With advance voting starting next week, the Cobb County Courier would like to invite all candidates for posts representing all or part of the county to submit articles explaining why you would be a good fit for the office you’re seeking.

We’re not limiting the article to a maximum length, but 300 words is the magic minimum number if you want Google and other search engines to give it decent placement. A good target is somewhere between 500 and 900 words. But if you want to create a book-length article, go for it.

Please put the words “CANDIDATE SUBMISSION” in the subject line of the email so it doesn’t get buried in the hundreds of emails we receive daily.

I’ll give the background on why we’re extending this offer in the bottom section, but here are a few things to consider:

• We won’t censor you except in cases of hate speech or libel, but we’d strongly prefer that you focus on yourself and what you bring to the table, not on your opponent. Our readers would appreciate that too.
• We have an intelligent audience, and while you’re welcome to just cut and paste from your campaign literature, our readers would likely know that what you’ve submitted is just a hodge-podge of talking points, so your best bet is to present something in a conversational tone. A short article that seems like it’s coming from someone who seriously wants to connect with Cobb residents is better than a long one that looks like an ad brochure for a duct cleaning company.
• We’ll publish submissions as we get them, up to election day, but bear in mind that advance voting starts on October 15, so for maximum impact, having the article submitted sometime between today and October 14 would be a good idea.

Background on why we’re extending this offer

We’re extending this offer to candidates for two reasons:

• We’re a very small news outlet, and in fact, only have one full-time person. Several of our freelance reporters have moved out of town or taken internships. This left us unable to do the sort of comprehensive coverage elections require. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.
• This gives local candidates a chance to appeal directly to voters in their own words. Since we’re trying to set a tone that allows candidates to focus on their own strengths (rather than attacks on their opponents), it also gives candidates a chance to cut through the noise and present their vision for whatever role they seek to serve.