CNN and YouTube recently announced plans to allow users of the popular video website to submit questions in video form to presidential candidates at the upcoming Democratic and Republican presidential debates, taking place July 23 and September 17 respectively. Users will also be able to submit videos responding to and rating candidates' answers.
Chad Hurley, CEO and co-founder of YouTube, said these debates will differ from others where voters were allowed to ask candidates questions because those debates required voters to appear in person at the event. "We are bringing a level of authenticity to politics, and it is bringing transparency and access to voters in a new way," he said. "YouTube will be extending the life of the debates beyond a single night by empowering users and voters to rewatch and respond to debate footage."
The candidates will hear between 20 to 30 questions from the videos - handpicked by CNN - that will be displayed on the debate stage, along with a Google Earth animation to show where the person who submitted the question is located. Users can submit their questions here.