Founded in 1934, the Yale Political Union is the oldest and largest collegiate debate society in America. It is the largest student group on Yale’s campus, and the central forum for political engagement and debate at Yale.

Each week, we invite renowned guests to engage and challenge our members, whether it’s over dinner, or in formal debate on Tuesdays, 7:30 post meridiem at the highly traditional Sudler Hall. The Union is a non-partisan debate forum dedicated to showcasing voices from across the political spectrum, emphasizing diversity of ideology and background. In recent semesters, we have hosted prominent figures from all corners of the public consciousness, including Noam Chomsky, Nina Turner, Chelsea Manning, John Mearsheimer, Sara Nelson, Matthew Iglesias, among many others. In our 88 years of history, we’ve had countless eminent thinkers, politicians and heads of state join us for debate, including Ronald Reagan, Joe Biden, Lady Bird Johnson, Milton Friedman, Jimmy Carter, George Stephanopoulos, Margaret Mead, George McGovern, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Walter Cronkite, among others.

Our members have gone on to become famed legal scholars, attorneys general, governors, senators, federal circuit justices, and secretaries of state. For over eighty years, the Union’s purpose has been encouraging spirited and substantive debate on matters of public interest. Modeled after the Oxford and Cambridge Unions, we operate like any legislative body, using parliamentary procedure to express passionate disagreement with civility.

Our debates are usually free and open to the entire Yale community. Everyone, regardless of membership status, is welcome to attend.