A note on election season letters

Election season is here, and with it comes one of the more interesting parts of running a community newspaper: The Opinion Page.

We genuinely love letters to the editor. It is one of the best parts of this job — knowing that people are reading, thinking, and want to say something back and we want to keep it that way. So before the mailbox fills up with campaign season opinions, here is what you need to know.

If you want to use this newspaper to endorse a candidate or tell your neighbors why they should not vote for someone, that is your right. It is also a service — our pages, our readership, our platform. Letters that endorse, support, or oppose declared candidates for public office will be treated as paid political content, at $25 for up to 200 words plus 10 cents per word beyond that.

That is not us trying to cash in on an election. That is us being transparent about what political advertising is and making sure the opinion page stays a space for genuine community dialogue — not a free campaign mailer.

You do not need to pay to weigh in on policy or to talk about issues, proposals, ballot measures, or your general frustration with the state of things. Letters about local, state, and national topics affecting this community are welcome, free of charge, all season long.

We also welcome columns and letters directly from candidates to their constituents, but please note, they go through the same fee structure and the same editorial process as everyone else. No exceptions.

Space permitting, candidates for the same office will be given comparable opportunities to get their message out. Any content paid for by a campaign will be labeled as advertising — not editorial — and will carry the required disclosure under Minnesota law. We will not publish anonymous letters, ghostwritten pieces, or content that relies on demonstrably false information.

And — this part is important — paying the fee does not guarantee publication. Nothing does. Editorial judgment and space applies to everything that comes through our door. We reserve the right to refund any paid fee if the content does not stand up to our guidelines.

All letters must be in by Monday at noon for that Thursday's edition. We will accept endorsement letters through the Oct. 1 edition. After that, the endorsement window closes.

The full policy is available on our website at https://pelican-rapidspress.com/pages/view/letters-to-the-editor. Questions? Call or stop in Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.