Vice presidential debate planned in St. Louis

As the buzz surrounding the vice presidential candidates increases, Washington University in St. Louis is gearing up for the vice presidential debate to be held next month.

The debate, scheduled for 8 p.m. on Oct. 2, is the only planned meeting between Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del. It will be held in the Athletic Complex of WUSTL, according to the university Web site.

This is the fifth time WUSTL has been selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates to serve as a host, but it is the first vice presidential debate to come to the university.

The debate will be 90 minutes in length with questions administered by a single moderator, according to the commission. It will be divided into eight 10-minute issue segments with time at the end for closing remarks from each candidate.

The candidates will discuss domestic and foreign policy issues, according to the commission.

The three presidential debates will be held Sept. 26 at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Oct. 7 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. and Oct. 15 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

UPDATE:

According to the Commission on Presidential Debates, tickets won't be available until mid-September. The Washington University Web site states there will be a "public viewing area," which might be available to the public — we'll find out more information soon.