Every year, when election day approaches, political pollsters and pundits make predictions.

Statisticians consult algorithms, voting patterns and demographics,

National reporters parachute into small-town diners and festivals.

This year, The Tifton Gazette is taking a different approach.

We don’t want to hear from political prognosticators and paid pundits pontificating.

We want to hear from you.

As we head into the mid-term elections — and over the next few years as we head to 2020 — we want to talk with you.

We want to talk to you on the front porch, over a cup of coffee, in our office – wherever you feel most comfortable — and listen as you tell us about issues that matter most to you.

No matter your political ideology, gender, race, religion or economic status, no matter whether you live in the city or in the county, we want to listen to your concerns and thoughts.

We’d like to know if you’re satisfied with your representatives and the action they take or whether you have ideas about how they can do better.

We want to know what motivates you to go to the polls — or conversely, what compels you to forfeit your vote.

Over the next three years, we are committed to listening to your opinions through our Pulse of the Voters project.

We are also part of a larger group of CNHI news sites with locations in around 100 similar-sized communities from Georgia to Iowa, from New Hampshire to Texas. Our colleagues’ reporting will help provide some context about the mood across the country.

Locally, we’ll talk with voters four times each year through 2018.

Nationally, The Tifton Gazette and other CNHI news organizations will share notes with each other to produce national and regional reports.

Look for our first report around the end of March.

Our news staff looking forward to having a conversation with you and other voters around the region.

If you are interested in being part of the conversation, email us at tiftongazette.editorial@gaflnews.com or give us a call. Editor Stuart Taylor can be reached at 229-382-4321, ext. 1903 and news reporter Eve Guevara can be reached at 229-382-4321, ext. 1904.