Follow Our Live Blog of Tonight's Presidential Debate

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will face off tonight in the first of three presidential debates in Denver, Colorado. The debate starts at 9 p.m. EST, and focuses on the economy.

Patch will host a live debate chat starting at 8:30 p.m. featuring local Patch editors and Granite State political observers like David Mirsky of Exeter, Jeff Hatch of Salem and William Smith of Merrimack.

Here's what to expect and how you can join in:

• You should see a headline on a story that has the words "Live Blog" in it; that will have a window at the top of the story page. In that window, you will see posts from New Hampshire Patch Editors, plus debate tweets, and more.

• The window is self-refreshing, so you don't need to reload the page to stay on top of the latest information. As soon as there is a new post, you will hear an audio notification — the sound of typing on a keyboard. You can turn these features off by clicking the speaker or circular button next to it.

• Contribute! Comment; tell us what you think of what the candidates are saying, about the questions being asked, and who you think is doing well and who is struggling. All you have to do is type in a name (real names only, please) and your comment. The live blog will also pick up all tweets using the hashtag #nhdebatewatch.

Patch will also be holding a debate watch party in Concord tonight. 

Starting at 8:30 p.m., Patch editors, bloggers, and others will be meeting in the upstairs room of The Draft at 67 S. Main St. in downtown Concord.

We’ll be serving appetizers and snacks for anyone who would like to hang out with us (you'll need to purchase your own suds or spirits).

If you’re interested in attending, stop by The Draft tonight or send an email to marc.fortier@patch.com to RSVP or for more details.