The Vorto Season Opener

2024 — NSDA Campus, US

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Congressional Debate

Event Description:

Preliminary Sessions

• Entries and Chambers: With 18 to 20 entries, each chamber will include a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 25 entries.
• Duration: Each session will last a minimum of three hours, with an additional ten minutes added for each entry beyond 20.
• Election: A presiding officer will be elected by a majority vote.
• Seating and Precedence: New seating chart will be established, and precedence/recency will be reset.
• Legislation: Only new legislation that has not been debated in a previous session of the tournament will be considered.
• Personnel: Two scorers and a parliamentarian are required.

Elimination Session

• Advancement: An equal number of entries will advance from each chamber.
• Entries: Sessions will default to as close to 15 entries as possible for elimination rounds.
• Personnel: A minimum of two scorers and a parliamentarian are required.

Final Session

• Advancement: An equal number of entries will advance from each chamber.
• Entries: The session will default to as close to 20 entries as possible.
• Personnel: A minimum of three scorers and a parliamentarian are required, with the number of scorers exceeding those in the elimination rounds.

Floor Debate

• Debate Structure:
  • After the sponsorship speech and questioning of the sponsor, the first negative speech and questioning of the negative, the presiding officer will alternately recognize affirmative and negative speakers to address the chamber for up to three minutes, followed by one minute of questioning.
  • If no one opposes the preceding speaker, the presiding officer may recognize a speaker supporting the same side.
  • When no one seeks the floor for debate, the presiding officer may ask if the chamber is “ready for the question.” If there is no objection, voting may commence on the legislation.
  • There is no “minimum cycle.” When three speeches are given unopposed, the previous question will be immediately called.
  • If an entry speaks on the wrong side as called by the presiding officer and the error is not caught, the speech will count in precedence but will receive no more than three points for not paying close attention to the debate flow.
  • If an entry speaks on legislation not currently being debated, the speech will count in precedence but will receive zero points.
  • Violators who speak on the wrong side or item will be refused further recognition for debate on that piece of legislation, and that speech will count for precedence.

• Questioning Rules:
  • Members shall not yield any portion of their time for questions and may ask only one question per questioning period. No prefacing or multiple-part questions are allowed.
  • Speakers may request the rephrasing or repeating of a question at the discretion of the parliamentarian.
  • Members may ask additional questions if no members who haven’t asked a question want to ask a question.
• Recognition: Members must speak only after being recognized by the presiding officer.

Recognizing Speakers

• Precedence/Recency: When more than one speaker seeks the floor, the presiding officer must:
  • First, recognize students who have not spoken during the session.
  • Next, recognize students who have spoken fewer times.
  • Then, recognize students who spoke earlier (least recently).
• Questioning Precedence/Recency: The presiding officer must maintain separate questioning precedence/recency.

Time Limits

• Sponsor Speech: 3 Minutes
• Questions of Sponsor: 2 Minutes
• First Negative Speech: 3 Minutes
• Questioning of First Negative: 2 Minutes
• All Subsequent Speeches: 3 Minutes each
• Questioning of All Subsequent Speakers: 1 Minute each