Public debate is one form of political campaigning carried out at the campaign stage in the presidential and vice presidential elections in 2019 with the aim of influencing the political preference of the people. Besides being able to influence people's political preference, public debate (political debate) between presidential candidates and vice-presidential candidates in the 2019 Presidential Election is also expected to increase the political participation of the public. Through public debate (political debate) that is broadcast on TV nationally, the people will get information directly about the programs of presidential and vice-presidential candidates if elected or won in the presidential election in 2019, and it is one way to attract public interest to participate in the presidential election in 2019. By using a qualitative approach through literature studies, this paper discusses the significance of the public debate in the Presidential Election contestation, the influence of public debate on people's political preference in presidential elections, as well as factors that influence people's choices (related to debate public) in the Presidential Election.
Keywords: public debate, political choice, political participation, presidential election.