Frequently asked questions

No. Setup takes about 10 minutes, candidates join with a link and need no account or software. Free slots open 7 days ahead and Plus slots 60 days ahead, with a minimum of 2 hours' notice.

• A FairStream account (Google, Facebook, Apple or email)
• A computer or phone with a current browser, camera and microphone
• For live streaming: a YouTube channel or Facebook Page with live streaming enabled

Any day, every half hour, from 8:00 AM Eastern to 9:00 PM Pacific. The app shows every slot in your own time zone, with AM and PM.

Up to 10 people in the forum, including the organizer and the moderator. That fits most local races. Viewers watch the live stream on YouTube or Facebook, not inside the room, so there is no audience limit on our side.

FairStream runs in the browser at app.fairstream.live. There is also an iPhone app in the App Store. Candidates and guests only need the browser.

Not for timing: the order, the answer time and the microphones are handled automatically by the rules set in advance. A human moderator usually welcomes everyone, reads the questions and closes the event. See the moderator guide.

No. The answer time is the same for everyone. Rules can only be changed for the whole forum, and every change is recorded in the public change log.

Participation is voluntary. The forum goes ahead with the candidates who join. FairStream does not publish who declined; how to mention it is up to the organizer (we recommend a neutral "invited and unable to attend").

The timer keeps running and nobody gets extra time. When they reconnect, they continue with the next question. If a technical problem affected only one candidate, the organizer can repeat the round for everyone, transparently.

No. FairStream does not endorse, support or oppose any candidate, party or ballot measure. We do not target voters, sell data or promote events, and every customer pays the same price.

The 20-minute rehearsal is free for everyone, with no slot and no card. FairStream Free gives you a complete forum up to 30 minutes, with streaming and recording, in a limited number of free slots.

Extra time slots of its own (so you find a slot even when the free ones are taken), booking up to 60 days ahead, up to 60 minutes, transcript and AI summary, and priority support. It does not buy extra speaking time or a better speaking position.

No. Everyone pays the same price and gets the same limits, including candidates, campaigns, parties and political committees. We do not give free credits or extra help to any campaign. Campaigns are responsible for their own reporting under federal and state campaign finance law.

On the web by card, in US dollars, through Stripe. In the iPhone app, through the App Store at the App Store price.

Plus canceled 48 hours or more before the start: full refund (App Store purchases: a credit for another forum, refunds through Apple). Less than 48 hours: one free reschedule instead. If the problem was on our side, we offer a replacement slot or a refund. Details in the refund terms.

Only the organizer. The recording is kept for 7 days after the forum, then deleted automatically. The organizer can delete it earlier.

Yes. Before entering, every participant sees that the forum may be streamed and recorded, and must agree. Some states (for example California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington) require consent from everyone on a recording; this notice covers participants. Organizers should also inform their live audience.

With Plus, a transcript and a summary are generated automatically from the recording. They are labeled as machine-generated, may contain errors and are not statements by the candidates. Please review them before sharing.

No. We do not sell or share personal information and do not use it for targeted advertising. See the US privacy notice.

FairStream is for people 13 and older. Participants under 18 need permission from a parent or their school. Please do not invite children under 13.

We are working toward WCAG 2.1 AA. Live captions are not available yet; the Plus transcript is available after the event. See our accessibility statement and tell us about any barrier at support@fairstream.live.

FairStream is made by Happy Electronics s.r.o., a small company in the Czech Republic (EU). The tool was first used for candidate debates in the 2026 Czech municipal elections. Support: support@fairstream.live.