The Nov. 5 election is less than two months away, and one of the hottest contests in the islands will determine who leads Hawaii County for the next four years.

Mayor Mitch Roth and challenger Kimo Alameda were the top finishers in the Aug. 10 primary, but neither cleared the 50% plus one vote threshold to avoid a runoff.

This Friday, Civil Beat will host a pop-up elections event with both candidates at the Old Airport Pavilion in Kailua-Kona. It’s at 75-5560 Kuakini Highway from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and doors open just after 5 p.m. The moderator is Civil Beat Politics Editor Chad Blair.

More than 200 people have registered to attend, but there’s room at the pavilion for more. Click here to register.

And it’s not a formal debate: There will be no buzzers or 30-second rebuttals. But we will give both candidates the chance to respond to an array of issues important to the Big Island.

And if you have any questions you would like to ask the candidates, please submit them here or bring your questions to the forum.

An added bonus: Spam musubi.

Civil Beat has scheduled other election pop-ups, too. Click here for more information.