Candidates for the Washington City Council race will take the stage for a candidate forum at Beaufort County Community College on Thursday, answering questions and sharing information about their respective visions for the city’s future.

Sisters Vote, a local political organization seeking to increase voter participation, is organizing the forum, which will be moderated by Beaufort County Board of Elections Director Kellie Hopkins.

The forum will kick off at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Auditorium of BCCC Building 8. After an introduction of the candidates, there will be a hour-long question and answer session with the candidates, followed by a 30-minute meet and greet reception in the lobby. Organizers say all but two Washington City Council candidates have committed to participating.

“We want to let people know they have a right to vote and that it counts,” said Sisters Vote member Evette McGill. “Because now, I think the public has lost interest.”

According to an information sheet on the group, Sisters Vote is, “a grassroots organization dedicated to educating, mobilizing and empowering our underserved local communities by focusing on political engagement.”

Founded in 2018, the group seeks to accomplish this mission through activities such as voter education, voter outreach, voter registration drives and sponsoring local events. While the group claims to be nonpartisan in those efforts, the Sisters Vote Facebook page contains content promoting Democratic Party candidates and platforms.

Those wishing to learn more about candidates in local municipal elections can also check out the Washington Daily News Voter Guide online at www.issuu.com/wdnweb/docs/election_guide_2019_web.