By Matt DeRienzo, Staff Reporter

Voter cynicism and apathy are arguably at an all-time high, and so is an obsession by candidates and the media on discussing the “horse race” of political process, fundraising, polling and expectations, instead of the issues and policy that average citizens feel our political leaders should be addressing.

We believe there’s a connection between the two, and that’s why we’re taking a different approach to covering the campaign for Connecticut’s 5th District Congress seat this year. We’re assigning four reporters to four issues that voters have told us they want the candidates to talk about:

• Jobs and the Economy
• Taxes and National Debt
• Health Care
• Energy Policy

It’s called the “Citizens Agenda,” an effort to give the average person an unprecedented voice and access in helping us explore in-depth the candidates’ views on and policy plans for the issues that voters feel affect them most.

Journal Register Company newspapers in Connecticut, including The Register Citizen, New Haven Register and Litchfield County Times, are partnering with the American edition of The Guardian and New York University’s Studio 20 graduate journalism school program. The Guardian is focusing on a “Citizens Agenda” for the 2012 presidential race, while we’re applying the Citizens Agenda experiment to Connecticut’s open 5th District Congress and open U.S. Senate seats.

We’ll still keep you up on the “horse race” stuff, from fundraising numbers to competition for local endorsements – we’ve even labeled that part of our site devoted to the 5th District campaign “The Horse Race.” And we’ll cover the full range of other issues that will or should arise during the campaign, from foreign policy questions to social issues.

But we’re making a commitment to drill down on the four major issues that voters – in public forums, letters to the editor, online surveys and social media – have told us they want the candidates to focus on.

Between now and November, reporters Jordan Fenster, Mary O’Leary, Ricky Campbell and Luther Turmelle will write about the 5th District campaign through the lens of those four issues, exploring the candidates’ backgrounds, views and policy plans in-depth, telling the stories of real people in the 5th District who are affected the most by those issues, and getting the candidates to respond to their plight with specific answers.

Jobs and the Economy
Overwhelmingly, Jobs and the Economy topped the list of issues of concern to voters, no matter how we asked the question or where. Covering this issue for the 5th District race will be Jordan Fenster, who has also taken a lead in covering the 5th District race for us in general. Jordan has worked as a state politics reporter for the New Haven Register since the fall of 2011. Previously, he was Entertainment Editor at the New Haven Register. His experience in Northwest Connecticut comes from his time as editor of The Register Citizen from 2008 to 2010. Email Jordan Fenster at jfenster@nhregister.com. Call him at 203-789-5678. Follow him on Twitter @jordanfenster.

Taxes and National Debt
Often tied closely to discussions of Jobs and the Economy, and tied directly to most candidates’ approaches to addressing the economy, is the topic of Taxes and National Debt, the second-biggest concern cited by 5th District voters we’ve talked to. Covering this issue for the 5th District race will be New Haven Register Topics Editor Mary O’Leary, a veteran politics and state government reporter with more than 30 years experience in Connecticut. Email Mary O’Leary at moleary@nhregister.com. Call her at 203-789-5731. Follow her on Twitter @nhrmoleary.

Health Care
With most Republican candidates vowing to repeal “Obamacare” and the Democrats in the 5th District race saying it does not go far enough, and the status of the legislation itself in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court, the debate over U.S. policy on Health Care will only intensify. It’s a hot issue with voters we’ve spoken to, too, from the business owner struggling with steep annual increases in cost to families who have trouble covering their co-pays or finding coverage for a pre-existing condition. Covering this issue will be Ricky Campbell, a reporter at The Register Citizen. Ricky is a graduate of UNLV and is secretary of the board of the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists. Email Ricky Campbell at rcampbell@registercitizen.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickycampbellRC.

Energy Policy
Take a look at the numbers on your local gas pump today, or the monthly power bill at your home or business and you’ll understand why voters we talked to rate Energy Policy as one of the top issues for 5th District Congress candidates this year. Covering this issue for us will be Luther Turmelle, a bureau chief and former business editor of the New Haven Register. Luther has become one of the state’s leading experts in public utilities while covering that beat over the years for the Register, which helped him lead the state in coverage of Tropical Storm Irene and the Halloween snow storm that hit Connecticut last year. Email Luther Turmelle at lturmelle@nhregister.com. Follow him on Twitter @lutherturmelle.

Email Matt DeRienzo at mderienzo@journalregister.com. Follow him on Twitter @mattderienzo.