The Times and AccessWDUN are joining forces to sponsor a town hall meeting in May to allow residents to ask questions of the five men running for the 9th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The 9th District Town Hall Meeting is scheduled for 6:30-8 p.m. Monday, May 9, in the auditorium of the Brenau Downtown Center, 301 Main St., Gainesville.

It will also be broadcast live on WDUN AM550 and FM102.9, and it will be streamed live on gainesvilletimes.com, AccessWDUN.com, WDUN.com and the AccessWDUN smartphone app.

The town hall meeting will feature all five Republican candidates on the May 24 primary ballot seeking the House seat: incumbent Rep. Doug Collins, who is seeking his third term, and challengers Paul Broun, Roger Fitzpatrick, Bernie Fontaine and Mike Scupin.

“We are happy that we are able to get all five candidates together on the same night for this great event,” said Jay Jacobs, president and CEO of Jacobs Media. “We are committed to providing programming and content that serves the public, and this event, where people will be able to directly question the men who want to represent them in Congress, is perfect for that mission.”

“It’s vital for the public to be engaged in the election of our public officials and informed about the candidates,” said Times Publisher Charlotte Atkins. “This town hall meeting will be a great opportunity for voters to question the candidates about issues residents of our area feel are important."

The two news organizations will solicit questions from their readers on social media, which will then be presented to the candidates for responses. WDUN’s Joel Williams and AccessWDUN’s Mitch Clarke will serve as hosts. Times reporter Josh Silavent will pose questions from the public to the candidates.

The event is free and open to the public. Anyone with an interest in the 9th District race is encouraged to attend and to question the candidates. Because the event is being broadcast live, attendees are asked to be in their seats before 6:30 p.m.