The Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Monday the five polls it will use to determine which candidates will make the stage in the fall's general election debates.
The polls will be those conducted by ABC-Washington Post, CBS-New York Times, CNN-Opinion Research Corporation, Fox News, and NBC-Wall Street Journal. The commission said they selected the five based on the "reliable frequency of polling and sample sizes used by the polling organization," the "soundness of the survey methodology employed by the polling organization" and the "longevity and reputation of the polling organization."
In addition to being eligible for the presidency and be on enough state ballots to "at least have a mathematical chance of securing an Electoral College majority," candidates must have a level of support of at least 15 percent as determined by the most recent polls of the five organizations listed above.
While Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are sure bets, the polls will be of intense interest to the Libertarian and Green party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein.
As we previously reported, debate sites have been warned to prepare for the possibility of three candidates on stage. According to the five most recent polls by the five organizations chosen by the Commission, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson is at 9.8 percent while Green party candidate Jill Stein is at 4.67 percent. While there will be more polls and likely an increase in support after Labor Day, as it stands now neither Johnson nor Stein would make the stage.
Steve Shepard contributed to this report.
