It’s election season – here are the rules

As longtime readers know, we publish an editorial before each upcoming election outlining our rules for election-related letters to the editor.

Here we go again.

With the California general election scheduled for Tuesday, November 5, we are now in “election season,” which means it’s time for our election season rules:

— Effective immediately, we will only publish one election-related letter per reader until Election Day. Election-related letters must be received by Thursday, October 31 to ensure they are all received. You will receive one letter per election, not one per election issue.

— In any event, sooner is better. The Butte County Clerk-Recorder will mail ballots on October 7, which means many people will have filled out and returned their ballots by mid-October. If you're hoping to change someone's mind with a letter to the editor, don't wait until the last minute.

— Let's leave personal insults out of the equation. Criticize a candidate's achievements or positions as much as you like. Insults and derogatory comments will not convince anyone, but they could keep your letter from appearing in the newspaper.

— We do not print anonymous letters to the editor. We require first and last names, addresses and phone numbers. We do not print the address and phone number, but we use them to verify identity. We do not print alleged facts that cannot be independently verified. If you use facts, provide a source. We do not print letters that require extensive research to verify.

— We don't allow letters from candidates or campaign managers unless it's in response to a news story, letter or editorial specifically about them. They have numerous ways to get their message out, including advertising. If the letter is in response to something that's been in print, candidates are only allowed to do so once during that time period – just like any other letter writer.

— All letters must be 250 words or less. Sometimes we cut letters even if they're under the limit. For example, if someone says “Elect Jane Doe” multiple times in a letter, secondary instances are cut. And even though the letter limit is 250 words, you don't have to use every single one. More people will read your letter if it's short. Get to the point.

— If we receive letters that appear to be part of a letter-writing campaign, we will print a small selection of them, but not all of them. Be original.

– One last time: Our deadline for receiving letters is Thursday, October 31. Our goal is to get them all sent out before Election Day and not drop any late bombshells.

Finally, we will continue to publish non-election-related letters on our usual schedule: one letter per reader every two weeks.

Our letters policy attracts a lot of attention, and understandably so. We take very seriously our responsibility to serve as a forum for our readers to present their views on a wide range of topics – and in doing so, as you've probably noticed, we express an extremely diverse range of opinions.

Readers often ask, “My letter is too long and I can't possibly shorten it to 250 words. Can you make an exception this one time?” The answer is always no. Everyone thinks their letters are important, and it's important to us that we create a level playing field. We'd also like to note that most newspapers allow between 100 and 200 words per letter, not 250. We're actually pretty generous in that regard.

As for frequency, the most common complaint we have received about letters in the past was, “I'm tired of reading the same thing over and over from the same people. It's gotten to the point where I look up who wrote it before I decide if I want to read it.” Since the frequency rule was changed from just once a week to every two weeks, these complaints have largely disappeared.

We also hear: “Why don't you print more letters from different people?” Well, that would require “different people” to write more letters. We publish every letter we receive, as long as the rules are followed.

For those who have never written a letter to the editor, election season is a good time to start.

We look forward to your opinion.