YouTube is expanding their You Choose ’08 voter education initiative with the launch of the YouTube You Choose ’08 Spotlight that will feature video conversations between presidential candidates and voters.
YouTube Puts Candidates In The Spotlight
Spotlight will focus on one candidate per week on the News & Politics Category page.
“YouTube revolutionizes politics by providing voters and candidates a level platform for political discussion,” said Steve Grove, Head of News and Politics for YouTube.
“It also lets candidates peel back the political veneer to develop their ideas and identities with voters in a personal, interactive way. Spotlight will draw attention to the dialogue happening on YouTube and empower voters to make informed political decisions.”
While candidates are in the Spotlight they will create a video for their channel so viewers can respond to their message. Users will have a week to respond to a candidate’s video and then the candidate will address the responses they have received.
The first candidate to be featured on Spotlight will be former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. He is asking YouTube users, “”What do you believe is America’s single greatest challenge and what would you do to address it?”
Besides Romney, 11 other presidential hopefuls who are participating in Spotlight including: Senator Joseph Biden, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Chris Dodd, Senator John Edwards, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Congressman Duncan Hunter, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Senator John McCain, Senator Barack Obama, Congressman Ron Paul and Governor Bill Richardson.
“Rarely do presidential candidates have the chance to communicate with such a large number of voters and directly solicit their ideas and their input,” said Governor Mitt Romney.
“I’m looking forward to interacting with this engaged community of people about the new generation of challenges confronting our nation.”
