Why were five letters printed?

To our readers:

Avid letter to the editor writers know, but readers may not, that the Record has policies regarding letters to the editor, including the number of letters in a particular category. Three letters are allowed in a category. Letters for a particular political candidate or against their opponent are considered one such category.

Last week, five letters ran in a category that either supported Senate District 9 candidate Al Doty or were written against his opponent, Paul Gazelka.

A list of letters in these categories is kept, and typically that list is updated as letters come in. If more than three letters are submitted during a single week in a certain category, the additional letters are held until the following week.

That didn’t happen last week, hence the five letters. It was not intentional, but was simply an oversight. Consequently, readers will see just one letter in that category in this issue.

Candidates have much at stake in this race. It is our hope that voters do not vote for a candidate based on the number of letters printed in a given week, but for the candidate who will best represent them and the issues important to them.
— Terry Lehrke, News Editor