The Adirondack Daily Enterprise and Lake Placid News are sponsoring two meet-the-candidate forums this month ahead of the early voting period, one for the contested races in this year’s town of Wilmington election and another for town of North Elba candidates.

This is an opportunity for voters to hear directly from those seeking to represent them, and to gain a better understanding of what ideas and beliefs are behind those names on the ballot. Lots of voters tend to vote along party lines — according to a Pew Research Center study, just 6% of voters crossed party lines during last year’s midterm elections. But at the local level, political affiliation doesn’t necessarily say much about how or why a person will make decisions once they get elected. These candidates, if they’re successful in their campaign, will make very real decisions that will affect voters’ everyday lives and could potentially take votes that would reshape the literal landscape and quality of life in their communities. Voters deserve to have a sense of who’s making those decisions.

In North Elba, the supervisor race is uncontested — incumbent Derek Doty is running unopposed. But the race for two town council seats, each carrying a four-year term, is contested. Incumbents Emily Kilburn Politi and Richard D. Cummings are defending their seats against challengers Edward A. Borden III and Fred Balzac.

The North Elba forum, featuring the candidates for town council, will take place on from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 16 at the Shipman Youth Center on Cummings Road in Lake Placid. Adirondack Daily Enterprise Managing Editor Elizabeth Izzo and Lake Placid News Editor Andy Flynn will be on the panel, asking questions.

The Wilmington forum will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at the Wilmington firehouse on Haselton Road. The supervisor candidates will go first, from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., and they will be followed by the town council candidates from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Again, Izzo and Flynn will be on the panel, asking questions.

Two people are running for supervisor, town Councilor Tim Follos and Favor Smith. It is a two-year position. Supervisor Roy Holzer has decided not to run for reelection. Four people are running for two Town Council seats: Councilor Darin Forbes, Laura Dreissigacker Hooker, Councilor Michelle Preston and Randy Winch. Councilors serve for four years.

Early voting will be held from Saturday, Oct. 28 to Sunday, Nov. 5 at the Mirror Lake Beach House, 31 Parkside Dr., Lake Placid, and the Essex County Public Safety Building, 702 Stowersville Road, Lewis. Early voting times are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 28 and 29; noon to 8 p.m. on Oct. 30; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 31; noon to 8 p.m. on Nov. 1; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Nov. 2 to 5.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.

For more information on voting, including absentee ballots and voter registration, visit essexcountyny.gov/board-of-elections.