INTRODUCTION TO

COUNTERPLANS
Developed by Jenny Alme, The Harker School
 WHAT IS A COUNTERPLAN?
• Let’s imagine that you have a problem—you are hungry. You want
to eat at Wendy’s. You drive there, ready for a tasty treat, but it is
closed. What do you do next? You might go next door and eat at
Chipotle. Coming up with an alternative to the original plan
(Wendy’s) because it had a disadvantage (it was closed) created a
counterplan (Chipotle).
• So, a counterplan (CP) is a plan advocated by the negative as an
alternative to the plan.
 WHY DOES THE NEG RUN
COUNTERPLANS?
• Sometimes, it is more strategic to agree with the aff team that
they have correctly identified a problem and to argue that there is
a better way to solve the problem, rather than denying the scope
of the problem.
• In other words, it gives the negative defense against aff case so
that the DA to the case can outweigh.
 WHAT IS A COUNTERPLAN?
• The idea that the counterplan is an ALTERNATIVE to the affirmative
plan is essential.
• The job of the negative is to REFUTE the proposal made by the
affirmative, not to just offer an unrelated advocacy.
• If the neg were allowed to just make unrelated counter-proposals,
we would have a public speaking contest, not a debate.
HOW DOES A COUNTERPLAN COMPETE?
• How can the negative make sure that there counterplan competes
with (refutes) the aff plan?
• 2 basic ways. The negative must prove that:
1. The counterplan and the plan literally cannot co-exist.
In this case, the counterplan is MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.
-OR-
2. That there is a disadvantage to doing both at the same time.
In this case, the counterplan is NET BENEFICIAL.
HOW DOES THE AFF RESPOND TO A CP?
• Basically, the aff wants to make the same sort of arguments that
they would make on the negative if the counterplan were an aff
plan + a few CP specific theory arguments. The aff could argue:
1. The counterplan does not solve the aff
2. The counterplan links to the negative’s DA
3. The aff can read a new DA to the CP
4. The aff can make arguments regarding the disposition of the CP
(theory objections that we will cover later)
5. The aff can make theory arguments
6. The aff can argue that the counterplan does not compete and
therefore should be rejected (this is a permutation or a proposed
combination of the the plan and the counterplan)
 WHAT IS A PERMUTATION?
• Arguing that the counterplan does not compete is a very powerful
tool for the aff. If it is BOTH possible to do both the plan and the
CP and desirable to do both, then the negative loses the CP.
• The way the aff makes this point is by asking the judge to imagine a
combination of the aff plan and all or part of the counterplan. This
is called a permutation.