A Toronto mayoral debate Tuesday evening will involve all candidates and focus on civic electoral reform.

The candidate forum is sponsored by Better Ballots; a group that believes the way we elect our city council discourages participation, turnover and diversity.

"We have a very diverse city," said Dave Meslin, organizer of Tuesday's debate. "We have a very diverse slate of people running for office, yet the media has chosen six white people as their frontrunners. That doesn't seem right to me."

Tuesday's event will focus on ways to improve the way we elect local politicians, said Meslin.

"They're all options that come from other major cites," said Meslin, who believes elections are about letting voters make their own choices. "For example Montreal used parties, Montreal and Vancouver both vote on weekends. And in the U.S. a lot of cities have term limits."

A Better Ballots spokesperson said a system that only acknowledges frontrunners and rewards winners doesn't make sense.

Candidates George Smitherman, Rocco Rossi, Sarah Thomson, Rob Ford, Joe Pantalone and Giorgio Mammoliti will be joined by less known candidates Keith Cole and Rocco Achampong.

Achampong, who is black, a lawyer and the former student council president at the University of Toronto, said his candidacy has not received much media attention.

He said he hasn't been invited to participate in any debates.

"It's been a very humbling experience," said Achampong. "For the first time I have been told I don't belong.

The 18 other mayoral candidates will also be given time to make one-minute statements.

The debate will take place at 7 p.m. in the Debates Room at the University of Toronto's Hart House.