Bernie calling out ticket pricing at the debate

[brooklynite]

40. As someone who's actually been to two of the debates, allow me to answer...

None of the tickets have a face value. They are allocated in different quantities to:

The DNC
The State Party
The candidates
The Media sponsor (in this case CBS)
The site host (in this case the non-profit Gaillard Center)

The DNC makes its allotment of ticket available to:
DNC leadership
Special Guests (example: Al Sharpton)
Financial Supporters (the "National Finance Committee&quot , either for a single event (Detroit was $5,000) or to people who make significant contributions for the election cycle (in my case, $50,000).

The State Party generally makes its tickets available to:
State Party leadership
State and Local Elected Officials
Local residents (usually by lottery)

The candidates make their tickets available to:
Campaign staff
Family members and Guests
Campaign supporters (usually through a "make a contribution and be entered in a contest to win tickets" deal)

The media sponsor makes their tickets available to:
Network executives
Major advertisers
Special Guests

The site host makes tickets available to:
Site management
Affiliated members (in the case of an educational institution, faculty and students)
Special Guests