Follow Our Live Blog of Tonight's Presidential Debate

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will face off tonight in the second of three presidential debates at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. 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 and Jennifer Horn.

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 co-hosting a presidential debate watch party and panel discussion at the University of New Hampshire tonight.

The event is co-sponsored by Patch and The New Hampshire – UNH's student newspaper – in coordination with the UNH Journalism Program.

"A Social Debate: Obama-Romney 2012," starts at 8 p.m. in UNH's Memorial Union Building Union Court with a pre-debate conversation about how social media is changing the way politics play out and are covered by journalists today. Then take a seat to watch Obama and Romney debate. 

The event is open to the public.