It’s election season, and what an election season it will be: 55 candidates filed to run for 28 offices county wide. Only sheriff candidate Gary Simpson, treasurer candidate Meredith Green, public utility commission candidate Jim Civilla, and some judge candidates are running unopposed.

The primary election is Aug. 5, the general election is Nov. 4.

We welcome letters to the editor about candidates and the issues. To ensure there is a place on our Opinion pages for as many voices as possible, here’s a reminder of our policy on election-related letters to the editor.

The word limit for letters to the editor is 350 words. If your letter exceeds the word limit, we may edit it or return it to you so you can edit it.

Letter writers are limited to one letter a month. This helps ensure that there is room for as many voices as possible.

Letters must include name, address and telephone number for verification purposes.

Letters we will not publish: Letters from candidates, their families and campaign managers; form letters; and letters that are submitted anonymously. (Candidates, take note: On our news pages, and websites we will cover your campaigns and let readers know about upcoming candidate forums and campaign appearances.)

The purpose of our Opinion pages is to foster conversation and reflective thought. We ask writers to be respectful, refrain from personal attacks, and stay focused on issues.

Many times, a letter will prompt a response from another reader. That’s great, but we sometimes have to remind writers that when they start a conversation by submitting a letter, they shouldn’t expect an opportunity to pen a response to everyone who disagrees with them. If we allowed response-to-response letters, our Opinion pages would be dominated by fewer voices repeating the same points and issues they had raised in previous editions, and there would be no room for other writers to share their viewpoints.

We realize it can be tough for some people to not get the last word in on a topic. They can continue their conversation on our website or Facebook page.

It’s a balancing act to make sure each edition reflects a diversity of opinions and viewpoints, and we understand that not every reader will appreciate the letters that are published. Thank you for participating in the great democratic tradition of opinion sharing and community discussion, and providing food for thought on the candidates and issues.