Civility may not top the list of qualities for president, it's worth asking if the candidates managed to remain civil. And new database means changes next year. This is KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Allison St. John in for Maureen Cavanaugh. Last nights debate did not yield much new information on what the candidates policies would be, it gave millions of Americans glimpse of the strength of the candidates in a rough and tumble world of debating. Carl Luna is director of the Institute of civil engagement. He is a nonpartisan commentator and he helped convene a watch party last night at city College. Your particular focus is civility in the political arena, which is relevant in this race. One of the candidates has earned a reputation of scoring points by not being civil. Let's start with whether you thought Donald Trump, the most civility challenged, managed to stay within the bounds of what you believe is important. He was actually relatively civil last night. He wasn't using name-calling, no "Crooked Hillary"'s. He interrupted, so did Hillary Clinton, compared to most candidates across time, this was a more fiery debate. There were more interruptions, on a historical sale -- scale a C-. This might get a gentleman's B-. It is a delicate balance. You do need to be assertive to be presidential without being aggressive. You think Hillary Clinton was assertive enough? She probably had the mark best. She was bringing her own brand of incivility, referring to Donald Trump is Donald. He would colors Secretary Clinton and she got a pass on that because everyone was focusing on Donald Trump to upset disability card. Civility is not just being polite, it saying things that are true and offering a visual of building civilization. I saw less civility in last nights debate in previous debates and even to a degree, some of the Sanders Clinton debates. Where do you think Trump scored most effectively, I did and keep Calder Hillary towards the end. He got upset and tired towards the end. Think is best time was the first 30 minutes for scoring points. He's laying out a legitimate issue. You have 30 years of Hillary Clinton in politics there's politics do you want more of the same or an alternative. Where he's weaker is fleshing out the alternative. It's good to point out problems, but you have to be detailed and solutions and that's his weakest point. Here's his attack about NAFTA. I know how to really work to get new jobs and to get exports that help create more new jobs. You haven't done in 30 years of -- I've been a senator. Excuse me, your husband signed NAFTA which was one of the worst things that ever happened -- Do think he succeeded in rattling are? That was probably is most effective attack on her record. The interrupting and back-and-forth, the audience focused more on the exchange than the details. That may be the problem with the campaign. He raised a lot of issues. Americans have not been doing well for a long time. To figure out how to fix that is the debate we need. What Hillary Clinton was defending, she was not addressing that NAFTA has less all -- left a lot of people in the cold. I don't do -- know what you think her most effective attack was. We have a clip of her response. I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate. And, yes I did. You know what else I prepared for, I prepare to be President. She focused on her own strengths and by implication highlighted his weaknesses. Do think that was effective? I think that was one of her more effective moments. The fact that she did not rise to the debate, she was not personally attacking Mister Trump, even though she was debated by saying Donald all the time. Her smile was her best weapon. Donald Trump seemed to be upset and frowning. Everyone was talking about his sniffling. She came across as poised without looking smirky. She always has to fight the danger that she is the smartest kid in the class. She did offer her own view of American societies. They spent so much time launching attacks and belittling each other. They never got to the vision. Since we are focusing on civility in the few minutes we have, was at your impression that Donald trumps -- Trump, the fighting style that he has did it make you question his stamina? I think Ford Donald Trump, he saw the debate wasn't going well and lost interest. From a civility point of view, the most important statement by Mister Trump and Mrs. Clinton was that, they would both abide by the outcome of the election. Mister Trump had big -- had made suggestions. For the last 20 years we have said if my side doesn't when your site doesn't get to be there, we don't get anything done. I've got a question about the debate, the watch party that you are at, which was at city College was students. Some of the students have thought the debate was childish. Yes. This is an interesting issue. I did not particularly feel the students were reached, that the people that spoke were offering a vision of the future to them. Particularly, when you got into race relations and social justice, that was largely missing. They were hitting campaign ideas, they seem to be reaching out to the older, established voter. I don't see any of the candidates having an effective mission dose message for youth. In 2012 the youth turned out because Barack Obama appealed to younger voters. I don't see nearly as much of that. We are just finally, what advice do you have for the candidates? Going into the next two debates, we've gone through a very long, blistering campaign season. We are more divided than when we started. It would be nice to have somebody with there vision of America, some higher values that would would -- we would be looking for to pull a divided country together. It doesn't matter who once, everybody gets a step parent they don't like. You can drift for four years, eight years or 12 years. We are going on 20 years of draft. Thanks so much for your take on this debate. That's Carl Luna, director of the Institute it -- Elections depend on who shows up to vote and of course in order to vote you have to be registered today is national voter registration day, a day of coordinated effort to register voters. It so happens, the new voter registration database has just been certified and that significant because it means next year California residents will be able to register to vote on election day. That won't be this year, it will be available in next year's elections. We have with this our registrar of voters. This year this new system is not in place, when is the last day to register? For this November election, the last day will be October 24. This new database that's just been certified, is it a game changer? It sets up for a game changer. One of the items and functionalities of the statewide voter registration database, we are now connected with the other counties and we have the ability to see their registered photos. -- Voters. It sets up a sort of conditional voter registration, as opposed to what it's been termed which is same-day registration. Same-day registration will be hind conditional voter registration. It allows a person to register up to election day, at the designated location. For San Diego County, that would be here at our office at 5600 Overland Avenue. How will outreach to voters change? Normally, we have a 15 day close of registration. Meaning, anyone that was registration -- registered up to 15 days is eligible to vote. After that, you would not be eligible to vote in the election. Now, that that has changed starting in 2017, it does not apply for this election. That means, a voter did not register by the close of registration can still come into our office and register to vote. It's known as conditional voter registration. We will keep that registration, they will cast what is known as a provisional ballot and we will then validate it after the election to determine whether or not we can count it. If in 2017, someone shows up on election day in registers it would still be counted as a provisional ballot? That's correct. It would be cast as provisional and we would counted depending on our verification and validation of that form. It should make it more available for people to vote, when the system goes into effect next year. The system will allow voters to see if there ballot was counted properly. It's something we have had on the books for quite some time. For San Diego County voters, when we've had an election and we have counted there mail ballot, we will post that online, so a voter knows when we have sent out the ballot and when we received it. A person can contact us, also. This extends that to all of the state. That helps with transparency, which is important around elections. Just remind us, if someone has not registered to vote and they want to what is the quickest way to do that? If you are not registered for this election or you need to read register. The simplest way is hopping online go to www. www.STvote.com. -- Www.SDvote.com. We get the signature from the Department of Motor Vehicles. If you don't have a state ID or a drivers license, you will need to print out a piece of paper with that information, signed it and send it to our office. That's probably the easiest way and what I recommend. There are a lot of third-party organizations registering people to vote, that's another way you can register. If you want to go straight to the source, we would be happy to do that. Do so before October 24, well before October 24. I anticipate we will have tens of thousands of forms coming in that day. Yes. Register today. Today is national voter registration day.
You could see the contrast in the eyes of the respective candidates' spokespersons, surrogates and family members after the first presidential debate of 2016 had wrapped.
As always, earnest efforts were made on both sides to claim victory — even insist on it — after the nationally televised clash between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump.
"Trump was especially strong on the issues in the first 45 minutes," said former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski on CNN.
Yet a general and clear consensus formed quickly among the snap pollsters, focus groups, reporters, commentators and TV panelists. And it did not favor Trump.
In sum: Clinton projected more of what she wanted than Trump, who did not strike the contrast or meet the expectations set up by his own campaign.
What was less clear was whether the voters got what they wanted from the debate. Did they learn what they lacked about the candidates? Did the undecided gain some guidance in their decision?
Clinton surprised by navigating a rather complicated passage through multiple challenges. She had to be energetic but serious, tough but pleasant, candid but charming, forceful but warm and human. It seemed a puzzle, yet she emerged with a smile — and even a bit of a shoulder shimmy late in the debate at a moment when she felt especially good.
By contrast, Trump had just one salient objective — to project a calm and presidential air — and yet, he struggled with it.
The contrast between her complex task and his simple focus was widely noted, and roundly criticized by those who said it set too low a bar for Trump to succeed. Some said he merely needed to show up to gain stature on stage and, thereby, to win no worse than a split decision.
Similarly, many of us expected his freewheeling style to connect far more effectively onscreen than her schoolteacher stress on process and policy.
But Trump was not quite successful in bringing his campaign-rally style to the small stage and the split-screen camera format. He began at a debate volume but segued to sports arena mode, speaking as if addressing a big crowd of supporters eager to cheer whatever he said.
Meanwhile, the often dour Clinton manner gave way to beaming smiles and occasional chuckles. Remarkably, she seemed to be having a good time. That has rarely been said about her big public showdowns in 2016. It recalled, instead, her back-to-back hits of last fall: testifying before the House committee investigating the Benghazi incident and then eclipsing four rivals for the Democratic nomination in their first debate.
There were those who said that Trump, too, got what he needed on Monday night. While he did not land any roundhouse blows, he put points on the board repeatedly and drew blood on the use of private email issue. He assailed manufacturing job losses to foreign countries, unfair trade practices by competitor nations, and the rise of ISIS abroad and violent crime at home.
But what seemed a fair fight through the early rounds deteriorated thereafter. Trump sniffled audibly and gulped drinks of water, often glowering and gripping his lectern. And as the debate lengthened, his temper grew shorter.
He grew increasingly snappish toward Clinton and toward NBC moderator Lester Holt. When corrected by Holt on the birther myth, his view of the Iraq War and federal court decisions on a certain police tactic called "stop and frisk," Trump disputed the corrections. And when needled by Clinton about his various vulnerabilities, he shot back — often with more anger than aim.
When she said he had paid no federal income taxes at times in his business career and suggested he might not have paid them in recent years, either, Trump replied: "That makes me smart."
When she said he had cheered the collapse of the housing market in 2008 because it enabled him to buy distressed properties cheaply, he came back with: "That's called business, by the way."
Trump was as likely to lean into his microphone and talk when it was not his turn as he was when it was. He offered interjections when Clinton was speaking, and often demanded time to respond on a given issue even after Holt wanted to move on.
At one point, he jabbed at Clinton for being off the campaign trail in recent days to prepare for the debate. "Yes, I did," she said. "And you know what I else I prepared for? I prepared to be president."
Near the end of the debate, Holt asked about a comment Trump had made regarding Clinton's looks. Trump said that was really about stamina for the job, which he said she lacked. Clinton, clearly prepared for the topic, went after Trump for his comments about a contestant in one of his beauty pageants, a Hispanic woman he had referred to as "Miss Housekeeping."
While there was a lot of conflict, the debate did not do much to fulfill the needs of voters seeking information beyond the candidates' personae. Many issues went unmentioned, including the current prospect of a government shutdown in Washington over a pending measure to fund the government, the lack of consideration for Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, the need for funding to fight the Zika virus, and demand for federal dollars for flood victims in Louisiana and lead-poisoning victims in Flint, Mich. There was also surprisingly little discussion of immigration, or Trump's famous proposal for a wall from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.
It was also hard to say whether undecided voters got much guidance from the debate, which took place before a mostly silent audience at Hofstra University in suburban Hempstead on New York's Long Island. The first post-debate surveys showed little sign that the uncommitted were moved. (Although in the past, such movement has been more visible in the days after a debate than on the night of the event.)
A second debate will be held in St. Louis on Oct. 9 and a third in Las Vegas on Oct. 19.
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