Bernie Sanders Calls for More, Earlier Debates, Posts Petition

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who's been calling for more, earlier and even bipartisan presidential debates, is kicking it up a notch, urging voters to weigh in through an online petition.

Sanders posted his petition Wednesday.

"We need a lot more debates in this campaign," Sanders told Meet the Press on Sunday.

"I hope very much that we can begin with the Democratic candidates at least as early as July, and also [have] Republicans in those debates, as well."

For Sanders, facing long odds to beat Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, having more and earlier debates would allow national access without using up ad funds, The New York Times reports.

"In the long haul of a presidential campaign, candidates like myself spend a lot of time traveling to states with early primaries speaking directly to voters," Sanders has said, the Times reports. "But we can only be in so many places at once, and so the media ends up distilling these discussions down to sound bites for evening newscasts. Debates change that."

In a tweet, Clinton backed the DNC six-debate, Democrat-only rules.

While GOP debates the same failed policies, Democrats will debate how to help families get ahead. Looking forward to a real conversation. –H

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 5, 2015

Besides Clinton and Sanders, other Democrats vying for the nod to be the party's standard-bearer are Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and former Sen. and Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

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