In an election year marked by roller coaster primaries and strong political discourse, how can people move beyond the rhetoric and focus on the issues that matter to them?

During a 24-hour hackathon held on January 19, a group of creatives, developers, product managers and engineers from R/GA, Facebook and Thomson Reuters teamed up to tackle this challenge. The result is a socially-driven, lightweight application that measures which political issues matter most to people during this election year. The non-partisan “What Matters Most 2012” polls and app can be found at the Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/2012matters. It combines Facebook, mobile and digital out-of-home media.

The hackathon demonstrated the idea of “moving fast” when it comes to creativity and technology. Agencies are increasingly using technology and multiple platforms to create unique and useful experiences for consumers, and the day (and night) was a great illustration of this.

Answer what matters most to you here and share the polls with your friends.