As Election Day nears, we’d like to hear what matters to you: If you could speak to one candidate at any level of government about the issue that matters most to you, whom would you pick and what would you say? Let us know on our website form, by email at election@news-gazette.com, or by mailing your contribution to Election, The News-Gazette, 15 Main St., P.O. Box 677, Champaign, IL 61824-0677. Please keep your responses to 250 words or less. We will print responses in the newspaper and online.

We're also reaching the stretch run in our pre-election issue coverage. News-Gazette reporters started writing about the 2012 election more than a year ago, and with early voting starting Oct. 22, we are printing stories that look at candidates and issues in local elections. Coverage will include contested county board and countywide races and proposals in Champaign, Vermilion and Piatt counties, and area legislative and congressional races. Advance coverage will conclude Oct. 21, the day before early voting begins, but we will continue to cover developments in the races as they occur until Election Day, Nov. 6.

We're also co-sponsoring two debates along with the League of Women Voters and the Champaign County NAACP. The first debate, at 7 p.m. Oct. 18, will feature the candidates in the three contested state legislative races in Champaign County.  The second forum, at 7 p.m. Oct. 24, will feature the candidates for the four contested countywide races in Champaign County. Both debates will be held at the Champaign City Building. Here's a story we ran earlier previewing the debates.

We’ll post all the stories on our website. You can find them by clicking on “Election 2012 coverage” on our home page. You’ll also find other resources, including links to sample ballots, questionnaires candidates answered for The News-Gazette and Chicago Tribune, views of our columnists, research on election issues by experts from the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, and national election stories from The Associated Press.