THE WHITMAN PARLI DEBATE BALLOT

Here is what a Parli Ballot looks like at the Whitman Tournament:

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ROUND Confirm you know who each speaker is so you record points and sides accurately on the ballot. THE PMC needs to start by the deadline noted on the ballot. AT THE END OF THE DEBATE: 1) Provide comments for each debater. 2) Rate each debater with a score between 24 and 30 (most scores are 26 to 28). 3) Circle the debater you voted for. 4) Sign your name and School 5) Write an explanation of your decision YES—YOU CAN GIVE ORAL DECISIONS/COMMENTS. BUT MAKE SURE YOU TURN IN YOUR BALLOT BY THE DEADLINE NOTED.

HOW SHOULD I MAKE A DEBATE DECISION?

List out the arguments for and against the affirmative case and resolution. For example, if the topic is “Mental Health Care Access is a Moral Imperative,” do the arguments for mental health care outweigh the arguments against those in a weight that the debaters show is a moral imperative?

Be sure to consider the argument presented in deciding which side's arguments are more important.

Does the affirmative case support the topic?

USE YOUR NOTES OF THEIR ARGUMENTS. Here is an example decision you might make:

· "The negative established that mental health policies harm people. The affirmative tried to focus on the use of mental health policy as an imperative. The negative, demonstrated, however, that mental health policies hurt the people and is therefore not a morally required action. The affirmative also tried to argue that mental health policies could address economic issues. However, the negative showed that the economic help is insufficient; mental health policies are not critical to economic support."

WHEN YOU WRITE YOUR DECISION

· Explain why you voted the way you did. EXAMPLE "I voted negative. Mental health care is good but not a moral imperative. The negative showed . . ."

· Explain why you did not vote for the arguments of the losing team. Try to point to arguments that the winning team made that convinced you against these arguments. LD EXAMPLE: "The affirmative tried to show that sanctions stop human rights abuses. But the negative convinced me that the sanctions rarely if ever work to stop human rights abuses."

· Explain what the losing team needed to do to win the debate." LD EXAMPLE: "The affirmative needed stronger arguments and definitions on why the failure of sanctions doesn’t undermine her case."

CAN I INTERJECT MY OPINION INTO MY DECISION?

You should NOT make a decision based solely on your beliefs. For example, it would be wrong to vote against a case simply because you didn't like it or because you didn’t think it was topical.

DO NOT MAKE ARGUMENTS AGAINST A DEBATER. Make your decisions based on the arguments that the debaters present in the debate.

Now, if you find one team's arguments unpersuasive, then that may be okay. But, if a debater gives a good reason for something AND his/her opponents do not respond, you probably should vote for the debater’s argument even if you do not agree with it. Blame the opponents that couldn't even make a response to the weak argument.

WATCH AND WRITE A BALLOT OF A SHORT PARLI DEBATE