Watch the Republican and Democratic National Conventions live on YouTube

Last week, we announced the YouTube Election Hub, a channel where you can find the latest live and on-demand coverage from the 2012 campaign trail.

Tonight, as part of YouTube’s role as Official Live-Streaming Provider for both political conventions, the trail leads to Tampa, Florida, for the Republican National Convention. You can watch all of the podium speeches and backstage action live on the site, including Mitt Romney’s acceptance speech on Thursday night.

Next week, starting September 4, we’ll give you an all-access pass to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Once again, every night during prime-time, you’ll be able to turn to YouTube to see all of the speeches like President Obama’s live address from Bank of America Stadium on September 6.

Accompanying the official proceedings, the YouTube Election Hub will feature live partner convention coverage so you can get the latest analysis from a variety of sources and form your own opinion about the election. If you’d like to stay updated on the latest coverage, you can follow the action here.

The conventions have delivered some of the most memorable political speeches of the past few decades, like Sarah Palin’s notable hockey mom riff and Ann Richards’ 1988 straight talk. Relive them here now:



The live primetime Republican Convention speeches begin tonight at 8 p.m. ET. Tune into www.youtube.com/politics to watch and comment in real-time.

Ramya Raghavan, YouTube News and Politics Manager, recently watched “It’s Convention Time. Bring Your Party Hat!”