The days of election candidates posting signs in yards may not be entirely gone but social media is gaining more traction in the political sphere as it offers candidates a way to connect with local voters. Just ask State Assembly candidate Harinder Grewal who hosted the first of two online town hall forums on Facebook Thursday evening.

Grewal is running as a registered Democrat against incumbent Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto) currently representing California's 12th Assembly District, which includes voters from both the San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Currently utilizing Facebook, LinkedIn, GooglePlus, and Twitter to connect with voters, Grewal took to the internet for one hour on Thursday evening to answer any and all of the questions posted on Facebook with the hashtag #AskDR4AD12.

"There were a lot of different topics and big questions asked," said Grewal.

With topics canvassing everything from job creation to regional development, the online town hall format allowed Grewal to provide instinctive, in depth answers to voters in real time.

"Social media is a big part of society today that all ages and groups use. The objective of these town halls is that we get to touch base with as many people as possible and really start a conversation about issues," said the candidate's Director of Social Media Lovepreet Grewal.

With several questions honing in on Grewal's agricultural expertise, many others asked Grewal to highlight what he will do differently than his opponent and his approach to working with others in office.

"We want to engage the public and educate them on his stances towards issues and this was a great way to do that," said Lovepreet Grewal.

Grewal will be hosting another online town hall online from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug.21. Locals can submit questions by using the hashtag # AskDR4AD12.