Current Topics

Policy Debate – 2020-2021 Topic
Resolved: The United States federal government should enact substantial criminal justice reform in the United States in one or more of the following: forensic science, policing, sentencing.

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Lincoln-Douglas Debate – Possible 2020-2021 Topics

September/October 2020
  • Resolved: The United States ought to adopt a proportional representation system for elections to the House of Representatives. 
  • Resolved: In a democracy, voting ought to be compulsory. 
  • Resolved: Social media companies ought to be legally responsible for content posted by users on their platforms.
November/December 2020
  • Resolved: In the United States, workers ought to have the legal right to vote for representatives on corporate boards. 
  • Resolved: The United States ought to legalize adult sex work. 
  • Resolved: The United States ought to provide a federal jobs guarantee. 
January/February 2021
  • Resolved: States ought to ban lethal autonomous weapons.
  • Resolved: The United States ought to expand the application of the Public Trust Doctrine to wildlife habitats.
  • Resolved: The United States ought to end its use of secondary sanctions on other countries. 
March/April 2021
  • Resolved: The United States ought to guarantee universal child care. 
  • Resolved: The United States ought to recognize a positive right to reproduce. 
  • Resolved: Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising is unethical. 
National Tournament 2021
  • Resolved: A wealth tax is just. 
  • Resolved: Sin taxes are unjust. 
  • Resolved: A public health emergency justifies limiting civil liberties.

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NOVICE Lincoln-Douglas Debate -- The NOVICE topic lasts from September through November every year.
Resolved: Civil disobedience in a democracy is morally justified.
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Public Forum Debate – Possible 2020-2021 Topics
September/October 2020: Healthcare
  • Resolved: The United States federal government should enact the Medicare-For-All Act of 2019. 
  • Resolved: On balance, centralized national responses to pandemics are more beneficial than decentralized responses. 
November/December 2020: Non-Proliferation Efforts
  • Resolved: The United States should adopt a declaratory nuclear policy of no first use. 
  • Resolved: The United States should substantially modernize its nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) systems. 
January 2021: Data Privacy
  • Resolved: The NSA should end its surveillance of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. 
  • Resolved: The United States should establish a federal data protection agency. 
February 2021: Intra-African Policy
  • Resolved: On balance, the benefits of urbanization in West Africa outweigh the harms.
  • Resolved: Exclusive rights to the use of the Nile River are harmful to African stability. 
March 2021: U.S. Space Policy
  • Resolved: Article IV of the Outer Space Treaty should be amended to ban anti-satellite weapons. 
  • Resolved: On balance, the benefits of creating the United States Space Force outweigh the harms. 
April 2021: International Economies
  • Resolved: The benefits of the International Monetary Fund outweigh the harms.
  • Resolved: On balance, cryptocurrency benefits emerging economies. 
National Tournament 2021: Free Speech
  • Resolved: In the United States, social media is beneficial for democratic values. 
  • Resolved: The United States federal government should no longer apply Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to Big Tech.