If our Sept. 18 primary was any indication, people aren’t as excited about this year’s election as in the past. Granted, there’s no presidential race or major federal offices, and voter turnout hasn’t exactly been stellar lately anyway. But September 11 seems to have impacted more than just our national security and economy.
Hopefully we’ll be ready for Nov. 6. The primary turnout was so slim, it didn’t give many clues as to who might take the general elections votes. It could go either way in many races.
That brings us to the topic of election letters. We understand it’s hard to think about your school board, city council candidates and hotly contested legislative and county council seats at a time like this, but it’s an important part of our everyday lives. It’ll be more important than ever this year as everyone from the top on down deals with heavy issues such as unemployment, taxes and the ever-present transportation crisis. Now, we’re adding a need for heightened security and disaster preparedness measures to the fold. Selecting intelligent, capable and cooperative representatives is critical.
We’re setting a deadline of 5 p.m. Oct. 30 for receiving general election letters. If you’ve read similar editorials in the past, then you know the routine. For those of you who are jumping in to election letter writing for the first time, the following offers some guidelines.
Letters must be less than 300 words in length. We try to print as many letters as possible but we can’t possibly use every single one. We do reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, grammar, style and length. We always do our best to maintain the integrity of the message while making sure it’s clear to the reader.
We prefer letters supporting a particular candidate, rather than discrediting another. However, we understand that some people support one candidate solely because they dislike the opponent. We’ll take such letters into consideration, but they will receive even extra scrutiny and a lower priority, especially in the smaller, more local races that include less experienced candidates. They’ll be disregarded altogether if they cross the line of character assassination.
We do not accept letters from campaign officials and candidates — a policy that seems to have stumped some in the past. We want to know what readers think about local politics in our letters section. This policy is obviously based on the honor system and should not be violated.
There are plenty of ways to send letters. Take your pick.
Address letters to:
Letters Section, The Herald, Box 930, Everett, WA 998206. Letters may also be faxed to 425-339-3458 or e-mailed to: letters@heraldnet.com. The writer should include first and last name, address and daytime phone number.
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