Political Debates on Youtube

This year, the Presidential Debates took a leap forward and enabled YouTube, to be utilized for hosting questions from concerned citizens directly to the candidates. In order to do this, viewers used webcams to record themselves and send questions and concerns to the debating panel.

This form of hands on democracy was refreshing to see after years of just sitting back and allowing candidates to babble on and give beauty pageant answers. To me, seeing the concerned and sincere faces of American citizens and hearing passionate personal stories directed towards the candidates made the program both entertaining and informational.

The next Presidential Debate will be aired on television on November 28, 2007. However, this time, it will feature Republican candidates. By creating a Youtube account and uploading a video you can submit a question to a Republican candidate in the upcoming debate.

Interacting with Political Parties Through Official Websites

Some common actions offered on official websites allow a citizen to do the following:

• Register to vote

• Become a member: For a small fee you can become an active member of a political organization and receive newsletters and information regarding that party. For example, here is a look of the benefits of having a membership with the Libertarian Party.

• Make a donation: By making a donation you can help fund campaigns and maintenance of a given party. Most sites allow you to choose your own amount of money to donate. Here is a look at the Democratic Party's donation page.

• Volunteer: By volunteering you can organize other people in your community to become more involved with a specific party.

• Lobby: You can present special interests and new ideas to legislators.

• Gather petitions: Show legislators that massive amounts of people are calling for change a plan of action.

I have been involved with the Green Party for 3 years. I choose when I want to help out and when I want to sit out of the action. I have never felt that they were overbearing or expecting too much of me. I highly suggest being involved with the election process and political activities.