- Top 9 speakers in the round, in order
In addition to the ballot, congressional debate judges must fill out score cards for each speech a competitor gives. A blank version of the speech evaluation form, as well as the form for a presiding officer’s session, is available
here.
For more information on judging, please visit the
NSDA website.