V.The role of the judge
Each debate round will have a judge who will decide which team does the better job of debating.
-The judge is instructed to base his/her decision on the arguments made in the debate round, not on his/her personal beliefs about the issues.
-Usually, a judge will take notes and do his or her best to follow all of the arguments you make.
-At the conclusion of the debate, the judge will write a ballot which explains his/her decision. You will get your ballot back at the end of the tournament.
-Judges are hired by the schools that attend a debate tournament. They may be teachers, parents, former high school debaters, or other interested adults. Some judges are very experienced, but many are not. Undoubtedly, at some point in your debate career you will be disappointed by a decision that a judge makes. It is best to assume that your judge is doing their best.
-Remember, debate is subjective and will be seen differently by different people.