It is an important thing for voters to have a good understanding of who the candidates are that are running for elected office. It is the responsibility of the candidates to help in this process by introducing themselves and sharing important information, and it is the responsibility of the voters to take the time to listen and learn so that they can enter the voting booth equipped with that knowledge in November.

If someone comes along to help facilitate the communication process for both candidates and voters, then that is even more ideal.

We commend the Buckingham County Farm Bureau (BCFB) for serving in this facilitating role. The bureau is set to sponsor a candidate’s forum for the Buckingham County Board of Supervisors general election, as we reported last week. The forum will take place this Saturday evening.

BCFB President Ivan P. “Chip” Davis described what the forum will be like in our story.

“The questions were solicited from our membership at our annual meeting about a month ago,” Davis said. “Our board of directors screened them, and we selected about five or six questions over a 90-minute period that they’ll respond to. This is going to be a forum. It’s not going to be a debate. It’s going to be very controlled.”

Davis explained that the event would be moderated by Martha Moore.

“She’s very skilled at doing this,” he said. “She’s worked in state elections and things like this before.”

The candidates were sent two questions ahead of time that they may prepare a response to, he noted. The other questions that the candidates will be asked during the forum, however, will be extemporaneous.

“This will give people a chance to get a feeling of how they can make prepared statements and how they can think on their feet,” Davis said. “There are going to be questions agricultural in nature. Some of them are going to be general questions of interest to anyone in the county.”

This forum is a great opportunity for voters to learn important details about those who may soon be among the county’s foremost leaders. We thank Davis and the BCFB for making it happen.

The forum will take place 6 p.m. Saturday at the Peter Francisco Auditorium in the county administration complex.