The first debate in the general election contest between Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Haslam and Democrat Mike McWherter – the Sept. 14 Highlands Town Hall Debate 2010 in Cookeville – is now accepting written and video questions from Tennesseans.
Debate organizers said today they are looking to emphasize hometown issues such as economic development, education and health care topics.
“We want to see what’s really on the minds of voters,” said George Halford, president and chief
executive officer of the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce and a Highlands
partner, in a news release.
He said “we want voters to ask our candidates for governor the tough questions.”
The 7-8 p.m. CST debate will be broadcast by CBS affiliates across the state from Tennessee Tech University. Candidates will also be given the opportunity to ask each other questions during the debate.
Written questions must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. CDT on Sept. 7. To submit questions, Tennesseans should visit www.highlandsdebate2010.com. There are links to an easy-to-use submission form for written questions. There are also links to the debate’s YouTube channel for submission of video questions. Written questions may also be submitted on the debate’s Facebook page.
A committee formed by debate partners will choose questions. Persons whose questions are chosen are asked to attend the debate and ask their questions live.
Video questions must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. CDT on Sept. 3. All questions that meet the established guidelines will be displayed on the debate’s YouTube channel.
Tennesseans may vote for the videos they want to see during the televised debate by clicking the “Like” button for their favorite videos. Voting will close at 4:30 p.m. CDT on Sept. 9.
Videos will be disqualified if they have inappropriate material, personal attacks “or are completely off topic,” Halford said. “Other than that, we’re asking voters to express themselves however they see fit. Remember that other people will have to vote for your video in order for it to be shown at the debate, so ask your question in the best, most- creative way you know how.”
For more information, visit the Highlands Town Hall Debate 2010 website, www.highlandsdebate2010.com and click “Submit a Question” or “FAQ.” The debate YouTube channel also has an instructional video that details each step of the question submission process.