October will bring election endorsements and letters

During the coming month, Washington residents will decide who will lead this state into a new century. We will also vote on a half-dozen initiatives with enormous consequences for our future. As a nation, we will decide who should lead the country.

It’s an important, even solemn moment that calls for as much attention and discussion as possible.

We hope to help the dialogue along on these pages. Beginning Monday, we will be making endorsements in election races, including contests for legislative positions in the districts representing Snohomish and Island counties as well as for statewide offices, Congress and the presidency. And we will continue printing readers’ own endorsements — letters about the election choices.

Notice, if you will, the order in which we mentioned the different election contests. We put the Legislature first because democracy and self-government begin at home, with our local representatives. All the national media attention tends to go to the presidential race first, with occasional nods to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives contests.

When it comes to determining how well our communities function, though, state and local governments have much more say than anyone in D.C. Although its authority is being whittled away by unwise initiatives, the Legislature plays a vital role in determining state policy on education, health care and criminal justice. And it makes critical decisions about how much support and authority to give local counties, cities and school boards in carrying out their duties.

Of course, it’s wonderful to have good leadership in the White House, but not even Roosevelt or Lincoln could have protected freedom if local and state governments had collapsed. Indeed, there wouldn’t be any democracy left if we turned all decisions over to the president.

The endorsements made here represent the opinion of the editorial board, which is composed of the people whose names appear at the top of the page. The news department operates independently and is not involved in the endorsements. The endorsement decisions are reached after studying the candidates and issues. The process includes interviewing the candidates, generally in person, unless a candidate’s schedule or wishes preclude a discussion.

Already, election letters have begun to arrive. We will print as many as space and time allow, but experience indicates that it won’t be possible to print every letter. Our biggest concern will be to provide a balanced sampling of viewpoints. There are some guidelines we can offer to increase the chance of a letter being run. For the races that receive less general coverage —— such as the Legislature, state Supreme Court and most administrative offices under the governor — we will focus exclusively on positive letters. Well-meaning candidates for lesser office can easily be tarred, because there is less information out there about them. In major races, feel free to sound off — within reasonable bounds of accuracy and taste.

The key limit is the number of words. No election letter can be used if it exceeds 300 words. The chances of publication will be much higher for letters that are considerably shorter. We suggest 150 words as a realistic aim. And stick to one topic.

Just as shorter is better, so is sooner. We will accept letters as long as 300 words through 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23. Letters of 150 words or less will be accepted for consideration through 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 30. But there will be relatively few days available for printing letters at that point, and the letters selected for publication will be given priority on the basis of when we received them.

Letters must include the writer’s name, signature, daytime phone and mailing address. We ask that representatives of campaign organizations not submit letters; enforcement depends on the honor system.

Letters should be addressed to Letters Section, The Herald, Box 930, Everett, WA 98206. Letters may also be faxed to 425-339-3458 or e-mailed to:

letters@heraldnet.com.

SELECT *

FROM Talkback

WHERE Story LIKE ‘../Stories/00/10/1/13016294.cfm’

AND Dateverified LIKE ‘verified’

ORDER BY Dateposted

Talk back

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Friday, Feb. 7

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Curtains act as doors for a handful of classrooms at Glenwood Elementary on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Schools’ building needs point to election reform

Construction funding requests in Arlington and Lake Stevens show need for a change to bond elections.

Schwab: Trump proves not as bad as feared; it’s worse

Taking food and medicine from kids; surrendering control to Musk; is this what you voted for?

Keep necessary homeless service program at its Everett location

Regarding The Herald’s front-page coverage of the Hope ‘N Wellness community services… Continue reading

We can’t afford the rich not paying their fair share

In a recent column, Todd Welch claims that a wealth tax on… Continue reading

Can we find a politically moderate path, please?

I was just wondering what happened to the moderates. I am a… Continue reading

FILE- In this Nov. 14, 2017, file photo Jaìme Ceja operates a forklift while loading boxes of Red Delicious apples on to a trailer during his shift in an orchard in Tieton, Wash. Cherry and apple growers in Washington state are worried their exports to China will be hurt by a trade war that escalated on Monday when that country raised import duties on a $3 billion list of products. (Shawn Gust/Yakima Herald-Republic via AP, File)
Editorial: Trade war would harm state’s consumers, jobs

Trump’s threat of tariffs to win non-trade concessions complicates talks, says a state trade advocate.

A press operator grabs a Herald newspaper to check over as the papers roll off the press in March 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald file photo)
Editorial: Push back news desert with journalism support

A bill in the state Senate would tax big tech to support a hiring fund for local news outlets.

Jayden Hill, 15, an incoming sophomore at Monroe High School is reflected in the screen of a cellphone on Wednesday, July 10, 2024 in Monroe, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Students need limits on cellphones in school

School districts needn’t wait for legislation to start work on policies to limit phones in class.

Kristof: World’s richest men take on world’s poorest people

Trump says the USAID is run by ‘radical lunitics.’ Is saving countless lives now lunacy.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, Feb. 6

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Lake Stevens school bond funds needed safety work at all schools

A parent’s greatest fear is for something bad to happen to their… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.