Deadline is near for election related letters

Here it is — your final reminder about the rules for letters to the editor during election season.

To help give everybody a fair shake, we tighten up our letter rules every election season, and it’ll be no different as we approach this special election, where voters will decide whether or not to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom — and if so, who will replace him.

As always, we’re getting a good number of letters as it is (we thank you for that) and need these guidelines to give us a fighting chance of getting all of your opinions printed before Election Day on Sept. 14.

Here goes.

First and foremost: Beginning with our Aug. 17 edition (when we first ran this editorial), we’ll print only one election-related letter to the editor per reader. We have a limit on frequency because we also have a limit on space. Yes, we’ll be keeping track, as many of you have discovered in the past.

The cutoff date for receiving letters is Thursday. As in, this Thursday — Sept. 9. We do that in hopes we can actually get everyone’s in by Election Day. There will be no exceptions to the Sept. 9 cutoff date.

Other rules:

• Our regular letters policy can be seen at the bottom of the printed page or online. We don’t print anonymous letters to the editor. We require first and last names, addresses and phone numbers. We don’t print the address and phone number but use it to verify identity. We don’t print purported facts that can’t be independently verified. When using facts, cite a source. We don’t print letters that require substantial research to verify.

• Also, let’s keep personal insults out of this. Criticize a candidate’s record or positions all you want. Name-calling and demeaning comments (especially about your fellow letter writers) aren’t going to win anybody over, but — as many of you have also discovered — they might keep your letter out of the paper.

• We don’t allow letters from candidates or campaign managers, unless it’s in response to a news story or editorial specifically about them. They have ample ways to get their message out, including advertising. And if the letter is a response to a news story or editorial, candidates get to do this only once during this period — same as any other letter writer.

• With rare exceptions, we don’t print election letters from people outside of our print circulation area, which is Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties. We’re also making an effort to include more from Plumas County, given the impact of the fires in their area and the lack of a daily printed newspaper.

• All letters must be 250 words or fewer. We sometimes cut letters to the editor, even if they are under the limit.

For example, if somebody says “Vote for Jane Doe” several times in a letter, secondary instances will be cut.

• Even though the limit on letters is 250 words, you don’t need to use every last one.

More people will read your letter if it’s short. Get to the point.

• If we get letters that appear to be part of a letter-writing campaign, in which writers hit on the same talking points, we’ll run a small sampling of them but not all. Be original.

• One last time, our cutoff date for receiving letters is Thursday, Sept. 9. Our goal is to run them all before Election Day and not drop any late bombshells.

• Finally — if you mention Gov. Newsom, or anything about his performance, in a letter between now and Sept. 14, that counts as your election letter. Period.

• Just seven days until Election Day. Questions? Email letters@chicoer.com.