THE ORANGE COUNTY TRIBUNE will be publishing free candidate statements for elections in Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Stanton and Westminster (Shutterstock).

Back by popular demand …

The Orange County Tribune is offering candidates for local non-partisan offices the opportunity to reach voters via a free candidate statement to be published between now and Election Day on Nov. 3. The absolute, “drop-dead” deadline for us to receive a statement is Friday, Oct. 30. All statements must be in English.

Here are the rules:

• All statements must be sent electronically, preferably as an attachment in Microsoft Word or within the text of your e-mail
• Send the statement to us at orangecountytribune@gmail.com
• Please check your statement for spelling and grammar. Statements that are too difficult to work with may not get published
• Statements should be accompanied by a color photograph (head shot) in a .jpg format.
• No profanity, personal attacks or other impolite language; they could disqualify your statement. Write about why you should be elected, not why your opponent(s) are unworthy.
• The length of the article should be no more than 200 words. If you run over that limit, we’ll do our best to chop it down responsibly. If it goes way over that limit, we will not use it.
• At the top of your statement, include your name (as it appears on the ballot), the office being sought (including area, if applicable), age, occupation and THEN the text of why you are qualified.
• These statements will be posted in the order in which they are received, so the earlier you submit yours, the better. We will endeavor to post all we receive that meet our standards, but there are no guarantees. We reserve the right to edit or reject any statement.
• Candidate statements will be considered only for these offices: Garden Grove mayor and city council; Huntington Beach City Council; Stanton City Council; Westminster City Council; Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education; Westminster School District Board of Trustees; Huntington Beach Union High School District Board of Trustees; Huntington Beach City School District Board of Trustees; Ocean View School District Board of Trustees.