Election Day in Colorado is still 29 days away, yet we started rolling out our endorsements last week.
Only a handful of years ago, publishing endorsements in September for a November election would have seemed a bit like Target putting up their Christmas decorations before Halloween.
But today, the term “Election Day” is about as quaint and antiquated as the words “album” and “VCR.”
Welcome to election month.
One week from tomorrow, mail ballots will go out and Coloradans will begin casting votes.
We hope to have all of our endorsements wrapped up within a week of the start of early voting.
Today, we offer our thoughts on Colorado’s gubernatorial race — the strangest political race in memory.
I say we’re offering “our thoughts” on the race because that’s just what our endorsements are. We’re not so bold — or is it naive? — as to think voters actually need us to tell them how to vote, nor are we trying to pick the winners like some Vegas handicappers.
Endorsements are meant to help readers better evaluate candidates, and to stoke a public dialogue.
Some readers ask, why?
Why, when some of the media is struggling with perceived credibility issues and some voters question the objectivity of journalists, would a newspaper weigh in with an endorsement?
I consider it part of our responsibility, part of the newspaper being a good citizen.
We spend our days, for better or worse, commenting on and studying the issues that shape our state and country. We consider ourselves fairly informed observers, so why not tell readers who we think is most qualified to tackle those issues?
And with so many voices out there now, from blogs to Internet “news sites,” I think it’s more important than ever for an institution that’s been around for 118 years and is filled with people who care about Colorado to weigh in on races that affect our future.
A Denver Post editorial from 1974 summed it up best: “Our endorsement system is not beyond criticism. We are seeking improved government of the people, by the people, and for the people, and so far we have not found a better way to express election opinion than the endorsement system.”
It’s never an easy task. We started conducting face-to-face interviews with most of the leading candidates and proponents and opponents of the ballot measures in August, and we will wrap up this week. We’ve interviewed others by phone and will continue to peruse websites, candidate questionnaires and news stories for more information as we make our decisions.
We videotaped many of the endorsement meetings and, as of today, will begin to put selections from those meetings online at .
Deciding who to endorse isn’t easy, either. Sometimes, we wish there was another candidate running. But, like you, we need to make a decision.
Our decisions can make life uncomfortable for the reporters who are covering the candidates and the races. But it’s important to note that the editorial page operates independently from our newsroom. Reporters don’t take part in our decision-making process on endorsements, and we don’t coordinate coverage.
In the next two weeks, we’ll offer up our choices for some hot races in the Colorado legislature, Colorado’s congressional districts and the U.S. Senate race. We’ve already weighed in on Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101, along with Amendments 62 and 63, urging “no” votes on all.
For more information, join us at and become one of Denver Post ap’s Facebook friends for the early scoop on a few endorsements.
Stay tuned.
Editorial page editor Dan Haley can be reached at dhaley@denverpost.com. Follow him on Twitter at .
