Candidates wishing to officially file for office can do that at the county clerk’s office starting Wednesday, Nov. 5.
From some of the buzz heard around town and county, there will be plenty of candidates in this election cycle, which will include 19 local races in addition to the state senator and state representative seats as well as the U.S. senator and U.S. representative seats.
That’s enough to keep a journalist’s head spinning for the next several months.
For fairness sake, the Hendersonian will start off election coverage with a brief introduction of a candidate when he or she officially files for the position. We will be in contact with the county clerk’s office in an effort to hear from every candidate. But we also invite candidates to contact us after they have officially filed so that we can be sure that every candidate is heard from.
The initial candidate introduction article will consist of some personal information and a brief questionnaire that we will ask the candidate to respond to and email back to us.
This may not be as in-depth as a candidate may prefer, but with the possibility of 40 or more candidates, this process feels like the fairest way to start off the races. The Hendersonian will dig in with further articles as the primaries in April and then the general election in November draw near.
Additionally, the Hendersonian welcomes political advertising for our print and online platforms as well as social media. Our new advertising sales lead will handle that. Nate Boyett is at nboyett@the-hendersonian.com.
We feel, though, it’s important, especially as worries, concerns and anger are high from recent political developments, to lay some ground rules for political advertising. When a candidate meets with Nate, he will have those guidelines with him.
But we will post them here also.
We at the Hendersonian believe we’ve built an organization that strives for fairness and respect. We expect that from advertisers as well. What that means, in a nutshell, is to refrain from mud-slinging, name-calling and unsubstantiated claims. If you have a legitimate beef with an opponent—and we feel it’s worthy—we’ll write about it in an article and let the opposing candidate have a chance to respond.
We want all candidates to be heard both in articles and in advertisements and we will strive to accomplish this with respect and the fairest way possible.
Hendersonian political advertising guidelines
The Hendersonian strives to be a publication that meets the dignity of our community. We promote fairness, integrity, truth and accuracy. We wish to publish advertisements that do the same.
1. Political ads must include a disclosure line at the bottom or top of the ad. Additionally, the Hendersonian can label the ad “Paid Advertisement” or another descriptor so that readers fully understand it is not newspaper editorial content. The advertiser disclosure should state “Paid for by” followed by the name and address of the individual or committee that financed the advertisement. Disclosure must be easily seen, not hidden within text.
2. Political advertising in the Hendersonian is open to each candidate. Each candidate will be offered the same rates. The Hendersonian will not place ads in the paper based on a candidate’s desires, i.e. on a particular page—don’t ask.
3. The Hendersonian has the right to decline advertising that is inflammatory and/or sensational.
4. Claims made in advertising must be verified by the advertiser. For verification purposes, an advertiser must be able to provide sources for any claims.
5. The Hendersonian will not publish ads that contain obvious false or defamatory statements, hate speech, threats or personal attacks.
6. In general, stick to why voters should vote for you and not what’s wrong with the other candidate(s). If there is controversy involved in a race, the Hendersonian will handle it in the articles we write, giving both sides the opportunity to respond to it.
