The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has announced that the National High School Policy Debate Topic for 2023-24 will be “Economic Inequality.”

Economic Inequality prevailed over “Climate Change” in the final balloting process, receiving 37 of a possible 47 votes. Ballots cast by 43 state associations as well as representatives from four national associations – the National Speech and Debate Association, the National Catholic Forensic League, the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues and the Nation Debate Coaches Association – decided the vote.

“We are elated to have a record 47 states and national organizations take part in the selection process,” said Dr. James Weaver, NFHS director of performing arts and sports. “It is important for our membership to have their voices heard. Economic Inequality and Climate Change are both excellent topics that deserve to be debated by some of the brightest youth in our country.”

Centered on the fiscal well-being of some of the most vulnerable parts of the United States population, the official resolution for the 2023-24 High School Policy Debate Topic reads: “The United States federal government should substantially increase fiscal redistribution in the United States by adopting a federal jobs guarantee, expanding Social Security, and/or providing a basic income.”

“Economic Inequality is a very relevant topic for students to debate,” Weaver said. “The 2023-24 resolution focuses on navigating a topic that is at the forefront of our collective societal consciousness.”

The three-phase voting process used to determine the final topic began at the NFHS Policy Debate Topic Selection Meeting held August 5-7 in Kansas City, Missouri. Sixty-four attending delegates from 20 states and multiple national organizations compiled five potential choices, which included the two finalists, along with “Agricultural Subsidies,” “Latin America” and “South Asia.”

Those five options were then ranked in order of preference by the 47 organizations mentioned above, with the two lowest aggregate totals advancing to the final vote. The final round of voting opened in late October and concluded January 4, 2023.

For more information on the 2023-24 national high school policy debate topic, including a visual breakdown of how each organization voted on the final ballot, please visit: https://www.nfhs.org/articles/economic-inequality-selected-as-2023-2024-national-policy-debate-topic/.