Editorial: Inquiring minds

With today's fast-paced brand of retail politics, few Pennsylvania voters will get to sit down with candidates to discuss issues.

But a new initiative cosponsored by The Inquirer, Daily News, and philly.com gives voters a chance to get directly involved in the election.

At the 10Questions.com website, people can post questions for the candidates running for governor and Congress.

The questions can come in the form of videos posted on YouTube, in addition to written questions.

In the hottest races - particularly the matchup between the gubernatorial candidates, Democrat Dan Onorato and Republican Tom Corbett - there will be more than 10 questions posted. Web users can then vote on the best queries, in order to narrow the list.

The top 10 vote-getting questions will be presented to the candidates for their responses, which will be posted on the website by mid-October.

The creators of the 10 Questions project at the Personal Democracy Forum hope to get responses from all the candidates.

That should be the case, since this high-profile online forum offers the candidates for governor and Congress an excellent opportunity to explore issues without resorting to attack ads and the like.

The deadline for submitting and voting on questions is next week. Submit questions online at www.philly.com/10Questions.

The more people post questions, the more likely the candidates will be quizzed on a comprehensive list of issues.

That will afford voters the best insight into the candidates' stands on the issues, their governing styles, and whether they have the temperament to lead the state in Harrisburg and Washington.