Lots of laughs in the press filing center at the debate’s open. Chris Dodd is answering the first question.

No election reform question yet.

* 7:30 PM: Half an hour into the debate. Still no sign of any election reform questions.

* 8:12 PM: Over half way there and still no election reform question for the candidates.

* 8:30 PM: First election reform question! From Melissa in California:

Only New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson was given time to answer this question before a commercial break. I’ll get the transcript ASAP.

* Richardson’s response: Here are Richardson’s comments on election reform (as transcribed by CNN), the only comments on the topic during the entire debate:

I, as president, I would push the whole country to verified paper trails. There are close to 10 states that do this.

(APPLAUSE)

My state a year ago, my state was one of those states, along with Florida and Ohio, that, because of the touch-tones, there was uncertainty about the election.

We have close to 50 percent of those Americans eligible to vote voting. That is inexcusable, compared to many other nations. We need to have same-day registration. We need to have an effort to get the Republican Party to stop suppressing minority voters. We need to find ways also to depoliticize the Justice Department that tried to find those voters that were legitimately voting.

Why Tuesday? believes election reform is a nonpartisan issue. In our upcoming online documentary series we’ll take a closer look at the kinds of reforms Governor Richardson proposed during the debate, and more. Again, we are non-political and universal in our advocacy; Why Tuesday? welcomes community and national leaders, voters and non-voters, young and old, and members of all political parties (or none).

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