Presidential candidates seem ready to swoop into Florida over the next two weeks in anticipation of the state’s March 15 presidential primary, but voters today can attend a debate of all the major players—or at least reasonable facsimiles. State College of Florida, Manatee Sarasota will host a mock presidential debate at its Venice campus at 11am, where stand-ins for six major candidates share a stage in an effort to entertain and inform the general public.

“It’s to give our students a chance to shine and practice their debating skills, and also to provide an education for the public,” said Michael Rogers, associate professor of History and Politics at the school. Members of the college’s History and Political Science Club volunteered to represent Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and Republicans Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio and Donald Trump. In preparation for the debate, students have pored over videos of the real presidential debates thus far and studied policy positions for each campaign. “They are going to candidates websites, studying policies and reading transcripts,” Rogers said. “They have been working really hard at it for the last eight weeks.” The professor expects students will attempt to emulate mannerisms for candidates, but said the primary focus of the event will be on accurately presenting the strengths of each person running for president.

And while much of the early part of the debate will be scripted to a degree, with students answering a known set of questions from the moderator, members of the audience will also be invited to pose questions town hall-style, an element that will require the stand-ins to think on their feet. 

The debate will be held in the Selby Room in Building 800 of the SCF Venice campus. The event begins at 11am.