Election season is upon us. So that we can publish as many statements and letters as possible, the Courier has some rules and guidelines for candidates, parties and supporters for the Nov. 3 Presidential Election. The Courier will focus on the competitive Connecticut races that directly affect Easton. These are as follows:
U.S House of Representatives
- U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D
- Challenger Jonathan Riddle, R
Connecticut Senate 28th District
- State Senator Tony Hwang, R
- Challenger Michelle McCabe, D
Connecticut House of Representatives 135th District
- State Rep. Anne Hughes, D
- Challenger John Shaban, R
Fair play: We expect candidates and supporters to stick to issues and not indulge in personal attacks on candidates. We may reject any letter or statement we think is unfair, libelous or in poor taste.
Letters to the editor: The Courier will accept letters from Easton residents, former Easton residents, and Easton employees who work for the town, the schools or local businesses. Please indicate in your letter your connection with one of these categories.
Letters on general election issues may be 300 words or fewer, but may not be cloaked endorsements (that is, a writer cannot analyze an issue for 250 words and then say, “Joe Smith is the best person for handling this problem.”). No letters about general election issues will be published during the last week before the Nov. 3 election, i.e. on Oct. 27 or after.
Letters touting a candidate or group of candidates must be 100 words or fewer. Longer letters will be rejected; shorter letters will get preference if the volume of letters becomes an issue. Please include a word count with your letter and a daytime phone number. A person may write one letter per candidate. We will not publish more than one letter from the same person on a single day, nor will we publish letters from candidates regarding their races.
Profiles: We will publish profiles of each of the candidates prior to the election. We ask each of the candidates to please submit a 300-word biography and 500-word statement discussing three top issues Easton is confronting and how you will help solve them. Profiles are due Oct. 1.
Political statements: Candidates may submit two additional political statements, explaining their positions, to run between Sept. 8 through Oct. 27. Statements must be 500 words or fewer.
Photos: Parties and candidates may electronically submit campaign-related photos with a caption and brief article. Photos should be in jpg format and should not be compressed or altered in any way. Photos will be used on a space-available basis.
Commentaries: The Easton Democratic and Republican town committees will be asked to submit one “commentary” column of up to 500 words, discussing their slate and the slate’s advantages. The deadline is Oct. 1.
Deadlines: The letters, political statements, and commentaries deadlines and the word limits for each, will be strictly enforced. All articles should be submitted through the submission page at EastonCourier.news.
