theNational Civic SocietyUnited States
theNational Civic Society
The National Civic Society brings free speech, challenging conversations, and critical thinking to high schools across America

Most of what you believe, you have never actually had to argue for.

Read what we're about

How our debates work

01
The room votes first
Everyone votes on the motion before anyone speaks. It is a private ballot by QR code.
02
Both sides make the case
Openings, two rounds of open forum, then closings. The floor is open to any member and there is no sign-up to speak.
03
The room votes again
The side that changes more minds wins, even if it finishes in the minority.

The side that wins is the one that changed the most minds, not the one that started ahead. Every result in the archive is scored that way.

—
Active chapters
—
Members nationwide
—
Debates held
Debate with us.
Join your school's chapter to vote, submit topics, and speak in debates. Or start a chapter at your own school.

About the National Civic Society

A debating society for American high schools

The National Civic Society (N.C.S.) brings free speech, open argument, and critical thinking into American high schools. At every meeting, members take a contested question in politics, ethics, or current affairs and debate it from both sides, examining it below the surface and testing their own views against people who see it differently.

N.C.S. grew out of a society founded at Seattle Academy in 2025. A small group of students who were drawn to large, difficult questions found no place in school to discuss them across different friend groups and backgrounds, so they started one.

Once the society was established, its founders created the National Civic Society to bring it to other schools. Each chapter is student-led and follows the same standing orders, and any high school in the country can start one.

Debates are held at every meeting, with the floor open to any member and no sign-up required to speak. N.C.S. takes no position of its own; members argue every side of a question, and the room votes before and after, with the result going to whichever side changes more minds. Some members come to sharpen how they argue, others to get more comfortable speaking in front of a room, and many simply to spend an hour in a genuine conversation with people they disagree with.

See the Schedule for what is coming up, or the Archive for how past debates were decided.

Joining N.C.S. gives you a place to argue hard questions with people who see them differently, and to work through them in the open. We would be glad to have you.

No chapter at your school yet?
Loading…

Schedule

Topic to be decided
Topic to be decided.
Vote open
Topic to be decided.
Submissions open
Topic to be decided
Topic to be decided.
Not yet open
Topic to be decided
Vote

Vote on the next topic

Pick the submission you'd most like to see debated. You can change your pick until voting closes.

Loading…

Results are hidden until voting closes.
Submit a topic

Submit a topic

The chair shortlists three. The society votes on those. Write a claim someone could stand up and deny — one sentence, specific enough that a person could actually take the other side.

One sentence. It has to work both ways, so someone can take the other side.
The shortlist gets built from this, not from the topic alone.
1 of 2 submissions used this cycle
Every debate, every result

Archive

The room votes before and after. The side that moves more of the room wins, even if the other side still holds more of it at the end.

For Against Before the debate
Nationwide

Chapters

Founding Active Pending Inquiry
Don't see your school?
Any high school can start a chapter. Register and choose "Request a chapter" from the school list to get started.
Standing orders · rev. 1

Rules of procedure

1 · The gavel

|
One strike
The speaker should finish their current sentence and conclude.
||
Two strikes
The speaker's time has ended and they should stop.

The chair signals with the gavel rather than interrupting verbally. The chair explains the gavel during the opening at the first meeting of the year.

2 · Order of proceedings

2.1
The timer is displayed to the whole room
The countdown runs on the room's screen, visible to every member.
2.2
Each side gives an opening before open forum begins
The proposition speaks first, then the opposition, each without interruption. Open forum follows.
2.3
A member may not take two consecutive turns in open forum
At least one other person must speak between any member's turns. The chair may call on a speaker who has not yet contributed.
2.4
Floor contributions are statements, not questions
A member using floor time makes an argument rather than asking a question. Each contribution is limited to 45 seconds.
2.5
Speakers are not required to respond to any given floor contribution
Speakers choose which floor points to address. What is raised and what is answered is recorded in the log.
2.6
The proposition delivers the final closing
Closings run opposition first, then proposition.
2.7
The chair marks the transition between open-forum blocks
Between the two open-forum blocks the chair restates the motion and summarizes where the disagreement stands. No vote is taken.
2.8
Floor rounds absorb changes to timing
The chair may add a fourth floor contribution when ahead of schedule, or reduce a round to two when behind. A floor round is not cut in favor of a main speaker.
2.9
Two floor speakers are arranged in advance
Before each debate the chair arranges for two members to speak first when the floor opens.

3 · Voting

3.1 Method
Private ballot by QR codeMembers vote through a form linked by a QR code on the room's screen.
3.2 Timing
Once before, once afterThe room votes at the opening and at the close. There is no midpoint vote.
3.3 Result
Decided by the larger change in the voteThe side that shifts more of the room between the two votes wins, regardless of the final majority. The result is announced and recorded in the archive.

4 · Speaker selection

4.1 Qualifying
Drawn from the floor logSpeaking slots are offered to members whose floor contributions have been recorded in the log.
4.2 Reserved slot
One slot per debate for a first-time speakerOf the four speaking positions, one is held for a member who has not previously spoken.
4.3 Rotation
A speaker sits out the next two debatesAfter speaking, a member is not eligible for a speaking slot for the next two debates.
4.4 Confirmation
A one-line thesis, 48 hours beforeSelected speakers submit one sentence stating their position two days before the debate. A speaker who does not confirm is replaced by the reserve.
4.5 Non-attendance
Two additional debates before eligibilityA speaker who fails to appear without notice sits out two debates beyond the standard rotation.
Your account

—

Changing your email isn't supported here yet.
Only a sitting leader can change offices.

Your record

Floor log
—
Member since
—

Your permissions

—

Report something

This report is anonymous. Your name and email are not attached, and it is sent to your chapter's leadership.

Nothing sent yet
TBD

Chair's run sheet

Chairing tonight: —.

Live00:00 / 29:30
Open
Chair opens
Topic, rules, format
1:00
Next upOpening vote

One strike: finish the sentence and conclude. Two strikes: time has ended. Timings are set in Admin.

Live ballotNo vote open

Members vote from their own phone on the Home page while a stage is open. Nobody, including you, can see how any individual voted — only the totals below.

Leaders only

Admin

Settings here apply to your chapter only.

Meeting formats & run sheetApplies to the Chair console

Content 29:30 Buffer 10:30 Meeting 40:00
Anonymous reports2 unread
Roster— members
MemberRoleFloor
Leaders only

Settings

Set when each debate happens, when voting and submissions close, and other chapter-wide details. Changes apply as soon as you save.

Debate schedule6 upcoming meetings
Voting & submissionsFor the next meeting's topic
Meeting detailsApplies chapter-wide
The Chair console's buffer total in Admin is measured against this.