‘Tis the season.

No, it is not the season for carols and presents, Santa and Rudolph. The month isn’t December and Christmas isn’t on the immediate horizon.

It is election season.

It is the time when signs, not lighted holiday displays or even spring flowers, start appearing in yards. Facebook posts express support of a favorite candidate. There are knocks on your door, a rarity nowadays, and politicians come calling. There is even greater than usual attendance at community events and there is more social interaction. Even philanthropy seems to be on the rise.

Yep, it’s election season.

Our hope is that this election season will also be marked by courtesy, fairness, and even perhaps a bit of temperance. Sure, you have your favorites and it is certainly okay to campaign for them, or even yourself if you are a candidate. But what we don’t want to see are any extreme actions. There is no need to tear down others. Stealing or defacing campaign materials is just wrong. Even conniving to make your opponent look bad is just in bad taste.

A better way is to remember that this is all for the better of the people-be it on the level of a city, county, state, or country. It is not about individuals or egos. It is about the good of the whole-the community and its residents.

With all of that said, we would also encourage candidates and any of their campaign workers to take particular note of the Tyler Star News’ Political Policy, given below. It contains some very important opportunities, guidelines, and deadlines.

We adhere to this policy that has been in place for years to make the “playing field” as level as possible for all. Our goal is to treat all candidates fairly and equally. We hope candidates, their supporters, and the voters can appreciate our efforts to treat all comers the same.

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We will gladly publish (once) candidates’ announcements of their presence in a political race. These can include a picture of the candidate, some personal background, and the candidate’s platform, not to exceed 400 words. We will further profile each candidate in a more in depth/interview manner in the week or two preceding the election.

In order to give political newcomers a fair chance to run against incumbents, the Tyler Star News will not publish photographs of politicians giving gifts or donations two weeks prior to the election. Further, we will not print political announcements such as the awarding of grants in that two week timeframe.

Letters to the editor endorsing candidates are welcome. However, in accordance with our Letters to the Editor policy, letters particularly naming an opposing candidate will not be accepted. All other Letters to the Editor rules will also apply. Letters of local endorsement will be given preference over state candidates.

Also, Letters to the Editor concerning elections will not be published during the two weeks prior to the affected election.

Political advertisements are welcome up until the election. They must include the name of the person or organization paying for the space and must be paid in advance.

For clarification of any of the above or for additional information, contact the Tyler Star News at editor@tylerstarnews.com, write to P.O. Box 191, Sistersville, WV 26175; phone 304-652-4141; or fax at 304-652-1454. Deadline for submissions is Friday at 9 a.m. for the following Wednesday’s publication.

The advertising deadline is Fridays at noon.