The Day newsroom is doing something different this year with its election coverage: We are reaching out to voters to help determine the top five national and local issues that will help define how southeastern Connecticut votes in the upcoming elections. And everyone in the region has a chance to participate during a series of three public forums at libraries spread throughout the region.

Afterward, we will try to delve into each of these top issues to understand in-depth why they are so important to people, how they reflect personal political philosophies and which candidates speak to these topics most forcefully. The election series in The Day and on theday.com will be titled Beyond the Polls.

The series of public forums will kick off from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, April 8, at the Waterford Public Library community room. The next forum is planned at the Otis Library community room in Norwich from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, April 15, and the final session will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, April 16 at Groton Public Library’s Meeting Rooms 1 and 2.

The idea is to find out from readers of The Day and the Times weekly papers what they believe are the most compelling issues that could swing their vote one way or another during the elections. Each person attending our forums may be asked to rank in order of personal importance a range of top national issues, including abortion, election integrity/voting rights, gun laws/crime, the economy/inflation, immigration/border policy and foreign policy.

Each of the forums may be recorded for future airing on theday.com. Attendees may be asked to fill out anonymous surveys about various issues, though participation is not mandatory. If time allows, we may ask more in-depth questions involving each of the top issues identified.

If you are not able to attend any of these forums, we plan to conduct a few more topical meetings, perhaps on Zoom, that will allow you to weigh in on specific issues. We will announce which issues we are exploring once we find out what members of our forums identify as the most important topics going into the 2024 election. We will also give you a chance to weigh in on the top issues through a special email address: election2024@theday.com.

Executive Editor Izaksun Larrañeta said The Day is seeking to go beyond the usual election coverage offered in local newspapers by engaging with readers directly on what their thoughts and aspirations are for the country. The idea is to find ways to directly communicate with readers rather than rely on the usual poll coverage and commentary by political pundits to determine both what people are thinking and where they are getting their information.

“We want to hear from all voices, all political affiliations,” Larrañeta said. “We want to know what’s important to you. We often hear that newspapers are biased and only present certain issues. Well, this is your opportunity to tell us what matters to you.”

Personally, I’ve been very critical of the way the media covers elections. The horse-race mentality of current election coverage just doesn’t cut it in this day of disinformation and misinformation. What’s more, it doesn’t help voters sort out the views of different candidates and how they stand on the issues, which should be critically important to a democracy.

And democracy is surely something we should protect at all costs; otherwise, we could become what our forefathers were hoping to forestall: a kingdom with a lot of economic and military power and no checks and balances on our political leaders.

So we hope to see you at one of our community forums. Just keep in mind that everyone will need to be able to express their views in a civil manner. And everyone will get a chance to have their say so long as the views expressed are kept positive and peaceful.

As the moderator of these forums, I look forward to seeing you there. And thanks to the Otis, Waterford and Groton libraries for agreeing to host these illuminating events.

Lee Howard is The Day’s business editor. He also edits The Day’s three weekly newspapers covering towns from Lyme to Norwich to Stonington.