The fall general election is a little over a month away and candidates, both statewide and local, are hard at work making their pitch to voters.

Meet and greets, dinners and rallies have taken place throughout the county and many more are scheduled, while election signs are plastered all over the landscape.

In the push to get their name out there, we hope that all candidates make every effort  possible to let voters know where they stand on the issues and what their plans for office will be.

In the interest of keeping voters informed, The Tribune has scheduled a candidate forum for 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18 in the Bowman Auditorium at Ohio University Southern.

We have invited all candidates for the three countywide offices (common pleas judge, auditor and commissioner) and nearly all have agreed to take part.

We thank Donald Capper, Freddie Hayes Jr., Robert McCollister, Jason Stephens and Jason Tolliver for confirming their attendance at this event. We hope it will be an informative session for all who come.

We encourage everyone to come. If you can not make it and have a question for the event, please email it to dustin.melchior@irontontribune.com.

On Tuesday, Oct. 30, The Tribune will also be publishing its regular voter guide.

Questionnaires have been sent to all local and regional candidates dealing with a range of issues.

An informed citizenry is vital for a functioning democracy. We strive to provide our readers with a much information as possible so they can cast the best choice in November.