The debate over whether or not to have a debate in the race for the U.S. House of Representative's 3rd District seat lives on.

That issue, which has created more headlines in the district over the past month than traditional political hot-buttons, arose again Wednesday with more charges and counter-charges from Green Party challenger AnnDrea Benson and Republican incumbent Phil English.

Mrs. Benson announced via a campaign news release that she had learned from the Crawford County League of Women Voters, which has been attempting to bring the two candidates together for an Oct. 30 showdown, that English is refusing to debate her because of Benson's request to use note cards.

"In the interest of providing accurate statistics and information, I have often used notes in previous presentations and forums," Mrs. Benson said.

English believes they don't belong.

"My experience with campaigns and note cards in debates is it's very distracting to the audience to have things that you're referencing," English said. "You ought to have two people standing there cleanly discussing the issues, offering their positions."

English claimed that Mrs. Benson said she would "debate him at any time and under any set of rules."

The issue, however, presented by an English campaign negotiator to the Crawford County League of Women Voters, he said, was that "we've never debated with notes before."

And that appears to be the latest monkey wrench in the debate works, which has become almost comical for many in its ability to thrive, especially considering the number of important issues facing the voters of Northwest Pennsylvania.

"I think it's insulting to the voters' intelligence that this has become so dragged out," English said. "I never refused to debate. I always made clear that agreeing to a debate was going to be based ... on whether we can agree to the rules ... I've always debated my opponents. I've always looked for opportunities to do that and I don't think it suggests good faith for her to put out statements that try to mischaracterize my position. From where I sit, AnnDrea Benson would rather argue that I won't debate than actually debate me."

Mrs. Benson disagrees.

"Mr. English started out a few months ago calling me a 'fringe' candidate," she said. "I would like to remind Mr. English that the Republican Party was once a new party. Does that make its candidate, Abraham Lincoln, a 'fringe candidate?' Abraham Lincoln wasn't afraid to debate. In fact, the Lincoln-Douglas debates added to the citizens understanding of both the candidates and issues. While I certainly don't want to suggest that the Benson-English debates would rise to that level, I believe the voters would have a better chance of evaluating their choices."

Of that, it seems, both candidates can agree on. What they can't seem to agree on, however, continues to deny voters of the 3rd District a chance to see both candidates on the same stage.