State Treasurer Richard Moore says he wants three more debates with his Democratic rival for governor, Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue.

Don’t expect Perdue to join him in that call. Polls show her as the front-runner, and front-runners rarely want to do anything to upset the apple cart.

But perhaps the four major Republican candidates running for governor — Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, state Sen. Fred Smith of Johnston County, former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr and Salisbury lawyer Bill Graham — will make a pitch for more debates as well. In doing so, Moore and the Republicans might bring some pressure to bear on Perdue.

Moore makes a valid point about the debates so far — they haven’t been real debates with give-and-take between the candidates. There’s been no chance for the candidates to rebut statements by each other. Moderators haven’t asked follow-up questions to challenge the candidates’ statements.

But here’s another reason that Moore’s plea for more debates should be considered: Have any voters really had much of an opportunity to see these exchanges?

To date, the N.C. School Boards Association has held a candidates’ forum, and UNC-TV has broadcast issues-focused forums. More forums, in which candidates address groups and answer questions individually, without real debate, are scheduled.

But most won’t be broadcast on television or radio. And the candidates won’t have the opportunity to challenge each other’s statements or records, like we see in the presidential debates.

Even the UNC-TV forums held so far haven’t been broadcast across the network during prime time, when people might actually tune in. Instead, they’ve been shown on the high-definition alternative during prime evening hours and rebroadcast late at night or on weekends on the primary channels.

Poor ratings of past state political debates likely played a role in that decision. Still, voters interested in viewing legitimate exchanges between candidates ought to have a reasonable opportunity to do so. And in our hectic, busy world, a broadcast at 10 p.m. on a public television station, with little advanced marketing, doesn’t qualify. If UNC-TV execs can’t or don’t want to give these forums the airtime they deserve, then they shouldn’t be clamoring to hold them in the first place. Give some other broadcasters a chance.

Maybe the bigger commercial television stations wouldn’t step up to sacrifice a prime time slot — and its advertising dollars — either. (Considering how much they rake in from ad revenue from political candidates during major election years, they could definitely afford the hit.) Still, some of the local cable channels probably would be happy to broadcast a debate or two in a good time slot. Maybe they’d even do so as the election is actually near and voters pay attention.

So, Mr. Treasurer, keep up your appeals. Come on, GOP governor wannabes, join together and create a clamor. You can use all the exposure that you can get.

And, are you listening, lieutenant governor?