Is it over yet?

That's the question you might be asking after the seemingly interminable race for the presidency. When the presidential primary season had drawn to a close, campaigning should have tapered off a bit. But it didn't.

Though neither party has formally anointed either candidate, Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain have been campaigning nearly nonstop to get out their messages and to chip away at each other's stand on the issues.

And there will be no rest for an electorate turning weary of campaigning. In fact, it will only get worse. Prepare to have your mailboxes inundated with slick campaign materials, your phone ringing off the hook from people seeking to elicit your support for a candidate, and TV and radio ad slots filled with political commercials.

In addition to the presidential contest, the Nov. 4 ballot will include races for Congress, Assembly, state Senate and Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

In Ventura County, there also will be three mayoral races, nine city council races and elections for school boards, the Ventura County Community College District and other community districts.

Also included on the Nov. 4 ballot are at least 11 state propositions and at least eight local measures.

All this means The Star will be inundated with letters from readers commenting on candidates and the issues. The Star enjoys receiving and publishing readers' letters. And with such a busy election season about to swoop across the county, this is a good time to remind letter writers of The Star's policies on letters.

— You must include your full name, full residential address and phone number on every letter you write. If makes no difference if it is your first letter or your 50th letter — this information is required for verification. If your letter is published, you will only be identified by your name and city of residence.

— The Star likes to publish as many letters as possible, but space in the newspaper is at a premium. The Star has a 300-word-limit preference for letters, but the shorter the letter, the better.

— The Star enjoys publishing the views of as many people as possible. Thus, letter writers are limited to one letter every 30 days. Keep this in mind as Election Day approaches. If you want to write an election letter but you had a scathing letter about doggie-doo spoiling the beach published Oct. 5, you'll miss your chance.

— The Star welcomes longer Op-Ed commentaries, and these should be about 650 words or fewer. They do take longer to be published because of space constraints.

— Though The Star would like to publish every letter sent it, the sheer volume of letters received makes that impossible. However, most letters sent to The Star get posted online to a letters blog. You can access those letters at http://blogs.venturacountystar.com/letters/.

— If you have access to a computer, it is always better to e-mail your letter to letters@venturacountystar.com. The Star does accept mailed or faxed letters from those who do not have access to e-mail. However, because these letters need to be typed into our computer system, they take longer to be published.

— If you write a letter in response to another letter, an opinion piece or a news article, please include the headline, the author's name or the date it appeared. Ideally, including all three would be best.

— Generally during an election season, The Star does not publish letters from candidates. An exception can be made, however, if a letter writer or article mischaracterizes a candidate's position. These are considered on a case-by-case basis.

— Don't sign your name to a letter someone else has written. Many Web sites allow people to write and send letters. And many of these sites offer prewritten letters. The Star considers use of these letters plagiarism and will not run them. The Star wants to see the letter writer's opinion, not someone else's.

— Finally, The Star reserves the right to edit for space, inaccuracies and libel.

You have the thoughts.

The Star provides the forum.

By following these simple guidelines, letter writers and readers will be able to participate in print and online in a community dialogue no other medium offers.

Let your voice be heard.

— Richard Larsen is a deputy opinion page editor at The Star. His e-mail address is rlarsen@VenturaCountyStar.com.