Tallahassee voters got the chance to go beyond the names on their ballot hearing directly from the candidates asking for their vote.WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW: Tallahassee voters hear directly from local and state candidates at a Bethel community election forumThe National Action Network's Tallahassee chapter and Bethel Family Life Center brought voters and candidates face to face Thursday night, giving residents the opportunity to hear directly from people running in several local and state races.The event was held at Bethel. For some of the youngest voters in the room, the forum was also a chance to better understand the decisions they'll soon make at the ballot box.Reverend Dr. R.B. Holmes Jr. said the goal was to get more people engaged in the election process including those who may feel like their vote doesn't matter."I think we need all voters to come out. I think those in the African American community and other minority communities need to come out if you're concerned about equal rights, immigration rightsvoting is a part of empowering us to continue to keep Dr. King's dream alive. Many people died for the right to vote," Reverend Dr. R.B. Holmes Jr. said.For young voters, engagement can start with simply having the opportunity to listen and ask questions."I see all the Instagram ads, I see the ads on Google, it's ads everywhere, but all that talk is hard to really understand when I'm just looking through it on my phone. You get to see the passion and conviction in person, and it's a lot harder to lie in my face and deceive me in person when I'm right here looking at you square in the eyes. So coming to events like this allows me to really shake a man's hand, look him in his eyes, or look a lady in her eyes and shake her hand, as well as them telling me what they plan to do for this city," Devin Nobles said.Nobles said events like the forum can also help young people become more informed about the people and issues they're voting on rather than just seeing a name on a ballot."So first of all, we're the youngest voters; we have the longest lives to live after all these decisions are being made so that's first of all, second of all we're are a very opinionated generation we see a lot of stuff and complain about a lot of stuff too so it's not just enough to see and complain but to then to take action against the things that are negatively affecting our lives," Nobles said.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytimeLike us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram and X. ...read more read less