Pittsburgh is rife with debate parties this season as the close presidential race and the behind-the-scenes shenanigans have kept voters captivated by the campaign. And like sports events and the Academy Awards, it's much more fun to watch these political face-offs with a group.

Tonight's 90-minute presidential debate, which begins at 9 p.m., features a town hall format at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. Domestic policy will be the subject of the final, 90-minute debate on Oct. 15 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

For ideas on putting on a debate party, Suzanne Broughton, president of the League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh, suggests visiting the group's Web site at www.lwv.org to check out its debate party hosting kit. This includes ideas for decorations, a playlist, discussion guide and, of course, the food.

Here are five rules of fun to keep in mind if you are either attending or hosting a debate party:

1. Keep abreast of the latest political commentary by reading what pundits are saying. Some of the best sources are politico.com, huffingtonpost.com, realclearpolitics.com and slate.com. Understand the Republican strategy, the Democratic strategy and know your battleground states. After all, they don't call Pennsylvania the Keystone State for nothing.

2. Stay attuned to the latest spoofs of the candidates. If you missed Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's interview with CBS anchor Katie Couric or Tina Fey's lampooning of the Republican vice presidential candidate on Saturday Night Live, you can catch both on youtube.com and other Web sites.

3. Follow the advice of the late computer scientist Randy Pausch -- when you show up at the party, be a fun Tigger instead of a sad sack Eeyore. This means joining in the spirit of the evening by participating in whatever activity is on your host's agenda.

A good example is Laurel Rosenberg, a Squirrel Hill woman who believes in parties with a purpose. A member of Pittsburgh Women for Obama, she will ask guests at the group's final presidential debate party to address postcards to send to undecided voters.

4. Invite people through e-mail blasts, then follow up with people who don't respond. But you might also want to limit the guest list to one party and undecideds. You don't want the debate party to turn into a food fight.

5. If you're hosting the party, make sure to serve finger food or other dishes that can easily be eaten in front of the television such as meatballs, cheese and crackers or shrimp. Desserts should be bite size. You can keep the dishes nonpartisan (Chewy Red, White and Blue M&M Cookies or Patriotic Punch) or add dishes influenced by the candidates, such as Layered Three Cheese Nachos for Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain or Chicago Meatballs for Democratic Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

Here are suggested recipes for a debate party promoted by Celebrations.com and League of Women Voters at www.lwv.org. None of these has been tested by the Post-Gazette.

• 1 part cherry-flavored vodka
• 3 parts lemonade

Combine and serve in a rocks glass over ice.

For a nonalcoholic version, substitute cherry-flavored fruit juice for vodka.

• Large bag of tortilla chips
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups shredded hot pepper jack cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1 cup of yellow canned corn (drained)
• 1/2 cup of diced jalapenos
• 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• Optional -- grilled chicken or steak strips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put half the corn chips on an ovenproof platter and sprinkle half of each cheese on them, followed by a portion of the remaining ingredients.

Top with the remaining chips and toppings, ending with a layer of the remaining cheeses.

Bake until the cheeses have melted.

Serve with sour cream.

-- Michelle Cano, Phoenix, Ariz.

• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 11/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
• 41/2 cups uncooked oats
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsel
• 1 cup red, white and blue M&Ms plain chocolate candy
• 2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add both sugars and butter to a mixing bowl and mix until creamy with an electric mixer on low speed.

Add eggs, peanut butter, vanilla and corn syrup; mixed well.

Add oats and remaining ingredients; stir to combine.

Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 60 cookies.

-- RecipeZaar.com

• 1 1/2 pounds hamburger
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4-ounce package onion soup mix

For sauce

 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 12-ounce jar chili sauce
• 6 ounces water
• 16-ounce can sauerkraut, drained
• 16-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix meatball ingredients together. Roll meatballs and place in a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish.

Mix sauce ingredients and pour over meatballs.

Cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Serves six.

-- League of Women Voters