A two-night forum next week will give local voters a much-needed opportunity to ask candidates questions about what they deem important.

Often, candidates disseminate the information they want voters to know. They’ll talk about their accomplishments, their proposed policy and their goals for the office they seek.

Many times, candidates will also try to tell voters where their opponents stand on the issues. Through advertising and other avenues, candidates will attempt to paint their opponent in a light suitable for their own agenda.

It is likely that those claims are not always entirely true or false.

Rather than let a candidate tell you where their opponent stands on an issue, it would be best for voters to find out for themselves.

There are various ways to do that.

A little online research would likely pull up direct quotes from that candidate about those topics of interest.

Or, you could ask that candidate yourself.

The great thing about public forums, especially the one in Clark County, is the audience has the opportunity to ask questions.

These aren’t questions generated by a single person or a small group of representatives.

They are questions directly from voters, constituents, taxpayers — the people.

If you want to know how a candidate feels about abortion, health care, tax reform, funding Kentucky’s pension, education and more, ask them.

Don’t base your decisions at the poll next month on what other candidates tell you.

Let each candidate speak for themselves. If we did more of that, we would have better representation and potentially less name calling, mud slinging and divisiveness during campaign seasons.

The candidate forums are set for 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 22, and Tuesday, Oct. 23, at the Clark County Extension Office, 1400 Fortune Drive. At the forums, you will have the chance to hear from nearly every candidate on the November ballot.

Come. Ask questions. Learn for yourself where they stand on the issues. Then you can be a more informed voter in the general election.