Candidates for election to Panola County public offices, State Legislature seats, and Statewide offices will have an opportunity to address potential voters in a forum sponsored by The Panolian on Thursday, July 13, at the Batesville Civic Center.

Several political rallies will be held around the county beginning in the late spring, mostly sponsored by volunteer fire departments. The July 13 forum is open to all candidates for county offices, and each candidate will be given the same amount of time to speak.

There will be no questions from the audience, as is popular in the other rallies, and candidates will not be addressing one another. Instead, candidates will be encouraged to have tables with campaign materials and remain after the forum to answer questions from the public and meet constituents.

“Everyone looks forward to the rallies each election cycle, and we hope citizens all over the county take advantage of these opportunities to see and hear the different platforms and ideas of candidates,” said Panolian Editor Jeremy Weldon. “This forum will be structured differently, and will be a chance for the candidates to present themselves and their plans to voters in a more controlled environment.”

Candidates will be charged a small fee to cover the costs of the event. The starting time will be decided in the coming weeks and announced in the newspaper and in social media posts. The forum will be taped and shown on the newspaper’s website before the August primaries and the November general election.

Candidates wanting to be included in the forum should reserve their spot by email to Weldon at editor@panolian.com