For five minutes each, Joel Gill, Charlie Ross and Gregg Harper had their chance to speak to the crowd gathered at the Hilton Garden Inn Tuesday for a 'Meet the Candidates' forum.

Additionally, the candidates had the opportunity to shake hands with and speak to the men and women they were hoping to persuade to vote in their favor.

Ross and Harper are currently involved in a runoff race that will determine the Republican nominee. That man will then face Gill in the November general election. Gill defeated fellow Democrat Randy Eads in the Mar. 11 primary.

They all say that meeting individual voters is even more important than getting up and speaking to a large group.

All three of the men say that Meridian is very important to the future success of the third congressional district.

The forum, which was hosted by the Young Professionals of Meridian, was open to the public, but hoped to reach out specifically to young voters who typically fall into the group of most apathetic people at election time.