You have probably noticed that, as the election grows closer, our editorial page has become increasingly dominated by endorsement letters.
We welcome these letters, but we have a suggestion.
There is one letter this week that, in our opinion, typifies the perfect endorsement letter.
It doesn’t matter who it’s for, a Democrat or a Republican. We neither agree nor disagree with the endorsement. The Lincoln County News does not endorse candidates.
What makes the letter effective are two things: it’s specific and it’s personal.
This letter from a constituent tells a story of a legislator’s work on his behalf to pass a bill. The effort ultimately failed, but the letter succeeds by illustrating the qualities of the legislator/candidate with specific, personal examples.
To us, that’s about 1,000 times more effective than the average endorsement letter, which goes something like this:
“I’m a Democrat and I’m going to vote for Bob because he’s a Democrat too.”
Now, many letters don’t mention party, but they say what’s above just the same. They go something like this:
“I support (insert core party issues here) and so does Bob. Vote for Bob!”
We will continue to publish all endorsement letters, so long as they are civil and of reasonable length, but we hope some of the endorsers will consider this suggestion.
