TELL US: What's Your Top Issue in State Senate Race?

The state primary is now less than a month away and the race to succeed state Sen. Fred Berry is in full swing.

All four Democratic candidates vying for the seat representing the Second Essex District - which includes Danvers - have been pounding the campaign trail, shaking hands, holding signs and weighing in on pressing issues within the district and statewide as Sept. 6 nears.

And voters are presented with a wide breadth of experience between the four candidates, only one of which will face Republican Richard Jolitz in November.

Peabody attorney John Slattery is a former state representative and city councilor, fellow attorney Mary-Ellen Manning (who has both Peabody and Salem ties) has spent 11 years on the Governor's Council, Salem's Joan Lovely (also an attorney) is a popular eight-term city councilor and the current president of the Salem council and then there's Edward Carroll of Salem, a retired Essex County deputy sheriff who served one term on the Governor's Council in the 1990s.

Thus far, we've heard a lot of what each candidate has done or thinks on certain issues, so it's time to turn the podium over to you -- the voters of Peabody, Salem, Beverly, Danvers and Topsfield.

We want to hear from you

What's the most important consideration for you going into the polls on Sept. 6? What is this election about for you?

If you haven't decided who you're voting for yet, what do you think will most influence your choice in the coming days?

Weigh in via the comment section below, and as always, we ask that you refrain from personal attacks - stick to the issues and the candidates.