The members of the audience at tonight's town hall-style debate will be 80 voters who say they aren't committed to either candidate. Microphones are ready because the questions will be coming from the audience.
President Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney meet this evening at Hofstra University on New York's Long Island for their second presidential debate.
Through the evening, we'll watch for ALERTs: "A Line Everybody [will] Remember Tomorrow."
We'll be live blogging before they get going and as they take questions from audience members in what's being billed as a town hall format. The debate is set to start at 9 p.m. ET. The 80 people selected to be part of the group that will get to ask questions have said they aren't committed to either candidate. CNN's Candy Crowley is the moderator. She'll be posing some follow-ups.
Hit your refresh button to be sure to see our latest updates. Frank James will be hosting a live chat before, during and after the debate. You can also hear the debate on most NPR stations and at NPR.org.
Update at 8:40 p.m. ET. It May Be "Harder To Dodge" The Questions:
NPR's Don Gonyea tweets from Hofstra that because of the town hall format, it may be "harder to dodge" a question since it's being asked "by a real voter."
Update at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Polls:
Just how tight is the race right now? Real Clear Politics collects poll results and comes up with an RCP Average. It is now showing Romney at 47.4 percent; Obama at 47 percent. Of course, those polls are asking which candidate you would vote for "if the election was held today."
There are three weeks to go to Election Day.
Update at 8:17 p.m. ET. Debate Might "Run Over A Bit:"
The campaigns have told news outlets to expect that the debate, scheduled to last 90 minutes, might run about 10 minutes long, C-SPAN reports.
Update at 8:12 p.m. ET. Crowley On What Makes For A Good Question:
"Something that reveals new ground," she says in an interview C-SPAN just broadcast (and streamed here).
Update at 8 p.m. ET. Obama Needs A Bounce; Romney Needs To Show Empathy:
As for what's at stake, NPR Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving says that for the president this debate is his "best opportunity ... to make up for â€" or bounce back from â€" his performance in the first debate on Oct. 3, which cost him the [campaign] momentum."
For Romney, Ron says, "it's more about the relationship he has with these questioners. ... He's going to have to show the kind of empathy and human warmth that people look for in a president."
Update at 7:45 p.m. ET. Who's There? Who Gets To Ask Questions? What's The Format?
According to The Associated Press, the Gallup polling organization helped identify and pick the 80 "uncommitted voters" who will be on stage with the candidates. Crowley, AP says, has been working with the group to select "as broad a range of questions as possible."
NPR's Don Gonyea says it is hoped about 20 people will be able to pose their questions. If Crowley "is inclined to follow up on any of those questions," he says, "she certainly can be expected to do so. That's something the campaigns had pushed back against." But Crowley and the Debate Commission insisted that she has the right to interject if necessary to help guide the discussion.
"We can assume the bulk of the questions will be about domestic policy and the economy," Don tells our Newscast Desk.
There will be no formal opening or closing statements. Romney gets the first question. Obama gets the last word. They're supposed to keep their responses to 2 minutes or less.
Update at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Story So Far:
The first Obama-Romney debate, on Oct. 3 at the University of Denver, shook up the campaign. Romney had what polls show was a strong performance, while Obama was judged to have "lost" the faceoff. Since then, Vice President Biden and Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan had their one and only debate. Biden was aggressive. Ryan, polls indicate, held his own.
The third and final presidential debate is set for next Monday night (Oct. 22) at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.
