The third party candidate for president, Libertarian Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, was deliberately excluded from the first presidential debate. He requested to be there, but was rejected.

Mr. Johnson is the only other nominee qualified to be on the presidential ballot in all 50 states.

Both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton have “strongly unfavorable” ratings in all polls, worse than any nominee in the past 10 presidential cycles. A large percentage of voters still say they want to consider voting for someone else.

The winners of the debate were the media, who made money on it. The losers were the people who did not get to hear from all the candidates. This is especially regrettable because the American voters are the ones responsible to hire the president, not the politicians.

Intentionally silencing nominees chosen by the people stifles democracy and blocks fairness in elections. But thank goodness for the internet. If you want to know the nominees they didn’t want you to, go to the Libertarian Party website, www.lp.org, and hear and see on video Mr. Johnson and his vice presidential running mate Bill Weld, former governor of Massachusetts.

You will learn more in 2 minutes listening to these esteemed former governors than you did while viewing 90 minutes of hot air debate.

JANE KENNY                                   

Bluffton, S.C.